Working hard is valued in both team members and leaders. However, few leaders earn their positions through hard work alone. If you want to rise up in your organization and hold more responsibility, you must learn self-advocacy. 

Becoming a self-advocate means being willing to speak up for yourself in the workplace. If no one knows you want to lead, then they don’t know to consider you when opportunities arise. Even though it can be scary, advocating for yourself is crucial to reaching your career goals. And we’re here to help.

What Does Self-Advocacy Look Like?

Put simply, self-advocacy is speaking up on your own behalf. It’s an important life skill and especially valuable in the workplace. 

Effective self-advocacy allows you to work with leadership to establish a career path and action plan to reach your goals. When you can communicate what you want from your career or what you’re struggling with in the moment, your leadership can better support you.

In the workplace, self-advocacy skills might look like this:

• Asking for more responsibility when you’re ready to start advancing in your career

• Asking questions about what you can do to develop your leadership or specialty skills

• Submitting your name for promotions or higher positions within the organization when they’re opened

• Communicating to your teammates or leadership when there is an issue that prevents you from doing your job well

• Letting a leader know you’re interested in being on their team should a position open up

As you can see, all of these situations require the courage to speak up. Some of these might seem like difficult conversations at first, but once you see that your leadership team is there to help you succeed, you’ll feel much more confident in starting problem-solving or career advancement discussions.

Benefits of Advocating for Yourself

There are many personal and professional benefits of becoming a self-advocate. Three, in particular, lend themselves well to professional development.

• Empower yourself. Standing up for your rights and interests is a great way to build self-esteem and self-confidence. It creates an open and trusting environment in the workplace and sets an example of collaboration. Self-advocacy shows you’re willing to work with others to achieve your professional goals. 

• Increased self-awareness. The more you speak up for yourself, the more self-aware you become. You’ll notice if you’re consistently running into the same problem, if you’re getting similar feedback from multiple people or if there are areas of development that would help you across the board. This self-awareness is invaluable because it allows you to see your weaknesses and take proactive steps to address them.

• Improved problem-solving. With your increased self-awareness and confidence, you become a better problem solver. As leaders and teammates help you work through issues, you’ll learn techniques to address a variety of problems and how to apply them on your own. In time, you’ll be able to approach even complex problems with confidence.

The benefits of advocating for yourself are far-reaching and can help you both at work and in your personal life. Now, let’s look at ways you can hone your skills to become a more effective self-advocate.

5 Ways to Practice Self-Advocacy

As we mentioned, sometimes standing up for yourself is intimidating. It might not be your first instinct to speak up when you have a problem or to assert your desire to move into a leadership role. That’s okay. 

Practicing self-advocacy skills is how you build up the confidence and courage to become a true leader in your organization. There are five skills that you can focus on developing, no matter what role you’re currently in, to start becoming more comfortable with self-advocacy.

1. Communication

Communication is an essential part of advocating for yourself. It’s not just about stating what you want, it’s also communicating what you need. 

Focus on setting clear boundaries and expectations with your teammates when you collaborate on a project. Let them know exactly what you need to accomplish your portion of the project and be willing to answer any questions they might have. Make it a two-way street. Ask what they need from you, too, and accommodate whatever you reasonably can.

The better you are at communicating your needs, the wider you can build your support network. Everyone in your organization is working toward the same goal and fulfilling the same mission, so they won’t hesitate to help you achieve your part. Reach out to people outside of your team or department when necessary and advocate for your needs.

2. Build Relationships

Relationships are a key part of leadership in any setting. It’s important to build relationships with both your managers and your team. The better you know these people, the easier it will be to have open, honest conversations with them.

An easy way to build relationships is to protect the well-being of your team. Watch for signs of burnout and offer help to those who need it. Sometimes you might not know exactly how you can help, but simply offering goes a long way. Listen to the person’s response with empathy and try to find a solution that’s helpful.

Don’t forget about your personal well-being either. If you feel like you’re stretched too thin, bring it up with your leadership team. Let them know you need help lightening the load or advice on how to better manage your priorities. 

These honest interactions build a foundation for healthy relationships. They establish trust and empathy while showing you’re open to feedback and willing to help others. It shows people that you’re encouraged by their advice and willing to listen, which will be valuable in bigger conversations.

3. Celebrate Your Wins

It’s easy to sit in the corner and hope others notice your accomplishments. However, it’s rarely an effective strategy. 

Don’t be afraid to celebrate your wins and let people know how your work or ideas have benefited the company. This shows that you care about what you’re doing and want to inspire others to think outside of the box. 

The one caveat to celebrating is to do it the right way. Leaders need a balance of self-confidence and humility to rise to the top and be effective in their roles. This means you’re proud of your accomplishments without holding it over others. Instead, you use your success to motivate your teammates and help them develop their own wins. 

When you win well, it sticks in the minds of leadership. It shows them that you’re working hard to help the organization achieve its mission and encouraging others to do the same.

4. Know Your Worth

You’re worth more than just your level of productivity. Your relationships with others and subject matter expertise bring unique advantages to your organization, so it’s important to know and stand firm in your own values. You should be confident enough to express your ideas and humble enough to receive feedback and work with others to find the best solution. 

One way to be your own best advocate is to have a clear picture of how you’ve benefited your organization and what you bring to the table. Assess your worth beyond your salary. Make a list of ideas you had that turned into action items, projects you led or collaborated on and how those outcomes contributed to the company’s mission.

As you make that list, let those achievements fuel your confidence. Allow it to encourage you to speak up when needed because you know that your ideas are valuable and you can make a difference for your organization. You can also use this as proof of your growth when applying for higher positions or seeking new responsibilities.

5. Think Like Your Boss

This might seem strange, but thinking like your boss can help you better define and communicate your problems. Changing your perspective will show you different aspects of the problem or situation at hand and allow you to include those former blindspots in your question or explanation.

The more you can explain your problem in the context of your manager’s position, the easier it will be for them to quickly understand and help you solve it. For example, if you say “I want to rise up in the company,” your boss would likely have a few questions. 

• Why are you interested in pursuing leadership roles?

• What department do you see yourself in?

• What roles do you think you’d thrive in?

• What are your overall career goals?

If you’re not prepared to answer these questions, then it may seem like you haven’t thought things through. However, if you consider your ambition from your manager’s perspective first, you can start the conversation like this:

“I really enjoy teaching people on my team new skills and leading projects. I’d like to develop my skills by taking more responsibility in each project and eventually working up to a leadership role on my team. Long-term, I’d love to continue developing the skills necessary to rise higher in my department. What are some ways I can start working toward this goal?”

This explanation gives your manager the context and motivation behind your goals, which allows them to propose a more specific plan to help you reach them. 

Take Charge of Your Future

Learning to be a better advocate for yourself takes courage and practice. It’s step one toward achieving your career goals. Start practicing these five easy steps to hone your self-advocacy skills and start working with company leadership to pave the path to personal success.

To learn more about how to take control of your own life and career path, read the book Living Forward. It teaches you how to stop drifting and start making meaningful progress toward your goals.