Now imagine that same professional receiving tons of positive feedback, but when it comes to posting on social media to celebrate this success, they choose not to push that button.

Too often, women overlook the power of claiming achievement. That scenario above is an all-too-common situation. A woman will create and finish massive projects, investing knowledge, energy, and effort, but then forget to tell people how great the work is.

Why does this happen? Why do women seem to be apprehensive or afraid to say how good they can be at so many tasks?

Turning a personal brand into a loudspeaker

For over eight years, I’ve helped businesses of all sizes and industries craft engaging brand identities, both corporate and personal. In my current role as Brand Manager at Zubr Capital – a private equity firm investing in fast-growing companies in the TMT sector – I’ve seen firsthand how building a strong personal brand can transform careers and open unexpected doors.

Here’s a critical realisation we, as career-minded women, need to embrace: If you want people to know about you and your achievements, you must share them.

Remember that it isn’t about what happened during your recent project or how you overcame some insurmountable obstacle. It is about what made the headlines. Professional women must communicate achievements and expertise clearly and systematically. That is precisely what personal branding tools are designed to support.

Why do women stay quiet?

Women face numerous barriers and internal limitations in personal branding. There is an ‘imposed modesty’ that can slow progress in any career.

According to research by Harvard Business Review, roughly 71% of women feel their achievements are undervalued. Another harsh truth reveals that, even with similar qualifications, men rate themselves 61 out of 100, while women rate themselves 46.

Statistics like these studies demonstrate how women are more inclined to expect their efforts to be noticed, without additional action. Internal barriers such as imposter syndrome or cultural norms that discourage such open acknowledgment of success get in the way. Instead of being the loudspeaker for achievement, women feel a need to ‘remain humble’.

Self-promotion is a significant part of personal branding, and hard work is not guaranteed to be automatically recognised or rewarded. To stand out from the endless bombardment of information, you must declare your expertise, rights, and achievements to avoid getting lost in the crowd. You can be respectful and professional while also being visible!

Positioning your personal brand

Understanding the need for self-promotion and positioning your personal brand so it is highly visible are two different things. Start by defining what you want people to know about you and your goals.

Design a clear positioning statement of:

• Who you are (rank, position, education, etc.)
• What makes you unique (achievements, expertise, role)
• What value you bring to the table

For example, “I’m Darya Ksenzova, a branding expert and blogger. My experience and empathy help women achieve more in their work and lives.”

Understanding your positioning will make communicating through various public channels and platforms easier. Once you have that positioning in place, start making your personal brand more visible by:

Take small steps

Don’t be intimidated by a personal brand. You don’t need to start from scratch and be a multi-millionaire blogger overnight. Start with small actions.

Like our earlier example, promise yourself that you’ll share the results publicly when you complete a project. Write a summary email within your company highlighting your role and how you contribute to the results.

Find methods that work for your brand

You don’t have to stick to traditional paths of visible branding. If writing typical LinkedIn posts doesn’t feel like the right fit, don’t do it! Think about where and how you naturally express yourself.

Maybe you’d prefer to create a new group on Substack or Telegram where you can build a community around your public comments. If you like longer content, why not try a YouTube channel or publish written pieces for major media outlets?

Let your inspiration and what authentically excites your motivation fuel your brand visibility.

Follow other women examples

Go out and find support from other women's communities. So many amazing, female-led personal brands and businesses are doing things that would shock you. Find where like-minded people are celebrating these achievements, and you’ll find support for your own endeavours.

Case study: female leadership – leading the way

I recently attended the Female Leadership program in the US, bringing together women from 22 countries around the globe. During this programme, we attended numerous indoor meetings, and every time we entered a room, we noticed that the thermostat was set to 21°C (69.8°F). What made this so uncomfortable is many of us were dressed for the outdoor weather of 27°C (80.6°F).

This much colder indoor climate is because all the meeting rooms were set with a target audience of men in their mid-forties, wearing suits. That 21°C temperature was perfect for their optimal comfort. For women, the comfortable range is much closer to 24°C (71.2°F).

After additional meetings in freezing rooms, we began sending messages to the organisers to increase the temperature, but no one responded. Then, Carmen from Lebanon asked to speak. She politely, but firmly suggested pausing the meeting, leaving the room, and resuming only after the temperature was adjusted.

We all stood with her and left the room. The problem was quickly resolved during our short break, and remained at the right setting for the final weeks of our programme.

This example may seem small to some, but take a moment to appreciate what is happening here. A woman, typically told to blend into the group, stood up for her desired goal. What is better, multiple other women joined in this effort with full support, offering a collective voice to be taken more seriously.

Apply that example to other issues related to personal branding visibility. Getting a pay raise or securing a new positioning, even succeeding on a project that would be otherwise overlooked because of one’s gender, suddenly becomes more manageable when we give voice to our concerns in a respectful, yet firm tone.

Final thoughts

Your personal branding matters. As women, we need to support one another and help shed more light on what our brands mean for the rest of the world.

Take action now. Go and leave a positive comment on a colleague's post. If you’re in a leadership position, invite a woman expert to speak at an upcoming conference instead of defaulting to a man. Watch as these ‘little rebellions’ become significant benefits for you, your team, and society.

Be brave and step outside your comfort zone. Allow yourself the space to celebrate your achievements in a way that makes everyone else stand up and take notice. A little visibility could be all it takes to elevate your brand to new heights.