There’s nothing wrong with tooting your own horn, but you need to do it at the right time, to the right audience, and for the right reasons. CEO of 5WPR Ronn Torossian explains.
Some people would love to live in a world where you are actually judged on the quality of your work and the content of your character. Unfortunately, we live in a world of dog eat dog competitiveness, where petty people do everything they can to put themselves over … often at your expense. Even in the best possible situation, “fair” is probably not in your future.
So, what, should you crawl into a hole and hide from the world? Good luck with that, Salinger. That won’t get you anywhere. Instead, PR Executive Torossian suggests you create or work within contexts in order to put yourself over without damaging your reputation or getting pegged as a braggart.
Make it topical
When talking about your successes, keep it in the context of overall success. Talk about WHAT was a success and WHO helped you make it possible. Clearly include yourself in the success, but be sure to strategically include others in your appreciation. No one works in a vacuum, and no one does it all by themselves. When you talk about what was accomplished, you also open yourself up to people asking “how” it was done and “why” you did it that way. This creates both a broader context and an opportunity to specifically detail your skills and choices.
Make it responsive
Speaking of context, it’s always best to pat yourself on the back in the context of answering questions. It’s much better to create a situation in which people are genuinely interested in the aspects of your success instead of trying to force them to listen to how awesome you are. This way, you are connecting with their curiosity rather than invading their space.
Make it objective
While it seems like all self-promotion must be subjective, that’s not the case. Objectively addressing a situation and methodically including your involvement in successfully addressing the challenges is a much better strategy than making the whole issue about you. If something is about something, keep it about that thing. Making it about yourself is the first step toward losing your audience.
Following these tips will not turn Seinfeld characters into decent people, but it will put you in the best possible position to show yourself in the right light at the right time. The rest, of course, is up to people with open eyes, ears and minds.
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