Most people I know insist that they don’t really like speaking about themselves because they don’t want to be seen as bragging. In the Australian context, talking about yourself and boasting in the workplace is a no-no.
So how do you promote yourself and your work? Here are two nuggets that I offer.
- Stop it with the false humility. It’s boring. And stop deflecting attention from your accomplishment. For example, let’s say someone compliments you on how well you did on a project and how hard you worked to make it a success. Your first response should NOT be ‘thanks, it was a team effort’.
There is a time and a place for thanking the team, and a time for you to acknowledge your effort. Say instead ‘ Yes, thank you for your compliment – I appreciate your acknowledgment of my effort. I had a blast leading the team through some tricky moments’. That’s it. Change the subject or continue with the original purpose of the discussion (unless it’s a future manager in which case you can make the above statement and follow it with ‘Was there something in particular I did that you liked – I’d love your guidance’.
2. Draw attention to your strengths in conversations. You should know your strengths – if you don’t, ask around. Then, in conversations, and as appropriate, highlight your strengths. For example, in your 1:1 with your manager, you could say, ‘Project XYZ is tracking well, and I’m pleased that I am using my strength of stakeholder management to ensure the communication is effective”.
Or, in conversations with others – ‘This issue can be solved with a discussion with the Operations team – so let me try to use my strength of influencing to get agreement on a resolution.’
You don’t need to point out your weaknesses – you want to be known for your strengths and your superpowers.
Context and language use are important in these conversations. Shifting the narrative to speak about your strengths – which should be qualities that you are already known for – means no one will see this boasting.
