The advice was given in the context of business success. The notion was (and still is) simple. You can be brilliant at your craft, trade or profession, but if no one knows about it, there’s no point in bothering. By being a shameless self-promoter, you’ll at least be given the opportunity to demonstrate your talent. But if you’re shy about how good you are, you’ll never get a chance to show it off.

I was sceptical about the advice at the time – and still am. There are many people who achieve enormous success without having to resort to self-gratifying plugs. Their reputation speaks for itself and carries them through from client to client and job to job. But then there are those of tremendous talent who are quiet and modest and, as a result, unnoticed, uncompensated, unrecognised.

Whichever way you look at it, the underlying lesson of that advice carries some weight. Marketing is critical, particularly in business, but what about the workplace? How important is self-promotion in pursuit of, well, a promotion?

The answer, it seems, is very important. There are countless studies documenting the greater success achieved by self-promoters. They earn more, climb the career ladder faster, and achieve their goals sooner.

But, for the first time in 2010, research was conducted to see if there were differences in the degree of self-promotion between men and women. The study, conducted at Rutgers University, found women were far less likely to self-promote, which means they miss out on associated social and economic benefits while consequently widening gender inequality at work.

The reason for this reticence can be explained by the traditional stereotype – a stereotype to which women themselves subscribe. Dubbed ‘communality’, it defines women as collaborators and team players. In the study, this meant they were comfortable promoting their peers but reluctant to promote themselves, even in a job interview where self-promotion is the name of the game.

It’s not that women can’t self-promote – they can – but they’re fearful of doing it at work because they’re concerned about the potential backlash for going against the prevailing stereotype. For appearing unladylike, as it were.

The internet, at least, has made self-promotion easier (or is that worse?). Facebook is infamously a medium through which people, often exaggeratedly, self-promote to their supposed friends. Instagram, arguably the most narcissistic of all, is similar from a look-at-moy point of view. And then there’s LinkedIn, the workplace equivalent, where career-minded folk flaunt themselves.

But perhaps the tide is turning, not just for women but for anyone who finds this stuff somewhat distasteful. There are fresh calls from esteemed professionals saying that what the world needs is less self-promotion, not more.

Published last month was Invisibles, a new book written by Professor David Zweig, in which he advocates the value of anonymous work. ‘Invisibles’ is the collective noun he gives to the silent people who work behind the scenes, doing much of the grunt work but getting very little credit for it. And happy for things to stay that way. Invisibles generally possess three characteristics:

• They are ambivalent about recognition.
• They are meticulous at their job.
• They relish responsibility.

That they’re invisible doesn’t mean they’re unappreciated and unsuccessful or working in mundane professions. They’re usually deeply respected within their industry. It’s just that what they chase is personal career fulfilment rather than ego-boosting accolades.

In his book, Professor Zweig provides advice, in stark contrast to the type that started this article: “Ask yourself: Do I want to be on a treadmill of competition with others, or do I want to find lasting reward by challenging myself?”

Is self-promotion done well – or badly – in your organisation? How so?

Follow James Adonis on Twitter: @jamesadonis