It was my first annual performance review as a line manager. It had been a turbulent year with a staff member leaving and finding volumes of work he had not acted on after he left. The person leaving was not replaced and the rest of the team had been under pressure.
‘You need to fight your corner more’ was the feedback I received from the senior leader who had countersigned my appraisal.
I was in my mid-twenties and recently promoted into the role. Never having led a team and never having received any leadership training at the time, on my first day I was introduced to my team and left to get on with it. I had to figure things out for myself. It was a long time after that I received any leadership training.
I had mistakenly thought that the issues my team were experiencing would be seen by those who needed to know, but clearly, I was wrong
I had mistakenly thought that the issues my team were experiencing would be seen by those who needed to know, but clearly, I was wrong. Well, they did see it, but because I didn’t make ‘noise’ about it, it was easier for them not to do anything to address it. Whereas I noticed one of my more vocal colleagues would let the world and their dog know about the difficulties their team was experiencing and get attention.
Fast forward 20 years and a number of promotions later, in a much more senior role, I found myself in a similar position again when a colleague told my manager that I didn’t care. My group had gone through a challenging period. Introduction of a new IT system, and shortly after going through Lean process mapping and implementation, at a time of a significant reduction in headcount (that could not be replaced due to budget cuts) and absences due to summer annual leave.
Thankfully, my manager knew me well and knew that me not caring could not be further from the truth. Because of my calm, introverted nature, my colleague had mistaken it for me not caring. To them, I did not make enough noise in order to get the resources needed. And that is probably right. I had relayed the difficulties and thought that would be sufficient but did not self-advocate enough.
Self-advocacy is important for leaders to state their case and speak up and assert themselves for what they and their teams need. Or as it was put to me, they need to be able to fight their corner.
It is often the case that she/he who shouts the loudest is the one who gets heard, gets the recognition, and gets the reward
I meet many introverted leaders who (like I did back in the day) think that issues and challenges will be evident to those who need to know and that their needs will be seen. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. It is often the case that she/he who shouts the loudest is the one who gets heard, gets the recognition, and gets the reward. The quieter ones often get overlooked.
Often characteristics such as charisma, gregariousness, assertiveness, self-promotion, etc, are viewed more favourably and may not come naturally to introverts. Adopting a more inclusive leadership culture requires a cross-cultural approach that is not centred solely on Western ideals of leadership.
Increasing awareness of this and influencing change is something we can all do. However, because of the unfavourable bias towards introversion, it is necessary for introverted leaders to advocate for themselves.
The valuable strengths introverted leaders possess may not always be visible to others, particularly in environments which favour extraversion. Introverts are often incorrectly perceived as less confident or less engaged just because they speak less frequently.
Whether it is negotiating a pay rise or presenting your ideas, by self-advocating you can highlight your contributions and the unique value you add and get the credit for it.
Self-advocacy enables you to counteract biases and demonstrate confidence in your abilities.
Self-advocacy enables you to counteract biases and demonstrate confidence in your abilities. It also enables you to get the recognition for your team that they deserve. When facing challenges such as being under resourced, self-advocacy becomes even more critical.
You can be highly effective at self-advocating by leaning into your natural strengths, planning, and preparing intentionally, and choosing the methods of communication that are more authentic to you. By doing so, you can assert your needs, demonstrate the value you add, and be influential without compromising who you are.
Self-confidence and self-belief are the cornerstones of effective self-advocacy. They provide the internal assurance needed to step forward and share your voice, even when external circumstances or biases might suggest otherwise. By cultivating these inner qualities, you can advocate for yourself in ways that feel authentic, sustainable, and aligned with your unique strengths.
If this is something that you struggle with, join my 5-day mind cleanse challenge for building self-belief and self-confidence, starting 6 January 2025. Doing this challenge will equip you with the tools and techniques to develop self-belief and self-confidence so that you can confidently self-advocate. Find out more here.
