IS IT TIME TO START BRAGGING ABOUT YOURSELF?  

You are aware of your co-worker who bores you to death about his latest achievements, about how well his work is progressing. Every time he self-congratulates himself, you feel sorry for the guy. But that's not the way your boss feels about him. Your superiors appreciate his ways. They think he is self-confident and has positive outlook. And the best part is that his career is progressing along nicely. And your career is stuck in the middle. You are not going anywhere. You work hard and nobody notices your efforts.

So wisen up. True meritocracies don't exist, and self-righteousness won't pay the rewards. So you'd better learn how to start bragging.

The ugly truth is that it's a skill that has never been more important than today. In part, that's because of the organizational hierarchy these days. The chances are that your hard work might not be in touch with you because there are many layers in between. As a result your hard work will not be noticed. Also, it is becoming important, because of the teamwork that organizations increasingly focus on. When a team works, all members contribute. But research has shown that the person who speaks for the team is given the credit, not the poor souls who had the ideas or did the work.

Performance is measured by various parameters across industries. In manufacturing industries, parameters like quality, productivity are the criteria. In consultancy, it's not so clearly defined. Therefore, managers must rely on their subjective assessment to identify the great worker.

If you have decided to do a self-promoting act, then you should go along the right way, lest the move backfires. We have outlined some factors. You would do well to study these and identify the right fit.

• The conqueror.
  Instead of focusing on what you have achieved, boast about what you're going to do - and then, of course, go ahead and do it. E.g. when the company was facing problems with dealers who were holding the company to ransom, by withholding the supplies to the market, Mr. X promised to set the problem right within a month. He hired some vehicles and resumed the supplies to the market. Dealers were broken and went back on their demand within a week. This way Mr. X enhanced his reputation. A slick self-promoter can shape public perception of the challenge he's about to tackle. But be sure to deliver the results. Otherwise, it might backfire with vengeance.
  
  
• The publicity seeker.
  There's nothing like a little positive press to promote yourself. Like, say, being mentioned in The Economic Times or BT. If you can get a case written at IIMA about your work in an organization, it would be your trump card. Lots of people may laugh at it, but remember - the bottom line is that any publicity is good publicity.
  
  
• The cheerleader.
  Put the mirror to sun and bask in the reflected light. Put your team's accomplishments in the spotlight rather than your own, and then enjoy the reflected glory. Says a manager, "If you have a successful team, first people will want to know how they did it, then they'll want to know who led it." You should promote your team in your presentations to management and post signs throughout the team's operation - visible to any senior manager who might wander in--displaying the team's progress. An added bonus to this approach is: it helps keep the worker bees motivated. If you get to know a potential star, get him on your team and sing about it. This works well for motivating others and keeps you in limelight as the person who is a born leader.
  
• The networker.
  
  Things can be better still. What better way to brag than to get others to do it for you? Think of your boss, your peers, your team, your customers, and your suppliers - provided they like you - as an army of public relations agents. "Self-promotion is a bad word for very good relationship management." But its among the many ways to cozy up to co-workers: find ways to help them, sing their praises to others, or find a common interest. Network yourself. Make yourself approachable.

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