Why You Need an Advocate at Work—and How to Find One

Melanie is in a total funk. She’s been working as a supervisor in her high-tech company for almost three years now. When she first came on board, she was considered somewhat of a superstar—a high-potential, high-achieving future leader. Lately, however, she feels she’s been fading into the woodwork. She’s not being asked to take on high-profile projects. Sometimes she’s not even invited to brainstorming sessions or brown-bag lunches—those informal, off-the-record meetings where a lot of new ideas and strategies are being discussed. What could have gone wrong?

Melanie unburdens herself to a close pal over lunch. Her friend listens patiently for a few minutes and then interrupts her rant with this advice: “Girl, what you need is an advocate!”

“What’s that?”

That night, Melanie dives into researching the topic of advocates at work. As she learns, a work place advocate is someone who will campaign on your behalf, champion your cause, and help improve others’ perception of you.

“Why do I need someone to advocate for me in the first place?” she thought. It’s all about perception, visibility, and influence, she learned. Having an advocate can be an influential move that increases your value and helps you move up the company ladder. A job advocate voices your strong points and supports your cause, enhancing your reputation and making you look good in front of others. If you’re seeking a higher-profile role or project, having an advocate put in a positive word for you can help immensely.

Melanie began to think about who might be willing to speak up on her behalf to tell people what a great job she was doing. Her boss was an obvious choice, since her own success would make him look good too, but she learned that she should ideally find two or three advocates.

“How exactly do you find an advocate?” she wondered.

Like Melanie, you might be surprised at how easy it can be to find someone who will advocate for you. Many times, all you have to do is ask. Most people just don’t bother asking. Usually others won’t do or say anything unless you specifically request their help. After all, they’re busy people and may not be tuned into your need for support.

That week, Melanie put together a four-step plan to raise her profile by using advocates:

• Advocate for yourself first
• Make your boss a partner
• Look up
• Look out

You can follow the exact same steps to supercharge your own career with the help of the right advocates.

1 – Advocate for yourself first.

Before you can ask anyone else to speak up on your behalf, you need to know your own strengths and your potential for growth. You need to advocate for yourself. Start by creating a three-column spreadsheet with these headings:

• What I do well
• What I like to do
• What I need to learn

Assess your ambitions for the coming year and for this quarter, too. Make sure you understand your goals and objectives so you can convey them to your advocates, showing them you’re serious. People will want to invest in your success when they see you’re pursuing clear goals that are ambitious yet realistic. It’s a lot harder to advocate for someone who feels foggy about what they want to achieve.

Once you have a clear picture of who you are now, the potential you have, and where you want to go, you are ready for Step 2:

2 – Make your boss a partner.

Almost everyone loves being asked for advice. Maybe you already have a good relationship with your boss, or maybe the relationship needs a little nurturing. Either way, schedule a one-on-one and ask your boss to help you create a personal development plan. This can include new projects or initiatives you’d like to tackle, courses or seminars you want to take—anything related to your professional growth is fair game. Come up with a timeline and begin to implement your plan.

Then, when you need your boss’s support to raise your visibility or to directly connect with other potential advocates, ask. Request a meeting with your boss’s boss to share an idea. Tell your boss you’re eager for a seat at the table in the exciting cross-functional endeavor that’s just been announced, and ask your boss to put in a good word for you. Stay in close communication about your short- and long-term ambitions so your boss can help you bring them to fruition.

3 – Look up.

Anyone working above you can be your job advocate. This includes your senior colleagues, your boss’s boss (as well as your immediate boss). This group can speak from a place of authority, and their opinions carry significant weight in the organization.

Looking up the company ladder, begin to notice people whose style and executive presence you admire. Then use the same technique you utilized in Step 2—ask for advice. Over a cup of coffee or in some other informal setting, share an idea or project you’ve been working on. Ask for their input. Then ask for their help: “Joe, I need someone who knows me and can help me raise my profile a bit. Would you be willing to speak up about my accomplishments to some of your colleagues?”

4 – Look out.

Use the same strategy to find people outside the company who can act as your personal publicist. It may be a client, or someone in a professional organization, or just a friend who has contacts inside your company. Even suppliers and vendors can help make a solid impression on others when they speak about you. Ask for their input on your ideas; then ask them to look for opportunities to speak up for you. Remember, one advocate is good, but two or three are even better!

Finally, don’t dismiss the value of support from colleagues and direct reports. You may think that only people with higher authority and position can influence how people perceive you, but the opinions of colleagues and direct reports matter as well. Your subordinates are not really expected to speak on your behalf, so when they do, it helps enhance your reputation. Likewise, your coworkers and peers don’t really have an incentive to shout out your praises, so when they do, it has a positive impact.

Above all, don’t forget to say “thank you”—and remember to return the favor. Advocate for star employees below you, peers you work with, and deserving colleagues when they ask.

Three months after she began to implement her plan, Melanie landed a couple of high-profile assignments and found that she was back on the company radar and moving ahead again in her career. She now had three powerful advocates who spoke up on her behalf at every opportunity, and she’d begun making waves. She wouldn’t be missing out on any group lunches any time soon!

Feeling invisible? Perhaps you could use an advocate or two. Email Joel today, and he will help you put together a plan. For more strategies to help you increase your visibility and take your career to the next level, you can also read his book, Getting Ahead, available on Amazon.