Rosina Racioppi Mentioned in Forbes
6 Secrets From A Shameless Self-Promoter
Geri Stengel, Contributor
We all need a little faith — Faith Hope Consolo, that is. Consolo is now Chair of Douglas Elliman’s retail real estate division and she’s made it on Crain’s New York’s 100 Most Influential Women list. Many women have a hard time touting their accomplishments and promoting themselves. I know I’m one of them and, believe it or not, so was Consolo. But she got past that roadblock.
Consolo shared six ways for pushing past your comfort zone and stepping into the limelight.
1.) Be motivated.
For Consolo, it was a matter of survival. She lost her parents when she was young and was raised by her grandmother. Attending NYU, she had wealthy friends and she wanted their lifestyle, which included travel and exquisite clothes. Since she wasn’t born into money, she would have to earn it.
2.) Step outside yourself.
Don’t personalize what you’re doing. “Pretend it’s a game,” said Consolo. Perhaps because Consolo initially wanted to be an actress, pretending was easy for her to do. Being self-promotional is just part of the role she is playing.
3.) Put on blinders.
Not everyone is going to like you. Consolo doesn’t let what other people say about her get in the way. She’s dogged in the pursuit of what she wants and if one person doesn’t like her, there are plenty of people who do — and I do mean plenty.
4.) Offer assistance.
Consolo never stops pushing her agenda, but while she’s pushing her own, she is continually offering assistance. She now has the goods to make things happen for others, but even when she didn’t, there were ways she could help. She volunteered and offered help to the causes she cared about and the industry she is a part of. Consolo never met a committee she didn’t like. There’s a lesson in being a joiner.
5.) Polish your ‘Executive Presence.’
Recently I wrote an article citing tips on building Executive Presence from Rosina Racioppi, WOMEN Unilmited, which trains women to develop skills and mindset-shifts to become leaders. Consolo has Executive Presence down pat in the way she looks, speaks, and acts. She ties it up in a beautiful pink ribbon, which I mean figuratively and literally. She knows how to brand herself including developing Faithisms such as “You need Faith” and after the market tanked “You need Faith now more than ever.”
6.) Build a bully pulpit.
Consolo’s bully pulpit is a newsletter called The Faith Report and a column in The Huffington Post called The Faithful Shopper. She frequently interviews people in the industry. It’s a chance to get other people’s viewpoints and a way for her to share her opinions and latest successes.
Consolo never misses a chance to lecture at a university and to mentor. Both build relationships with the next generation. It’s also a way to keep track of up-and-coming trends.
So the next time you feel uncomfortable touting your successes, get a little Faith.
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