Skip to main content

Self-Promoter vs. Self-Deprecator: Which One Has Better Luck at Work?

This month’s HR Magazine reported two interesting studies about self-promoter and self-deprecator. They are:  

  • Leaders who rated their skills significantly higher than the ratings given by their bosses are six times more likely to derail than those who have a more realistic view of their work performance, according to a study with 39,000 global leaders.
  • While the self-deprecators are less likely to derail than self-promoters, they are also less likely to advance than those who are in touch with their actual work performance, according to Louis Quast, associate chair of the Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development Department at University of Minnesota. Self-deprecators are often overlooked even though they could be really good performers. 
  • Another study of 14,000 U.S.-based managers reveals that those seen by their immediate supervisors as lacking in self-awareness and tact were most likely to derail.


I am not sure whether being a self-promoter or a self-deprecator is also a cultural issue. I grew up in Canton, China. When I was a student, I was taught to remain humble all the time. Even when I achieved the highest score in class, for example, I learned to say: “I was doing just fine” or “I was doing OK; I could have done better.” If I did not get the highest score (it happened very often if you are interested) but was still among the top 10%, I learned to say: “I did not do well at all, and I must do a lot better in the next exam.” After I lived in the U.S. for a while, I have learned to be less humble and more honest with my true performance, but because I am so used to the idea of “being humble,” I still feel there are times when my potential has been overlooked.

I appreciate the idea of being honest as suggested by this HR Magazine report. It becomes obvious that neither self-promoter nor self-deprecator would get better luck at work. The key is to fully understand our ability and potential and be open to what we are capable of.

Do you believe your cultural background plays a role in making you more or less a self-promoter or a self-deprecator? How so? Furthermore, should employers consider such influence when assessing employees’ performance? In what way?

References:
HR Magazine. (2012, July). Self-promoters more likely to derail. p. 18.

Comments

  1. Well most of it depends on what the company is looking for, I think that a personal whit the right aptitudes and attitudes will be always notice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very good point. Person-organization fit is very important.

      Delete
  2. I believe that there has to be a happy medium between being humble and being full of yourself. You need to show confidence and take pride in what you are doing, but at the same time know that there always is room for improvement. This way you can challenge yourself to do better in the future, without having too large of an ego or not enough pride in your work. -Amber Jones

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have been working at the largest dining hall on the Syracuse campus for three academic years now. I have been a student supervisor and hiring manager for three semesters now. With around 200 employees, there are students from all backgrounds, more than half being international. There is also potential for mobility as a student employee as I have taken advantage of. I do not like the term self-deprecating as it sounds harsh but I have come into contact with some employees presenting themselves this way. I feel an employee who feels this way is almost easier to work with because they tend to ask more questions, have the potential to gain more confidence, and tend not to slack off because they always feel they can improve. These employees tend to be really good workers but not necessarily considered for higher positions because they lack confidence at first which hurts them in that aspect. Self-promoter employees tend to have too much confidence, they think they are performing tasks right when in reality they may not be. Self-promoters are harder to bring back down to reality in my opinion. Considering the cultural aspect, I think those that are not as comfortable speaking English tend to be more self-deprecating because they are very self-conscious and somewhat assume they are less informed therefore they perform worse. Our international student employees primarily come from Asia; India or China, Japan, Korea. I would say the students from China, Japan, or Korea are considerably less confident and are definitely not self-promoters. The students from India are definitely more inclined to talk themselves up but then tend to receive more of the higher positions. I am not sure the reasons behind it but I would say culture effects these personalities and work style.
    -Erin Castle NSD 314

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like you have always had a very ambitious personality, although I wouldn't consider myself humble. All growing up in my Italian family, A's were expected and B's were ignored. C's never happened. I always strived for perfection and thought I could always do better. If I got an A I wanted an A+. If I got a B I was terribly disappointed in myself. When working I always had the same attitude that I could always do better and proof to be an excellent employee. In one situation I worked for 5 years at an establishment in which the management was not great at all. In fact they had no clue what I even did or how much effort I put into my job. At my evaluation (my only evaluation in 4 years) I did try to be humble, hoping for her to tell me I did better and looking for appreciation I had never gotten. I did not get that. She simply looked at what I wrote down and wrote the same thing. This made me stop over working, made me less dedicated to my job and truly unhappy that nobody showed any type of appreciation for all the hard work I did. I soon left this company and am now employed somewhere where I get texts almost every night from my boss thanking me for what I do and how much effort I put in. This has caused me to excel more and more. My point- give yourself credit for what you do, as sadly nobody else may care. Also if you are a manager show your employees appreciation and at least that you notice them, than you may get a better, honest response in their evaluations of themselves. I will am a firm believer that it takes good management to keep good employees and to get them to want to over succeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are not feeling the challenges. Plus, your hard work was not recognized. Thus, you do not feel motivated to work there anymore, right?

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Luxury vs. Millennials and Their Technology: The Ritz-Carlton (By Julia Shorr)

Embodying the finest luxury experience, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC has been established since 1983. In 1998, Marriott International purchased the brand offering it more opportunity for growth while being independently owned and operated. They are known for their enhanced service level as the motto states, “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen”. The luxury brand now carries 97 hotels and resorts internationally and is attempting to keep the aspects of luxury while keeping up with the trends of the technologically improving generations. The Varying Demographics of the Target Market The Ritz-Carlton’s typical target market includes: business executives, corporate, leisure travelers, typically middle-aged persons and elders, and families from the upper and upper-middle class section of society .   This infers a large range of types of travelers in which all are similar in that they are not opposed to spending extra for the luxurious ambiance. However, with

Is It OK for Hotel Staff to Wear Piercings and Tattoos?

Time has changed. I see more and more college students wearing piercings and tattoos nowadays, but is it OK for hotel staff to wear piercings and tattoos? The answer is “no, no, no.” According a report at USAToday.com, customers across the board do not want to see any hotel workers with pierced eyebrow, pierced tongue, tattooed arm, or nose ring. Some may argue that tattooed and pierced workers may seem more acceptable in edgy boutique hotels as compared to the big franchised hotels, but the survey results did not find any differences among a variety of lodging products. Many respondents believe people who wear visible tattoos and piercings are taking a high risk of their professional lives. If you stay in a hotel, do you mind being served by tattooed and/or pierced staff? What if you are the one who makes the hiring decision? References: USAToday.com: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010 Picture was downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010P

How Covid-19 will change the HR department? (by Vivian Tan)

With the current pandemic happening, many businesses are having a hard time. It is hard for them to maintain to pay all their employees, and many things have changed on how companies are running during Covid-19. Because of this virus, employees work from home and might lack the motivation to finish their tasks. Many businesses shut their doors infinitely and file for bankruptcy because it is hard to pay their employees, and there are not many businesses coming in. In the hospitality industry, the HR department must create policies and answer questions from the outbreak. It is also essential that they communicate with workers for any updates and make sure that it does not affect their daily operations.     When it comes to covid-19 concerns, the HR department should communicate with the employees for any updates on the virus, such as informing employees about policies, personal hygiene, posting signs around the workplace about symptoms of the virus, and wear masks. Also, asking employee