The evolution of promoting yourself

Picture of me from 2012 standing in front of the Roshek Building in Dubuque, Iowa.

The year was 2012 when I was named head of recruiting and staffing for IBM’s Delivery Center in Dubuque, Iowa, where we employed approximately 1,300 IBMers in our then-Global Technology Services division.
 
As part of my new role, I was tasked with creating an IT Certification Program in partnership with the local community college, who then asked me to teach fifteen hours of soft skill training as part of that program.
 
Even though I was only three years into my career, I had already learned quite a bit about professional communications through working with several senior executives in various roles and projects and from my degree is Mass Comms.
 
Surprisingly, my previous experience and the local college’s confidence in me, was all it took to convince myself that I had enough knowledge and helpful tips to make it a meaningful fifteen hours for our program participants.
 
And at the end of our five weeks together, they overwhelmingly agreed.
 
Our classes were full of engaging discussions with topics ranging from email etiquette to creating special experiences for clients to managing conflict, but the most popular session is one I completely made up based on my own experiences at IBM.
 
It was called “Promoting Yourself” and was all about understanding your value at work and communicating it to the right people who can help you reach your career goals.
 
In short, how to be your own advocate.
 
Since that day back in 2012, I have taught this topic to over 40,000 professionals, students, and colleagues around the world, and continue to get requests weekly to share the lesson with new groups or dig deeper during mentor and coaching sessions.
 
Twelve years ago, a seed was planted and has been growing into something beautiful ever since.
 
And as it goes, life for me looks much different now than it did back then, and with those life changes, the topic of promoting yourself has morphed into something that is much more than any one individual.
 
You see, once someone has decided being their own advocate is a worthy use of their time, it’s then they are ready for the next step… becoming an advocate for others.
 
In the coming days, weeks, and months, I will be exploring the basics of advocating for yourself and begin to introduce why and how advocating for others can help you meet your goals just the same.
 
I’m excited for this evolution and to see how we can all grow together to unleash our full potential.

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