Recently, I spoke at an event to help engage and develop talented women in the built environment and property sectors. Around 150 delegates were in the room, all taking part in the Circle Partnership’s professional development programme.

I asked them: “Who wants to be famous?”

Nobody put their hand up.

Then I asked: “Who wants to be a best-kept secret for the rest of their career?”

Again, nobody put their hand up.

It is a useful dilemma to wrestle with. Most of us don’t want to be seen as pushy, self-important or constantly talking about ourselves. But we also don’t want to do good work for years, only to find the interesting projects, client opportunities and promotions have gone to someone else.

The case for self-promotion in construction starts with three connected issues.