Go Ahead, Brag!

I was recently leading a Power of Personal Branding workshop and shared with the participants the importance of self-promotion, i.e. the act of promoting yourself and your accomplishments. You probably have the same reaction they had; “Isn’t that bragging?” Well what if it is, is that bad?

Harvard University neuroscientists conducted a series of experiments and uncovered the importance of talking about ourselves. About 40% of everyday speech is devoted to telling others about how we feel or think. And bragging triggers the same sensation of pleasure in the brain as food and money as was reported by the researchers. So why not harness all this positive feel-good and put it to good use.

We immediately associate self-promotion as bragging which has a negative connotation. In fact, the attendees in my branding workshop stated those that promote themselves are know-it-alls, only follow-up with you when they need something from you and are focused on “I” and “Me” instead of helping others. So with all this negativity, it’s no wonder self-promotion takes a back seat. However, those that are intentional about promoting themselves are savvy networkers. They focus on building visibility for themselves, inside and outside their companies. And savvy networkers ensure others know where their expertise lies.

What distinguishes savvy networkers from braggarts? They listen. They maintain a relationship with you regardless if there is something in it for them. And savvy networkers show a curiosity and an interest in helping others. They don’t take credit for work they didn’t do or spend time talking all about themselves. They take credit for their own accomplishments and ensure people know what they stand for so their expertise can be leveraged. Savvy networkers don’t leave things to chance. They get promoted within their organization, not only due to their strong work ethic, but because they have the needed visibility. Are you a savvy networker?

1. Make a list of your accomplishments. I challenge my clients to make a list of 100 accomplishments. This exercise gets the adrenaline pumping and keeps you focused on where you add value. Look for the common threads among your accomplishments. This gives you the needed insight into how to position your unique expertise.

2. Make it a regular habit of meeting with your boss and sharing your accomplishments. While your boss knows what you’ve done, he may know little about how you went about achieving it. Typically we communicate at the successful completion of a project that it was on time and on budget. End of story. Instead, focus your communication on what it took to accomplish this successful outcome. This is how you demonstrate your value!

3. Instead of starting meetings with a review of the agenda, start with a statement of what makes you unique and how it benefits others. This lets people know the value you bring. An example; “We are here today to tackle some pretty tough problems. I pride myself in being able to come up with simple solutions to tough problems and we are going to bring that same focus to today’s meeting. Now let’s review the agenda…”

Go ahead, brag! It feels good and people will know who you are and what you stand for.

Sage Alliance, a Leadership Performance Company, provides coaching, teambuilding and assessments, workshops and speaking on topics including; leadership development, empowering teams, communications, lasting impressions, personal branding and building a coaching culture for executives and high-potentials – for both team and individual leaders.

Contact us today to discover how your organization can get the most through improved productivity, efficiency and direct impact to your bottom line, while leaders gain powerful insight, crystallize opportunities for growth and fine tune their strengths, enabling them to make the greatest impact. You can contact Shelley Hammell directly at shammell@thesagealliance.com.