PROFILE YOURSELF WITH NO SELF PROMOTION
What are the effective ways to profile yourself without coming off as totally self-promoting?
On a fundamental level, just be the best you can be and endeavour to be of service to all around you. As Ramakrishna said. “When the flower blooms, the bees will find it.” On another level, and a shallower one, it is very difficult for most of us to function in this manner.
So here are two things for you to do:
1) Each day note down everything you did that added
value to the company Include all compliments and thanks you received. Each
quarter, go over your list and summarise it in broad categories in terms of
what you have actually accomplished. Be matter-of-fact, not grandiose. Then
furnish the modestly-worded document to your boss well in advance of your
evaluation time. Seek a meeting beforehand to discuss this informally and get
his/her take on it. This is something you should be doing on a continual basis.
2) Understand that people only find what they are looking for. Use this tendency to your advantage. Pick one of your strengths, one that you would like to be known for. Say you are excellent at explaining difficult concepts. Go to your boss and other senior executives who have a say on your career and sincerely tell them that you are trying to improve on this ability. Would they please note instances of your doing well on this score and let you know how you can do even better? You would appreciate it very much if they would do so because this is an ‘area of improvement’ you have set for yourself. They will promptly notice how good your communication skills are because you have now primed them to look for it.
2) Understand that people only find what they are looking for. Use this tendency to your advantage. Pick one of your strengths, one that you would like to be known for. Say you are excellent at explaining difficult concepts. Go to your boss and other senior executives who have a say on your career and sincerely tell them that you are trying to improve on this ability. Would they please note instances of your doing well on this score and let you know how you can do even better? You would appreciate it very much if they would do so because this is an ‘area of improvement’ you have set for yourself. They will promptly notice how good your communication skills are because you have now primed them to look for it.
- Professor Srikumar Rao is the author of Happiness at Work:
Be Resilient, Motivated and Successful - No Matter What.
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