Good morning from the nature trail in El Rompido, Spain. 

Based on a post I wrote on LinkedIn while I was here, I am musing on self promotion. 

Specifically for this podcast, the myth that if you self promote, you cannot be humble. 

The reality couldn't be further from the truth.

And here's why.

One of the books that had a profound impact on my understanding of leadership, was Jim Collins' classic, Good to Great.  

In it, one of his and his team's discoveries about the executives who led companies that made the transition from good performance in the marketplace to great performance in the marketplace and sustained it over time was that they embodied a paradoxical blend of personal humility and intense professional will. 

What does that mean, and how does that apply to you?

Well, it means that he discovered that of  the executives he studied, only 1 of them was featured on the cover of an important business publication in spite of the fact that the companies they were leading were 'making transformative and huge leaps in their business performance.

These executives, whom he called Level 5 Leaders, did not seek the limelight. But they were Intensely focused  on delivering the outcomes that were expected in order to position the organization  to be successful today and thrive tomorrow.  

Now, does this mean that the accomplishments of these executives were unknown inside the organization and among its key stakeholders?

Absolutely not.

If the outcomes they were achieving or exceeding hadn't been visible to the board of directors and the analyst community, these executives would not have stayed in place.

So what does this mean for you? 

It might mean that you do get featured in some business oriented conference, blog, podcast, or magazine. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

And you can respond in ways that are generous, that give credit to team members, that are generous in terms of sharing lessons learned with other women, being generous in sharing credit for accomplishments with those who've helped along the way.

This is all good.

But it is also to say, it is your responsibility and, as I talk about in other podcasts, a measure of your self respect to be sure to let your key stakeholders know about the accomplishments that you've produced. And to do that in a way, as I always say, that puts the focus on how the business is moving forward:

When you let your key stakeholders know about your and your team(s) contributions to the business,

Here's me in the beautiful southwest of Spain saying, "Just do it."

Catch you next time,

Susan

Podcast produced and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com