Work
Don’t Forget Your Bragging Rights — 6 Ways To Get the Right Balance.
Your skills need to be broadcasted
We all have achievements in the workplace we are proud of so why can’t we brag about them? The secret is to get the perfect balance between showing off about our successes and never mentioning them at all. The best strategy is to be able to brag and make it work for you. I know lots of shy people who are very quiet about their talents, experience, and skills. Perhaps too quiet? Here are 6 ways we can try and get the balance right.
“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” — Muhammad Ali
1. How come nobody knows about your skills?
I was often far too shy at some staff meetings but this is a difficult call. I did manage to highlight my achievements and success for the job performance interview as there was a strict protocol to follow.
Action plan:-
Keep a simple record of your weekly tasks and project success stories. Match them to your job description. You can use the usual SMART goals and a spreadsheet to record all these.
Sometimes, I refreshed my memory before meetings and important events just to give myself a confidence boost but also as a fact check. An example would be when you can mention that your newly designed customer feedback form is getting positive feedback and you will certainly meet the deadline.
If you have your eye on a possible promotion, also keep a record of that job description and check how well you are doing against the criteria and skills on that one.
2. How are you dealing with the menial tasks?
We all know about those menial tasks and administrative pains in the neck which land on our desk. It may well be that a small or new start-up means that everyone pitches in and that is expected.
If you are working for a larger corporation, it may be that your silence and humility are being exploited. Why should you be the general dogsbody? You can easily check and see which posts and personnel should be completing these tasks and not you!
Action plan:-
You can casually mention that certain tasks are preventing you from meeting your own objectives. If you are doing all the menial and administrative stuff then these are certainly not a great match for your skill set. There may be a way you can mention that certain tedious admin tasks could be more fairly distributed.
3. Colleagues may not be aware of your skills set
Modesty and a reluctance to brag may actually be holding you back from offering to help coworkers with certain tasks where your skills can be a real asset and a great chance to showcase your talents.
Action plan:-
Casually mentioning that you acquired certain skills when faced with a problem is a great way to offer help.
“I learned that when I was faced with a problem at X Company.”
This is the best publicity you can get because the staff will recognize your contribution and will mention it. There will not be much need for you to brag about that as coworkers will spread the word.
An endorsement from staff about your expertise and helpful positive attitude will work wonders.
If you are very secretive about how you work, then this is unlikely to produce results.
4. How confident are you?
Projecting confidence is a big part of our careers. If this is not the case, then our low self-esteem will get fatter and fatter. Even our body language can often convey how we are feeling. If we have been almost flattened by a very stressful episode, it is important to still stand tall afterward.
Stand upright and be proud helps us to feel more capable, makes us more alert, and more confident than before. This is the conclusion of a study done by Amy Cuddy in 2012. She has updated her views on this and they are confirmed by numerous other studies quoted here which all support her thesis of the power pose.
Action plan:-
It is time to focus on your achievements and finish all the regret about past mistakes and failures. Having a confident mindset will certainly help to increase your productivity and also your communication skills.
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”― J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan
5. Polish up your networking skills
New contacts will have a lasting impression of your skills and there is rarely another chance. This does not mean we have to be always brilliant chatterboxes showing off. Introverts can be equally effective in giving a calm air of confidence provided they come well-prepared.
“Introverts also generally have a depth of interests which means they are often full of facts and knowledge,”- Lisa Walter- Nelson
Action plan:-
- Be proactive in starting conversations with probable useful contacts
- Hone your listening skills and ask questions.
- Don’t neglect your follow-up tactics for a possible longer-term relationship.
- Admitting gaps in your knowledge and how you are working on filling them will always come across as genuine.
6. Broadcast your great ideas
Here you need to leave humility in the corner as your great ideas need publicity. We should remember how Steve Wozniak (the co- founder of Apple) had his idea of a personal computer rejected no less than five times by Hewlett Packard.
Action plan:-
Get involved in Bookend meetings or live streams so that you can air your ideas on Monday and then report at the end of the week on feedback. Other ways to get your ideas aired and acted on are:-
- Offer to take on a project which is related
- Offer your idea with specifics on implementing them and stress the benefits for the company.
- Mention return on investment relating to staff productivity and also customer satisfaction.
“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” — Norman Vincent Peale
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