Idea in short

Self-proponents are convinced of themselves, are constantly present and are anxious to put themselves in the best light possible. They are self-initiated programs in themselves. You should be prepared for an extremely powerful ego. For one, self-proponents have a single purpose – promote themselves at any rate.

Self-advocacy is the professional approach towards speaking about yourself and communicating your worth. Self-advocacy is a trait that comes naturally to self-proponents. Consequently, they take self-advocacy to a whole new level.

Characteristics

Undoubtedly, they are consummate self-effacing artists like no other office character. They try to make every situation their own stage and endeavor to place themselves at the center of the attention. They achieve this at different levels:

  • Visual
  • Acoustic
  • Communication

Visual

Colleagues who belong to this group attach great importance to their appearance. After all, it is their frame of reference through which they perceive others. That self-proponents are purely visual is not only due to their dressing styles or general appearance. But, they also exude self-confidence. They have such great egos that influence their posture.

Acoustic

They are also vociferous to stand out among the crowd. Clear, distinct pronunciation with an above-average volume  are markedly key personality attributes of this personality type.

Communication

Self-proponents never shy away from conversations with their colleagues. In general, self-proponents are good conversationalists. However, they like to be in the center, avoid dialogues and lead monologues. Self-proponents can speak without commas & full stops. They are always anxious to appear as saviors. At a result, conflicts could potentially occur between self-proponents and their colleagues.

How to deal with them?

Introverts who prefer to work alone in the background have difficulties collaborating with self-proponents. If you want to deal with self-proponent personalities, do not take everything they say at face value.

Therefore, listen attentively and look out for potential errors or inconsistencies. Use diplomacy and challenge a self-proponent by exhibiting naivety:

Can you explain this more precisely? I think I have not quite understood it yet?

Sometimes, such diplomacy exposes a self-proponent as hot air.

Do not directly confront self-proponents. But, if you must, be constructive and objective in your critique and arguments with self-proponents.

Try not counter the self-proponent with confidence and an artificial extroversion. Such behaviors will only further arouse them and the actual intervention becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

For this reason, consultants should always try to keep self-proponents away from introverts as possible. Think carefully about the topic of your discussions with client stakeholders of this personality type.

Most self-proponents have no scruples to pass on ingenious ideas from ​​their colleagues as their own. Unfortunately, such politics is the order of business in many client organizations and regularly causes conflicts.

During such scenarios, you should clearly prove that the idea that the self-proponent stole is actually yours. Else, you should be prepared to live the consequence and possible, a loss of image and your reputation.

Summary
Think Insights (March 26, 2024) Stakeholder Types: Self-Proponents. Retrieved from https://thinkinsights.net/consulting/stakeholder-self-proponent/.
"Stakeholder Types: Self-Proponents." Think Insights - March 26, 2024, https://thinkinsights.net/consulting/stakeholder-self-proponent/
Think Insights June 1, 2021 Stakeholder Types: Self-Proponents., viewed March 26, 2024,<https://thinkinsights.net/consulting/stakeholder-self-proponent/>
Think Insights - Stakeholder Types: Self-Proponents. [Internet]. [Accessed March 26, 2024]. Available from: https://thinkinsights.net/consulting/stakeholder-self-proponent/
"Stakeholder Types: Self-Proponents." Think Insights - Accessed March 26, 2024. https://thinkinsights.net/consulting/stakeholder-self-proponent/
"Stakeholder Types: Self-Proponents." Think Insights [Online]. Available: https://thinkinsights.net/consulting/stakeholder-self-proponent/. [Accessed: March 26, 2024]