Why hiding behind the spotlight is holding you back

It may be comfortable and safe to keep your head down and work quietly. But if you are ambitious and wanting more for your career sounds like you, then you may want to stop hiding behind and start to stepping into the spotlight, take up space and allowing yourself to be seen and heard.

Only being good at your job will only take you so far if people are not familiar with your personal brand or know your name.

Self-Assess

Self-assessment is a powerful tool to unpacking our reasons for doing what we do. The first step is by performing a self-assessment to understand why you don't want to be seen. You can do this by asking the following questions:

• Are you scared of being judged?

• Are you scared of being vulnerable?

Find a coach

Self-assessment can be useful, however you may further benefit from finding and working with a professional coach to help you identify your reasons for hiding and holding yourself back.

Just do it

Once you have uncovered your reasons for wanting to hide and sought the guidance and support of a professional, it is worth testing the waters or more dramatically ripping off the band-aid and putting yourself out there, whether by posting on LinkedIn, starting your own professional blog or volunteering on speaking events in your company. These are sure fire ways to put yourself out there and be seen and heard. It helps to have a supportive manager that will give you the spotlight but more often than not, you will have to create your own opportunity to take the spotlight.

Stay empowered