Source of article The Jury Room - Keene Trial Consulting.
We have blogged a number of times on the problems with humblebragging. Observers see you as insincere and self-involved. But Forbes recently published an article that just may allow you to promote yourself as well as promoting others. The practice of effective self-promotion for women is strewn with pitfalls. A well-known example is that women will offer ideas that are ignored in group discussion and then when a male colleague says the same thing—the idea is often embraced. Last week we posted on the challenges faced by female and minority managers and this strategy may be a good way around that dilemma.
The idea is a simple one: repetition. And we know it works based on research. The problem is that if you repeat yourself too often (either in meetings or in court) your input will likely be discounted. This strategy gets around that issue as well. And the idea is simple and just requires simple strategies:
Team up with your co-workers to humblebrag about each other.
How? There are several basic steps:
Amplification: First, know each other and reinforce each other’s good ideas in meetings. The article uses an example from the Obama administration. Women in strategy meetings were often not heard, so they banded together to do what they called “amplification”. When a woman made a key point, other women would repeat it and give credit to the original woman. When this was done, a man in the meeting could not then take credit for the idea.
Brag Club: This is not like a Fight Club. A brag club is where you share your successes and attendees agree to promote the accomplishments of colleagues across the organization. Every month, you meet to update each other and change the content of the messages about you and the other members of the group that are shared across the organization.
Social Media Promotion: We are used to self-promotion on social media. This philosophy encourages you to promote each other on social media. Tweet about each other’s accomplishments and share and ‘like’ professional accomplishments on various social media platforms.
Get a mentor. This one has been around for a while. Choose someone credible and we would say, based on this research, choose someone who is demographically different from you.
Keep a success journal. Sometimes it’s hard to recall your achievements and successes. At the end of each week, make time to enter your achievements on a list so that you are aware of things you have achieved. Schedule regular meeting with your supervisor and keep them updated on the results of projects on which you are working. Use the journal at your monthly brag club meetings.
Overall, the idea of humblebragging on others (while others humblebrag on you) is a terrific idea. But in truth, what is being proposed here is more meaningful—it is creating a culture of mutual appreciation and respect. You don’t get penalized for tooting your own horn while pretending not to, but, word of your successes—and those of others who share your ethos of mutual respect—spreads. It is possibly a way to avoid the penalties non-White and female managers receive when they promote other minorities within the organization. Have others you trust promote you through a coordinated network within your organization.
