We’re taught from an early age that bragging is wrong. We shouldn’t brag: it’s arrogant, and it makes people not like us very much. But when it comes to the workplace, bragging might just be your next best friend. It turns out that bragging, in a subtle way, of course, helps busy people recognize your achievements. The more you brag, the more they’ll see you as a force to be reckoned with. And ultimately, the most respect you’ll generate. Think about how many times you could have sold yourself , but didn’t. Perhaps you did a Training Connection course outside of work to boost your productivity skills but didn’t tell your boss. Or maybe you stayed in the office until 8pm putting out fires while everyone finished at 5. If you don’t tell people about your achievements, they’ll never know what you can do. Just like a business, you’ve got to promote yourself and put yourself at an advantage. I had an interesting conversation with Sandra Green from Handbags in the Boardoom about bragging. She said that men are bether at it than women. We over egg out achievements whereas women do not. Here’s a few tips on how to brag to ensute people know what you have to offer. Offer Details On What You’ve Done The last thing you team members want is for you to spend half an hour, bragging about your achievements like a ten-year-old. But don’t pass up the opportunity to point out the things you’ve done well either. Suppose your boss asks you to describe what you’ve done in a meeting. Don’t just blurt out the end result of what you achieved. Instead, go into detail about all the problems you addressed along the way. Tell them how you hit a snag, but thanks to your efforts, you worked with the supplier to resolve the problem. From the point of view of the team, that extra information doesn’t add an awful lot. After all, you already solved the issue. But letting them know what you did helps to promote your personal brand. Document Accomplishment You might think that mouthing off about your achievements would be enough. But, alas, you’d be wrong. When it comes to things like performance reviews and looking for a new job, documentation counts. The first thing to do is to make sure that your LinkedIn profile remains up-to-date. Include all your completed projects and achievements to date. In addition, create a reference system that will allow you to bring up all your successes, should you want to find a new job. Remember to include enough detail about your achievements. Don’t just write “experience with training.” What does that mean? Does it mean you showed up once for a training session? Or did you research and organize your own training course for colleagues? New employers don’t know what you’ve done in the past, so remember to go heavy on the details. Tell The World Suppose a colleague comes up to you and congratulates you on successfully organizing an event. Don’t just pass it off by saying that you had a lot of help and you’ll thank the team. Instead, say you’ll pass on the message, but that you were instrumental in the success of the event. Mention all of the behind-the-scenes work you did to pull it off.]]>
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