31: ‘I’m Not Good at Selling Myself’ - The Thought That Keeps Public Sector Leaders Stuck

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There’s a sentence I hear often in career change conversations with public sector leaders. It usually comes a little hesitantly. 

“I’m just… not very good at selling myself.”

And when that thought is there, a lot of things don’t happen: You don’t speak about what you want. You don’t share what you’re capable of.

You don’t lack experience or value. But you hesitate to shout about it because you don’t want to come across as bragging, pushy or - God forbid - salesy. 

The interesting part is this: most public sector leaders are unusually good at communicating. 

You do it when…

• managing different internal and external stakeholders
• building relationships across sectors, maybe even languages and cultures, and 
• navigating complex and often difficult conversations 

So the issue isn’t your ability. It’s how you perceive the idea of “selling yourself”. 

Let’s talk about that.

***

Yvonne Davidis helps public sector leaders develop exciting career options that align with who they are now and how they want to evolve in future. 

With 20+ years of moving countries, working for the UK and Denmark across three continents, plus professional coaching certifications, Yvonne is a unique specialist for leaders in the public sector considering their next chapter.

Book a 90-minute Jumpstart Session to clarify your deal-breakers and must-haves for a more satisfying work experience.  

For step-by-step support on your career change journey apply here for Yvonne's 5-month Find Your Career Space programme, and she'll be in touch to invite you to a free discovery call. 

Transcript

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There's a sentence I often hear in career change conversations with public sector leaders. It usually comes a little hesitantly. I'm just not very good at selling myself. And when that thought is there, a lot of things don't happen. You don't speak about what you want. You don't share what you are capable of. You don't lack experience or value, but you hesitate to shout about it because you don't want to come across as bragging, pushy, or god forbid, salesy. The interesting part is this most public sector leaders are unusually good at communicating. You do it when managing different internal and external stakeholders, when building relationships across sectors, maybe even languages and cultures, and when navigating complex and often difficult conversations. So the issue isn't your ability, it's how you perceive the idea of selling yourself. Let's talk about that. You are listening to Space to Shift Your Career, a free resource for leaders in the public sector wondering what's next. I'm Yvonne Davides and I've created this podcast to invite you to explore new paths that reflect who you are now and how you want your career to evolve in the future. I have a talent for creating a high trust space so you can reflect, think out loud and test your assumptions. And I love helping you explore, dream and discover new possibilities for yourself. I moved country several times and I know what it's like to change careers, both within and out of the public sector. And I'm a trained career change and executive leadership coach. I've been working with career shifters as a mentor since 2013 and as a coach since I started my business in 2022. Now subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. Now let's go. So of course you resist it. But what if it's not about selling? What if it's about making your value visible? Because right now, the people who could open doors for you don't fully know what matters to you, what you're interested in, and what you're capable of. They have no idea what value you bring, and they can't act on what they don't know. I'd like to invite you to look at this from a different perspective. Instead of the marketing language of selling yourself, think of it through your core values. For example, if you value contribution, making a difference, or having a positive impact, try saying to yourself, I'm helping people understand how I can contribute. This might sound like sharing what interests you and why, or talking about the kind of problems you enjoy solving, or describing the impact you want to have. It's just not about self-promotion. It's about clarity for others to understand what you are about. And that clarity makes it easier for them to connect you with opportunities. I had to learn this myself. When I set up my business, I didn't really like the idea of selling myself, seeing myself like a product. And this reframe really helped me to move beyond that block. So to make a start, I'd like to invite you to think about what do I really care about that I could start talking about more openly? And how could I share that in a way that feels natural to me? Let me reassure you, you don't need to become someone else to do this. You don't need to be louder, more polished, or more salesy. But you do need to be a little more open about what you want more of. That way the people who are already around you know what you are looking for and how they can support you. And generally that's what people want to do. Because it makes them feel good about themselves when they can do that for another human. So go out there and open up. Help people understand what you're about and the impact you want to make in the future. Until next time, make space, rediscover you, and then take action. Thank you for listening today. You care about solving real problems and making a difference. And you feel it's time to figure out in what way you can do that in the next chapter of your career. Learn more about how I help leaders in the public sector break through four limiting beliefs about shifting their career. It's space to shiftyourcareer.com. And if you're getting value from this podcast, please do share it with other public sector leaders who are considering what's next for them.