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Logistician (ISTJ) Self-Promotion: It Might Be Your Duty to Self-Promote

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The Self-Promoting Logistician

For an introductory look at self-promotion, please see our article “Everyday Self-Promotion and Personality Types.”

Logisticians (ISTJs) are among the most diligent personality types. One way to build a reputation is to consistently do a good job. In a perfect world, this would probably be enough. But there are often other considerations. As discussed in the introduction to this series, being good at what you do isn’t always enough in a competitive world. Logisticians may need minimal self-promotion, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have to do any at all.

On top of that, some business cultures expect self-promotion to be part of a company’s dynamic. Anyone not participating in self-promotion may be seen as not interested in their work. Managers may see it as a leadership skill that employees at a certain level need to be demonstrating. In such environments, Logistician personalities may feel like they’re not doing their job if they simply wait for their work to speak for itself.

What They Have Going for Them

When someone is über-reliable, they are naturally self-promotional. Logisticians may be one of the few personality types that can get away with allowing their work to speak for itself as a form of self-promotion, even in a competitive environment. If it becomes known that Logisticians can be consistently counted on for results, then their reputation may grow, and self-promotion will be built in. However, their consistency may also put them in a position where they are taken for granted. Even Logisticians whose reputation comes from their self-promotion may want to have a plan in their back pocket for boosting self-promotion.

What Gets in Their Way

This may be a case where what a personality type has going for them and what gets in their way have the same source. Since Logisticians value consistency so much, they may feel that being consistent and doing their job well should be enough. Like most Sentinels, they value duty and likely believe that doing their duty should gain them recognition and honor. And that may be good enough, if the people who can bestow this recognition and honor share the same values. If they don’t, Logisticians who don’t go out of their way to promote themselves may soon realize that they’ve been overlooked.

Self-Promotion Tip

When Logistician personalities see self-promotion as part of their job, they can become amazing self-promoters. It becomes a skill like any other skill that you acquire. Taking on a philosophy that advancement ultimately allows you to serve your organization better can be the tipping point that turns “my work should speak for itself” into “take a look at what my department did last month.” The tip here might be for you to work on a mindset that decides that self-promotion is everybody’s job and isn’t just about you.

Being Duty Bound Doesn’t Mean Being Invisible

Think of self-promotion in sci-fi terms. You find yourself accidentally being made invisible (in your case, maybe because you do your job so well that people fail to notice you). Self-promotion is like the anti-invisibility ray that you shine on yourself to gain visibility. The perks of gaining visibility are that promotions might include practical things like better pay and more autonomy. From a work standpoint, you are likely to have more responsibility, which you no doubt will enthusiastically take on and become highly proficient at dealing with.

Well, Logistician, what advice do you have for us about self-promotion? What are your concerns about self-promotion, and what are some advantages to practicing this artful skill? The comments below are your forum. We’d love to hear from you.

Further Reading