Self-advocacy is more than just standing up for yourself—it’s about knowing your worth, having the confidence to express your needs, and actively steering your career. Especially in male-dominated fields like motoring and motorsports, self-advocacy is key to ensuring your contributions are seen and valued.
What Is Self-Advocacy?
Self-advocacy is the practice of confidently communicating your interests, needs, and rights. It’s about making sure that your skills, achievements, and potential are recognised, not just by your peers but by decision-makers in your organisation.
It’s more than just speaking up during meetings or asking for promotions; self-advocacy is about taking ownership of your career, understanding your value, and strategically positioning yourself for growth.
Why Self-Advocacy Matters
In industries where women may feel underrepresented, self-advocacy is critical for breaking down barriers. Here’s why:
Visibility: It’s easy to be overlooked when you’re one of the few women in the room. Speaking up about your accomplishments and ambitions ensures your contributions aren’t ignored.
Career Progression: Self-advocacy directly impacts your career trajectory. Research shows that those who actively advocate for themselves are more likely to secure promotions, leadership roles, and salary increases.
Personal Confidence: The more you practice self-advocacy, the more confident you become in your skills and expertise. This helps combat “imposter syndrome”, which many women experience in male-dominated fields.
The Connection Between Mentoring and Self-Advocacy
Mentoring can be a stepping stone to mastering self-advocacy. A good mentor not only offers guidance but also helps you recognise your worth. They can provide tools, encouragement, and feedback that make self-advocacy less intimidating.
Mentors as Advocates: Many mentors also serve as advocates within the workplace, championing your ideas and pushing for your growth. Over time, this external support helps build your confidence to advocate for yourself.
Self-Acceptance as a Foundation
Understanding Self-Worth: If you’ve read the book The Courage to Be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi, you’ll notice it emphasises that true happiness comes from recognising one’s own worth and contributions. This self-acceptance empowers you to articulate your needs and desires without fear of judgment.
Acknowledging Strengths and Weaknesses: Embracing both strengths and weaknesses allows you to advocate for what you genuinely need, fostering a more authentic communication style.
Practical Tips for Self-Advocacy
Know Your Value: Self-advocacy begins with understanding your skills and the value you bring to your role. Take stock of your achievements, whether big or small, and recognise your contributions to your team and organisation.
Document Your Success: Keep a record of your accomplishments. Whether it’s exceeding a target, taking on additional responsibilities, or developing new skills, having a list of wins ready will give you confidence when highlighting your value.
Identifying What You Can Control: Focus on what you can influence—your own thoughts and actions—rather than trying to control how others perceive you. This clarity helps in formulating requests and advocating for yourself without being burdened by external expectations.
Practice Assertive Communication: Self-advocacy isn’t about being aggressive; it’s about being assertive. Frame your requests and contributions in a way that demonstrates how your work aligns with the organisation’s goals.
Ask for What You Deserve: Whether it’s a promotion, salary raise, or more responsibility, don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve. Use data and examples to back up your case.
Seize Opportunities: Volunteer for challenging tasks or leadership roles that showcase your abilities. This not only increases your visibility but also reinforces your commitment to growth.
Barriers to Self-Advocacy
Despite its importance, self-advocacy can be challenging, especially for women in male-dominated fields. Here are some common barriers:
Fear of Being Seen as Difficult: Many women worry that advocating for themselves might label them as “difficult” or “demanding.” However, self-advocacy when applied well actually promotes fairness and equity for your efforts.
“Imposter Syndrome”: Feeling like you don’t deserve your success can hold you back from asking for what you deserve. Recognising your accomplishments and focusing on your strengths can help combat this.
Overcoming Fear of Disapproval: The concept of “courage to be disliked” encourages you to prioritise your own needs over the approval of others. Letting go of the need for universal acceptance allows for freer and more assertive advocacy.
Taking Responsibility for Change: You have the power to reshape your life through conscious choices, recognising that your past does not dictate your future, which is crucial for effective self-advocacy.
Tailoring Your Advocacy
Advocacy for Leadership vs. Peers: When speaking to leadership, emphasise the value you bring in measurable terms (e.g., increasing team efficiency, meeting project goals). With peers, focus more on collaborative achievements and shared success to create inclusivity.
Balance Humility and Confidence: Advocate for yourself in a way that balances humility and assertiveness. Instead of framing accomplishments as “what I did,” showcase results in terms of “what we achieved,” especially with peers. This positions you as a leader without appearing self-serving.
Let Your Work Speak: Sometimes, the best self-advocacy is letting your results do the talking. Consistent, strong performance, coupled with highlighting achievements at the right time, avoids over-assertion.
Advocating for Others
Self-advocacy isn’t just about yourself; it can inspire and uplift others. Once you’ve learned to advocate for your needs, you can also champion those who may struggle to speak up. In a male-dominated industry, building a culture of advocacy and support is essential for creating an inclusive environment.
Self-Advocacy for Female Apprentices
For apprentices, self-advocacy is essential to success. Recognising that the onus is on them to steer their own learning and progress is crucial. They can’t wait for opportunities to come to them; they must actively seek them out. The sooner they demonstrate their commitment to their development, the more likely managers are to feel confident that the apprentices have mastered the skills they need before progressing to more complicated tasks.
This makes self-advocacy vital.
By demonstrating consistent skill delivery and a commitment to investing in themselves, apprentices can encourage employers to take a chance on their potential. For instance, reading ahead in textbooks or studying manufacturer literature outside of work hours shows an investment in their own knowledge, just as purchasing tools signals dedication to their craft. Relying on borrowed equipment may suggest a lack of investment in their future, and waiting until training contact hours to learn something limits growth. Ultimately, it’s about building a mindset where apprentices understand that proactive learning and self-advocacy are essential for becoming proficient and experienced in all areas of their trade.
Actively pursuing knowledge is what makes you a valuable asset.
Key Elements of Self-Advocacy
Self-Awareness: Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and specific needs is foundational. Assess your strengths and what you need from others.
Effective Communication: Expressing your needs clearly is crucial. Use “I” statements to convey your feelings while actively listening to others. Develop a strategy for communicating your needs. Use clear language that expresses your needs without being aggressive.
Confidence: Believing in your abilities enhances the effectiveness of your advocacy efforts.
Knowledge of Rights: Understanding your rights and responsibilities empowers you to advocate effectively.
Strategic Planning: Set clear goals and develop an action plan to achieve them.
Humility: Take responsibility for your work, be accountable, and embrace feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Seek Support: Collaborate with allies who can guide you.
Reflect on Experiences: After advocating for yourself, consider what worked well and what could be improved.
When to Apply Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy can be transformative in various situations, such as:
In Educational Settings: Advocate for the support and accommodations you need to excel, communicate what skills and knowledge you are confidently able to apply. Then ask for direction, goals and tasks that allow you to step up to the next challenge.
In the Workplace: Negotiate your needs, whether that’s salary, resources, or promotions, by articulating your contributions.
Statistics on Self-Advocacy
Statistics show that self-advocacy is key to success. For instance, students who practice self-advocacy are more likely to receive necessary accommodations, leading to better academic performance. Similarly, employees who feel empowered to voice their needs tend to report higher job satisfaction.
Your Career, Your Voice
Self-advocacy is essential for women in the motoring industry. By knowing your worth, communicating it effectively, and taking ownership of your career, you set yourself up for success. And remember, self-advocacy doesn’t happen in isolation—mentors, colleagues, and allies can help you along the way.
Sources https://www.bookey.app/topic/find-empowerment:-the-courage-to-be-disliked-synopsis-revealed https://swiftread.com/books/the-courage-to-be-disliked https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41641923-the-courage-to-be-disliked https://www.betterup.com/blog/self-advocacy https://simplish.co/blog/what-is-self-advocacy https://study.com/academy/lesson/self-advocacy-definition-skills.html https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-self-advocacy https://www.betterup.com/blog/self-advocacy https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25388596/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5497683/
Bridget Bell is a seasoned motorsport media professional and a skilled mechanic, with over a decade of experience in On-Air Hosting, Event Hosting, Television Presenting and Commentating. Passionate about supporting women in both the industry and motorsport, Bridget volunteers as a mentor and actively champions female representation.
Disclaimer: While due research has been conducted, the views expressed in our articles are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect everyone’s views. If you notice an error, please email quoting the blog article title and an explanation of the error.