The Self-Promoting Executive
For an introductory look at self-promotion, please see our article “Everyday Self-Promotion and Personality Types.”
Powerful organizers and motivated individuals are not afraid of the word ambition. In fact, Executives (ESTJs) can be so laser-focused on their success that they may miss the “softer” qualities that everyone has that can be helpful when self-promoting. An old saying goes, “I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care.” When trying to convince others of your value, people skills – which can be a weak area for many Executives – can be beneficial.
According to our research, Executives are the least likely of all personality types to say they would rather suppress their own feelings than hurt someone else’s. But because they’re Extraverts, Executives likely have sufficient social skills to maintain the presence of the people they want in their lives. They likely value people as a source of energy and motivation. But these personalities may not always exude a lot of warmth and might instead seem coldly focused on business.
What They Have Going for Them
A snarky answer to what Executives can do to promote themselves is another question: “What don’t they do?” Executives take work seriously and take themselves as workers even more seriously. People with this personality type have no problem letting their superiors know what they’ve done to meet company goals. Executives may even find setting up a self-promotion strategy confusing. To them, something so natural doesn’t need an intentional strategy.
What Gets in Their Way
Executives may be too obvious regarding their ambition. Some organizations like to see the ambition of the individuals who work for them. Others may feel that too much ambition places workers’ focus on themselves more than on the company’s values and visions. This can make Executives appear shallow and call into question their dedication. If their hunger looks like it might cause them to jump ship with the next even slightly better job offer, it may work against them. Will their desire to get ahead be satisfied at any cost, perhaps even affecting their ethics? Executives may need to tone down their self-promotion energy to a level that matches the business culture’s comfort with ambition.
Self-Promotion Tip
Since Executives already do a masterful job at self-promotion, perhaps a tip that enhances the tone of their campaigns is appropriate. Sharpening your emotional intelligence and getting more creative with marketing yourself may help lower the temperature and take some of the heat away from the more overtly ambitious behaviors that are likely present. While some personality types need to be more obvious, Executives may want to find ways to subtly surprise those they want to impress with the message of their competence. Casually introducing a satisfied client to the boss as “someone I enjoy talking with” is a less direct and, depending on the company, perhaps more palatable way that Executives can show their ability to warmly keep customers happy.
A Hard-Sell, Soft-Sell Balance
How much self-promotion should include a hard-sell component and how much should include a soft-sell component depends mostly on the situation in which the pitch for recognition takes place. It depends very much on the audience, the culture, and how genuine the approach feels to the person telling their story. Executive personalities are likely to feel more comfortable using a fact-based approach that feels “harder” than an emotion-based, “soft” approach.
However, true self-promotional success likely comes from flexibility and knowing how and when to move back and forth between the two styles. Both styles can be learned. While each individual will likely lean more toward one or the other, there is probably no such thing as a pure hard-sell or pure soft-sell approach. A balance is likely required in most cases. Executives who supplement their skill set with increased emotional intelligence and who practice connecting with others on that level will probably find their time well spent.
Further Reading
- Respect My Authority!: Personality Types Who Love to Be in Charge
- What Extraverted Personality Types Aren’t
- Reaching Across the Aisle
- For more on achieving your career goals, check out our premium Executive Career Guide & Tests.