Keeping your head down versus blowing your own trumpet

Blowing your own trumpet? Go ahead!

I’ve wrestled with this one almost since the start of my corporate career. But in recent months the dilemma has become so central to my progress/reputation that I’ve been forced to tackle it head-on. 

Picture it. For months you’ve been slaving away in the office and, on many occasions, taking work home, in order to get the job done and keep the client and, ultimately, the boss happy. Then when you seek recognition for the above-and-beyond contribution you’ve been making to the company’s balance sheet, all you get is a blank expression. Zero. Zip.

“But nobody knows what you’ve been doing,” the boss says in response to your appeal for recompense to reflect the work you’ve done.

“Well, I’m not one of those people who talks and doesn't do,” you say when you’ve recovered your voice from the shock. “I let my results speak for themselves.”

Now it is his turn to look bemused. In 2012, it seems that approach no longer works in the workplace. In order to get ahead, you need to get yourself noticed and, in order to do that, you need to be your own biggest cheerleader. Reticence belongs to yesterday. Bragging is so now.

The fact is, in this celebrity-obsessed age, talk is cheap but it sells, even in business. While you’re there in the corner burrowing away like a beaver, someone else is in the boss’ office talking up his achievements, however dubious they may be, making them sound not just plausible but incredible.

If, like me, self-promotion doesn’t sit well with you, try these tips to ease your way into the game:

• Be strategic in who you shout your achievements to. Beware of backstabbers; be aware of allies.
• If you receive praise from the client, don’t keep it to yourself. Ask them to put it in writing to your boss.
• If you’re routinely working out of hours (e.g. weekends, holidays) copy your boss into any correspondence you send.
• Make alliances with those who you respect, not only those who’ll get you far. Find a mentor who can guide and advise you.
• You may think your work speaks for itself but you also need to speak for your work. Present your project and its achievements at company meetings.
• Value yourself. Put your achievements on the line and ask for what you deserve. If you don’t get it, be prepared to say, Thanks, but no thanks and leave. Your greatness will surely be respected somewhere else.