3 Top Tips for Women Leaders to Get Comfortable with Self-Promotion

You’ve likely heard of the gender pay gap, but how about the gender self-promotion gap?

It might be no surprise to learn that research shows women are significantly less likely than men to rate their achievements highly and speak out about them – even when they know they’ve done a great job. [1]

There are plenty of reasons for this, from cultural expectations that women should be modest, to the fact that leadership is still largely male-dominated, making women more hesitant to claim their successes. The result? Women often miss out on the recognition, opportunities and promotions they deserve.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need to become a loud self-promoter to be seen. If you’ve made it to leadership, you already have great self-advocacy skills, so it’s just about refining them.

With a few subtle mindset shifts, you can ensure that your work gets the recognition it deserves, in a way that feels natural and authentic. By doing so, you don’t just benefit your own career; you also play your part in closing the self-promotion gap a little more, inspiring the women around you to claim their own successes too.

3 Tips for Promoting Yourself Authentically

1. Beat the “Double Bind”

Picture this: two women are asked to present their monthly results in a leadership meeting.

The first, Anna, confidently highlights her contributions and how her decisions led to a successful outcome. Afterward, she overhears a colleague describe her as “self-important.”

The second, Kari, deflects praise and focuses only on her team’s hard work. Later, she’s told that she “lacks executive presence.”

Both women have fallen into the double bind: a bias where female leaders are either seen as “too assertive” or “not assertive enough.” To navigate this, we need to shift the focus from "self" to "impact."

Let’s Act:

• Frame your results through their impact. Instead of saying, “I led this project and delivered a 20 percent revenue increase,” try, “This project drove a 20 percent revenue increase, thanks to the strategic shift I introduced.”
• Let data do the talking. Facts can cut through discomfort. Don’t say, “I improved efficiency.” Do say, “Efficiency increased 30 percent after I developed this process.”
• Normalize recognition. When you openly acknowledge your colleagues’ wins it makes advocacy part of the culture, which benefits everyone.

2. Own Your Leadership

Many women hesitate to highlight their achievements because it feels self-serving. But here’s an important mindset shift: as a leader, it’s your job to stand up and be counted. If you don’t own your contributions, who will?

Imagine a high-stakes project that went well: stay quiet, and people assume things “just happened.” Or, worse, that someone else led the charge.

But if you confidently state, “This was a major success. I made the call to pivot early, which helped us hit the deadline,” then you’re reinforcing your leadership without arrogance.

Let’s Act:

• Think of it as “offering clarity,” not “boasting.” Making your leadership visible isn’t about seeking praise. It’s about ensuring people see how success happens and recognize your role in it.
• Frame it as your responsibility. Leaders need to be visible. If you’re leading well, you should be the one explaining the strategy, decision making, and impact.

3. Recognize the Ripple Effect

This is perhaps the most important mindset shift around self-promotion of all, because every time you confidently own your work, you make self-promotion easier for the women who come after you.

If women rarely see other women openly talking about their achievements, it reinforces the idea that self-promotion is risky, uncomfortable, or even frowned upon. But when you model a different way, you show others what’s possible.

Let’s Act:

• Make self-promotion part of your organization’s conversation. If your organization has a women’s network, consider starting a discussion on self-promotion to give women space to share both their successes and challenges. Tailored training on the subject could be hugely valuable too.
• Give other women a platform. When you see someone on your team do something amazing, don’t just praise them – highlight their achievements by sharing positive narratives. Recommend them to present at the next departmental meeting, and coach them beforehand to proudly own their success. As self-promotion expert Lisa Bragg puts it, “The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up.” [2] Championing other women is a great place to start.