How to Brag about Your Work Accomplishments without Being a Braggart
Braggarts are obnoxious. No one likes to listen to people who constantly toot their own horns. And recognition addicts are just plain annoying to be around. But some things are worth bragging about, or at least making people aware of. If you would like credit for your contributions without the noise of the tooting horns, there are some approaches you might consider.
One way is to post an article about something you’ve accomplished, but with emphasis on the process you followed to reach your goal. Rather than a “look at me, I’m terrific” approach, you’ll be making people aware of what you’ve succeeded in doing while helping them understand how they can do the same. Speaking at conferences is another way to do the same thing. Sharing your expertise with your audience is a way of bragging with nary a toot. You can also post comments on other people’s websites to support their ideas and add your own.
Another possibility is to be a silent influencer, someone who is able to quietly influence the direction of the team. I saw a wonderful example of a silent influencer in a team that was struggling to solve a problem. Team members were in a frenzy, standing, sitting, screaming out ideas, talking over each other. At length, one team member tiptoed to the team leader, whispered an idea in his ear, and returned to his seat. When the team leader announced the idea to the team, everyone knew immediately that it was the break they needed to solve the problem. If the silent influencer had tried to outshout the others, he would have been drowned out. By taking a backdoor approach, he didn’t have to brag for his team leader to know his contribution.
A highly effective form of bragging is to have others do the bragging for you—not like parents who brag relentlessly about their kids, but by having colleagues who have credibility in your field tout what you’ve done. When people who have the respect of others sing your praises, others may end up carrying the same tune. And project sponsors who tell your manager that you were instrumental in the success of the project are worth more than all the bragging you could ever do yourself.
Interestingly, in research into brain imaging, people who talked about themselves displayed heightened activity in the same brain regions associated with rewards from food, money, or sex. Furthermore, when they were asked questions about themselves, there was more reward activity than when they were asked about someone else. So talking about ourselves seems to be good for our own brains, even if not for those on the listening end.
