HBA Central New Jersey Event - Thriving Together: Healthy Self-Promotion while Elevating Others

On 14 August 2024,  HBA Central New Jersey hosted this virtual event with an agenda of getting to know each other, defining self-promotion, elevating others, and overcoming obstacles. Speakers Juliet Hart and Sharon List shared their personal stories, insights, and tips on promoting others in the workplace and how to overcome obstacles to and benefits of self-promotion. The session encouraged participants to identify and share their strengths, with a focus on creating a supportive and collaborative environment.

Key takeaways

• Self-promotion is the act of furthering one's own growth, advancement, or prosperity, and it is not the same as pitching, which is persuading or advertising in a high-pressure way.
• Self-promotion is essential for career advancement, especially for women, who often face cultural, social, and psychological barriers to highlighting their achievements, strengths, and aspirations.
• Elevating others is the act of supporting, recognizing, and advocating for others.
• Elevating others is beneficial for building relationships, trust, and community, as well as for creating a supportive and collaborative work environment, where everyone can thrive and succeed. 

Why self-promotion matters

Self-promotion is the act of furthering one's own growth, advancement, or prosperity. It is not the same as pitching or being pushy, but rather ethical networking with an exchange of information in which we build and leverage relationships with each other. This is important because it helps us to show our value, achievements, and aspirations, as well as connect with people who can support our career goals and vice versa. Many of us struggle, however, with self-promotion due to cultural, familial, or societal expectations; fear of being seen as unlikable or arrogant; discomfort in the spotlight; or lack of belief in our abilities. The speakers suggested some ways to overcome these obstacles, such as:

• Coaching, therapy, and unraveling the subconscious beliefs that hold us back. 
• Assuming a new, truer, identity.
• Practicing self-promotion in comfortable circles and expanding our comfort zone.
• Having clarity on what we have to offer others in relation to what we want.
• Having a concise, clear, and memorable personal brand statement that includes three adjectives we want to be known for.
• Having a clear ask or call to action when we self-promote. 
• Remembering we have something to give or offer in return and/or pay it forward.

Why promoting others matters

Promoting others is the act of furthering the growth, advancement, or prosperity of others. It is a way of building trust, community, and reciprocity. This is important because it helps us to recognize the value, achievements, and aspirations of others, and to create a culture of appreciation, support, and collaboration. However, barriers to promoting others can include a belief it’s a zero-sum game, fear of how it will reflect on us, not sure how to promote the other person or the relevance, discomfort with networking, or the belief that work should speak for itself. The speakers suggested some ways to overcome these challenges, such as:

• Identifying the strengths, values, and capabilities of others and acknowledging them.
• Asking for their three adjectives that they want to be known for and using them to promote them.
• Seeking leadership roles or opportunities where we can be sponsors or advocates for others.
• Building a community or a brag club where we can promote and celebrate each other's successes.
• Asking what they need, how they want to be seen, and how we can help them get more visibility.

Final notes 

Overall, the event was interactive and engaging with polling questions, a workbook, and breakout rooms where the participants practiced their self-promotion and promoting each other's skills. The speakers also shared some resources and upcoming events for further learning and networking. Feedback from the participants was positive and appreciative, and many expressed their interest in continuing the conversation and the practice. The event was a fitting example of how we can all thrive together.

Speaker profiles

Sharon List is HBA Central New Jersey’s Operations Director and the founder of All Inclusive You, as well as a speaker and International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coach.  All Inclusive You, LLC, is dedicated to helping others achieve work/life success on their terms.  Her 16 years of corporate accounting experience as a CPA at multinational companies provided her the experience of leading teams and mentoring colleagues, as well as insight into the challenges employees face as they climb the ladder. She offers coaching and tailored workshops to meet the needs of today’s endless demands resulting in better outcomes for the clients and companies she serves. 

Juliet Hart is HBA Central New Jersey’s President and a Leadership Consultant & Coach. She is the CEO and founder of Hart & Chin Associates, LLC. Juliet is uniquely focused on providing professional development for scientists.  Using the combination of her experiences in scientific research and learning and development, she delivers innovative tools and strategic solutions that address the multitude of challenges that exist for professional scientists and their organizations.  Most especially, Hart & Chin looks to enhance the productivity of their client organizations by empowering scientists to further advance their skills and potential value to the organization as effective and influential leaders. 

Special thanks 

HBA Central NJ would like to thank our amazing speakers Juliet Hart and Sharon List. Thanks also to the HBA volunteers whose work made this event possible: Anu Ganguly, Elizabeth Dolgos, Jenna Costa, Marcella Turk, Puja Patel, Quinnie Wong, and Stephanie Raspa.

Upcoming event

Come join us on 12 September 2024 at Sanofi in Bridgewater, NJ, USA for an event on understanding the value of market access to patients and your careers. In addition to a great panelist line-up, there will be a networking reception (refreshments included) before the program where you can connect with industry peers and foster valuable relationships within the healthcare community. Don’t miss this chance to connect and learn!

Visit here for more information and registration.

To learn more about HBA Central New Jersey visit: Central New Jersey | Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (hbanet.org)

Article written by Elizabeth Dolgos, PharmD, RPh