I HATED talking about my successes at work.
I figured my boss should know (and remember) what I’d done to hit our company goals, right?
Wrong!
See, he would constantly forget or more often overlook what I had contributed—and, frankly, it started to anger me.
‘How could he just gloss over what I’ve done?’ I’d think to myself.
And, of course:
- I wasn’t going to say something to him about it. (That would be bragging.)
- I wasn’t going to bring it up in our meetings. (That would be obnoxious.)
- I was going to pretend that everything was okay. (That’s being a ‘team player.’)
So for years, I swept stuff like this under the rug. I waited around for the occasion when he would acknowledge my stellar work performance. But, he never really did.
The Realization
One day, I finally got bold enough to tell him, “You recognize some people more than others and I don’t think it’s fair.”
His answer blew me away.
“I’m sorry you feel that way. I struggle with remembering who did what. I have a lot going on, but it’s definitely not intentional.”
Here I was ALL this time thinking he had some vendetta against me, convinced that he was maliciously ignoring my work. When in reality, all I needed to do was remind him of:
- What I had done,
- The successes I had, and
- My accomplishments
…because he had SO much going on to keep track of.
Go figure!
Lesson Learned
There’s a false belief in the industry, a mistaken idea that if you just do good work, you’ll get recognized, promoted, praised, or chosen.
Newsflash: That’s not how it works.
You need to learn to merchandize yourself and speak to your strengths. Your hard work isn’t just going to get acknowledged unless you make sure it’s seen.
Here are three ways to make this actionable today in order to make a difference:
1. Start sending a weekly email sharing your accomplishments to your boss or team.
Highlight wins you’ve had, what you accomplished, and what’s carrying over into next week. Not only will it keep you accountable and give you a record of what to point to come annual review time, but it will also allow your boss to see you shine regularly (especially in this remote work environment).
2. Get good at using the following prompt when introducing yourself to new people.
Start with, “What I’m known for is…” It may feel uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier and the more you say it, the more you believe it. Confidence comes from action, not thinking. Take on the challenge of trying this out three times by the end of the week.
3. When you hear the voice that says: “I shouldn’t have to say it, they should just know,” kindly ask it to go away.
Recognize that this voice is often related to societal conditioning that tells young girls to sit quietly and be pretty—and there’s no room for that in the workplace. Your male colleague who just got promoted is likely whispering his accomplishments in your boss’s ear, so try it out; what do you actually have to lose?
The lesson I learned applies to you too: If you haven’t tooted your horn lately at work, do it this week! It’s very likely that your supervisor needs to be reminded why you’re an amazing asset to the team.