Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, looking inward is often needed to help professionals ... [+]
Becoming a successful collaborator requires a variety of skills and values. While attributes like good communication skills and transparency are a given, one trait that is sometimes overlooked is that of self-advocacy.
By understanding how to apply self-advocacy in your own life and career, you can put yourself on the path toward accomplishing your big-picture goals and even become a better collaborator.
What It Means To Be A Self-Advocate
First, it’s important to understand what self-advocacy is. In the most basic sense, it is being willing to speak up for your own interests and needs. Rather than being pushed along by the flow of life, it means taking a more proactive role in ensuring that things proceed in a way that better aligns with your goals.
According to Carnegie-Mellon University, self-advocacy occurs “any time people speak or act on their own behalf to improve their quality of life, effect personal change or correct inequalities. […] To successfully advocate for yourself, it is important to understand your own needs, know the available resources to meet those needs and communicate your needs to those who can help.”
These principles are so important that the Boys & Girls Clubs of America are even teaching self-advocacy skills as part of their programs. At all ages and stages of life, self-advocacy is being recognized as a critical capability.
By being a self-advocate, you are better equipped to handle situations that might otherwise become unfavorable (or completely unfair). And if you’re not immediately comfortable with the idea of speaking out, you can build up your sense of self-advocacy through activities like practicing positive self talk, tracking your accomplishments, improving your skills and not being afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Why Self-Advocacy Matters
Becoming a self-advocate can have a surprisingly powerful impact on your life in and out of work. By empowering yourself to stand up for your needs, you can develop greater self-confidence and self-esteem. You become more open and transparent, improving your communication skills as you speak out regarding what you need.
As you do this, you become more self-aware about the challenges you face, as well as the feedback you receive from others. This can make it easier to identify and address your own weaknesses. This also helps strengthen your problem-solving capabilities, both as you strengthen your own skills and address other needs in the workplace.
Despite the well-documented benefits, many people struggle with self-advocacy — particularly women. A study from Indeed found that only 43% of women feel they advocate the right amount for themselves, with anxiety, fear of retribution and fear of being considered “aggressive” being cited as the top reasons for not self-advocating. Many also believe that women and people of color are more likely to be perceived negatively for self-advocating than men and white people.
Clearly, this requires a cultural shift so more women and people of color feel comfortable advocating for their own interests and needs. The benefits to individuals are undeniable, and they can become even more pronounced as you collaborate with others.
Applying Self-Advocacy To Collaborative Efforts
As Tanita Allen, author of the book We Exist, explained in a recent conversation, “We all need to be self-advocates, because our society has systemic issues that can introduce a wide range of challenges, especially for marginalized communities. When groups of people who are self-advocates come together and work toward a unified cause, it enables them to achieve change on a level that wouldn’t be possible on their own.”
Continued Allen, “From political movements to businesses, teams of self-advocates bring together the tenacity and drive to achieve powerful outcomes. These experiences and observations inspired me to write We Exist, where I delve into the intricacies of self-advocacy and community empowerment.”
So, how does self-advocacy apply to collaboration? Consider some of the foundational principles of successful collaborative partnerships: Effective communication. Transparency. Mutual agreement on goals and responsibilities.
Self-advocacy can play a valuable role in ensuring that these principles are actually present throughout your partnership. Being a self-advocate ensures that you will effectively communicate what you hope to accomplish through your partnership. It enables you to share what skills you can bring to the partnership, while being open about the areas where your skills are lacking.
As you openly discuss these and other matters with your collaborative partners, it becomes easier to define each participants’ goals and responsibilities, because you are able to clearly communicate what you can and cannot do.
This level of transparency ultimately makes it much easier for partnerships to be successful in the long run, because everyone has a clear understanding of what is expected and what is wanted. And with self-advocacy continuing for the duration of the partnership, it also becomes easier to keep collaborative efforts on track.
Part of this stems from the fact that as you become better at self-advocating, you can influence those you collaborate with to do the same. As everyone involved in the collaboration becomes more self-aware and willing to speak up for their needs, all of you can become better at solving problems and identifying and resolving challenges.
Becoming A Self-Advocate Creates Wins For All
The term “self-advocacy” may sound inherently focused on the yourself — and in many ways, it is. But by advocating yourself and developing the associated traits of self-awareness and problem solving, you’ll in turn become a more effective collaborator. You’ll be better equipped to communicate regarding what does and doesn’t work in a potential partnership, and find solutions that meet the needs of all sides. You’ll also help those you work with become better at expressing what they need and asking for help.
By becoming a self-advocate, you won’t just create more wins for yourself. You’ll also create true win-wins with your partners each time you collaborate.
