Coaching Yourself to Leadership: Five Key Strategies for Becoming an Integrated Leader

Advocating for Yourself

In a negotiation, it’s essential that you advocate for yourself. In leadership, it’s also essential. I’ve had clients who have struggled with this concept, feeling that advocating for themselves is self-aggrandizing, egotistical, and offensive. But to grow as a leader, it’s important to believe in your abilities and be able to talk confidently about your skills and strengths. This doesn’t mean that you should lose your humility, but remember that if you cannot advocate for yourself and your ideas, you will not garner the visibility you need for assignments that will help you advance as a leader.

To grow your leadership, it’s critical for you to make yourself visible—to have your work recognized and acknowledged. So pay ...