Ready to jump into practice? Go directly to the exercise.
Does Your Good Work “Speak for Itself”?
In a word, no.
There may have once been a time when you could depend on your manager and colleagues to notice the incredible things you do at work; but if there ever was such a time, it’s long gone.
That’s why you sometimes have to talk about yourself and your accomplishments at work. The only way to be sure that other people understand and appreciate what you’re contributing is to occasionally flag (a/k/a talk about) your successes.
Talk about yourself at home, too!
My husband and I tend to observe different things, which is why he says stuff like,
Did you notice that I sharpened the knives?
and I say stuff like,
Did you notice that I arranged for our neighbors to take out the trash while we’re away?
Whether the answer is “yes” or “no,” these questions remind us to appreciate the many ways that both of us keep our home running smoothly.
Which is parallel to what you want to remind people of at work!
Use this model to talk about yourself at work
Just lose the words “Did you notice…?”
Instead, take an Oh, by the way attitude (you can say those words, or just imply them with your tone of voice), which suggests that of course your manager is on top of everything:
- (Oh, by the way) We got that report out early.
- (Oh, by the way) Our client loved the proposal.
- (Oh, by the way) I finally got an agreement on the cost of that new job.
When you talk about yourself (in other words, your achievements) keep your tone of voice casual, confident, and objective (because the things you’re saying are facts).
And if that doesn’t come “naturally” to you, you can get the desired effect by…
- Deciding what you’re going to say,
- Capturing those words, and then
- Practicing them out loud, with a matter-of-fact tone.
Here’s how: