Why Do Black Women Experts Struggle with Visibility?
I don’t believe there’s a credibility issue. In fact, if you look at the statistics in the United States of America, you’ll see that women, especially women of color are the fastest, most educated group. We have degrees. We have certifications. We’re just as qualified as anybody else to be visible and get a job done. Credibility is not a thing, and it won’t ever be.
I am just as credible as any other professional on this planet and trust me, I have experienced business environments where I was told I didn’t fit in because of my race or gender. I have been called intimidating, a people pleaser, and even overly positive. It didn’t stop me, and it should not stop you.
That’s why I decided to write this blog post today.
It’s time for us to be comfortable with visibility, and to Master the Art of Strategic Self-Promotion, by learning the rules of the game. It has nothing to do with just believing in yourself and your abilities. It has everything to do with understanding how to be seen to achieve results.
This boils down to two things:
1) How do you present yourself, and
2) How you interact with others in your field.
Let me explain:
Black Women Experts Visibility and Most Black Women leaders tend to go about work in one of two ways—either very goal-focused or relationship-focused. The goal-focused way means that you go right for what you want and don’t waste time on social niceties, politeness, building relationships or anything like that—you just get the goal/ task done and move on. The relationship-focused approach, on the other hand, means that you’re sociable, connect with people, and take your time getting to know them first while moving on to business.
So which one is better? Neither—it depends on what kind of work you’re doing; however, to effectively be seen and increase visibility, the best way is to develop a relationship-focused approach.
The relationship-focused approach is not about pretending you care. It’s not about being passive or playing games either. It’s simply a way of expressing genuine interest without making the other person feel uncomfortable. And it works because when someone feels comfortable around you, they’re more likely to open up, and share their thoughts and feelings with you—which means that if you’re in a position to be recommended or referred to, they’re more likely to think about you.
Once you commit to the relationship-building approach, take an opportunity to make yourself interesting to others by sharing:
- things you are learning or have recently learned
- things you desire to learn more about
- thoughts on recent topics or trends
- lessons you have learned
- people who have inspired you and why
And generously, and graciously give public support. So many people are starved for genuine attention and support, and being open and visible with the support you give to others only aligns you to receive that which you give out.
Last, but certainly not least in Mastering Strategic Self-Promotion and increasing visibility is to get comfortable being seen. If you feel like keeping quiet, just listening and observing, shrinking to the back of the Zoom room, and not even engaging in the chat, you are missing opportunities to be seen.
You might be afraid of being heckled or harassed or even laughed at, but there are practices, and coaching resources to help you overcome those barriers. There is no need for you to be shrinking when you have something very valuable to say.
And the truth is, most people are in awe of those who get in front of others and share their thoughts. They want you to succeed. The few that don’t…and let me repeat that, the few that don’t are all part of the process. Expecting to have everything perfect is like never expecting to stop and refuel your car.
Would you like to learn more about Clear Communication Solutions? Visit the media page, or if you’d like to book a consult for private coaching, contact me today.