Brag So You're Known for What Matters to You

One of the worst conversations I ever had with a boss started with him saying, “everyone likes you, but…” He then proceeded to tell me that I “wasn’t technical enough.” Reader, I have a degree, and a state license, in electrical engineering and he had one in economics. At the time, I was a software architect yet my boss seemed to only be aware of my people skills and oblivious to the coding, software design, and system administration work I did. We both would have been a lot better off if I’d been telling him about my work as it happened. Instead, I had to change his mind, which took a lot more energy, to say the least. 

It’s nice when things line up for us and our good work is recognized with praise, promotions, and compensation. It’s also great when our ability to do hard things means that we can have more say in the work we want to do, and be able to move away from the parts of work that don’t interest us. 

But we can’t count on that happening. Our bosses are imperfect, the systems we work in can be inconsistent, inefficient, or biased. When we learn to tell our stories well we make it easier for the right things to happen.  We can make sure our busy boss knows what part we played on a project, that our grandboss is aware of our talents so we’ll be considered for that new team she’s starting up, or that our contributions are accurately reflected in whatever the compensation process is. 

And, as in my case, sometimes we are well thought of for qualities we value but are overlooked with respect to equally or even more valuable qualities. Maybe everyone appreciates our teamwork, organization, or project management, but the work we love most is squeezing every bit of performance out of a high-throughput system. Or, we get stereotyped as an introverted nerd, but we also love teaching, or leading, or business strategy. 

So if you’re uncomfortable about bragging, try thinking about it as learning to tell your story so that the right one is out there. Because when people know about you and what you’re awesome at, it’s more likely for you to get to do more of it.

Your Dot Release: Think of three things you want people to know you’re great at. Then for each of those things, identify a story that demonstrates how you kick ass. Jot some notes about these stories on your phone or wherever you keep notes. Now you’ve got a go to for 1:1s, performance reviews, interviews, and ad hoc opportunities to let people get to know how you shine. Tell your stories!

This article is part of an ongoing series about brag lunches.

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