You did it! You earned it! Now, shout for joy and share it with others. According to statistics, more men than women acknowledge their victories and share them with others. So, how can we (both men and women who work as administrative professionals) make it a priority to promote our successes? Actually, how can we afford not to?
I would be willing to bet you were more of a risk taker at the ages of 3, 5, or 8. You were probably willing to experiment and try just about anything. As we become older and more aware of the risks and dangers of new ventures, we tend to become more cautious.
The path towards success is rarely easy. In fact, risk can be scary and can take us out of our comfort zone. No wonder so many people choose to play it safe by staying right where they are with little or no progression.
Take a moment to think about some of your accomplishments and victories this past year. Did you develop a new skill? Did you earn a certification or a degree? Did you get a promotion? Did you start exercising regularly? Did you quit a bad habit? Did a child graduate from school? Did you get out of your comfort zone and try something new?
How did you celebrate your accomplishments and victories? Who did you tell? Please don’t tell me that you kept these triumphs to yourself.
Remember that more men than women tell people how good they are! One of the biggest mistakes we as professionals make is waiting until our annual review to claim and promote our successes and victories throughout the year. In an effort to remain competitive in today’s workplace, we need to share more of our successes in order to keep a competitive edge.
Here are some tips to communicate your victories more powerfully:
- Think strategically about your accomplishments and communicate them regularly without becoming obnoxious.
- Show your ongoing value even after the victory.
- Share your victories (when appropriate) on social media.
- Communicate major achievements within your resume and job interviews to demonstrate to potential employers your ongoing successes.
- Ask others to help in the self-promotion of your victories through blog articles, newspaper articles, and social media technologies.
In summary, be your own BEST friend! Never be too afraid or too shy to claim and promote your accomplishments. Allow your manager, co-workers, friends, and family the opportunity to congratulate you and share in the success of your life victories.
I LOVE this post. A few ideas to tack on:
A speaker I heard once commented on the fact that if you ask a kindergartener if they can draw, or sing, or dance – the answer is almost always YES. If you ask an 18-year-old the same questions, the answer is almost always no. We need to foster that creative energy, and the courage to do things that might make us look silly. To accomplish something you’ve never accomplished before, you have to be willing to do things you’ve never done before.
Second, I learned a little too late to create an archive folder for praise emails. Now that I run my own business, those testimonials and snippets of praise go into marketing materials, but we should all be our own marketing departments within our company. If you don’t toot your own horn every once in a while, there isn’t going to be very much music!