Washington Post Reporter Julia Feldmeier called me a few weeks ago, wanting to interview me for an article on self-promotion in the workplace. I had a thing or two to say! I told her that women have to toot their own horn, regardless of how uncomfortable it is. Because whether you like it or not, you get what you demand, not necessarily what you deserve. (And yes, that quote ended up in the article!) She writes,

There is a reason the word “shameless” is so often paired with “self-promotion”: We are taught that bragging is bad, and self-promotion is regarded as, well, bragging. Or is it?

One of the important points she makes is that in school, our achievements tend to stand on their own. We are tracked through class rankings, test scores and multi-tiered sports. We’ve grown up believing that such measurements speak for us. The problem is that after school, we have to speak for ourselves. Check out the article: Bragging Right: How to Promote Yourself without Ruffling Too Many Feathers.

One tip: It’s often better to “show” your accomplishments with a story then simply telling someone everything you have achieved. In my case, I’ll often share success stories about clients (with their permission of course!) or feedback I’ve heard from women who attend my courses. “Seven women reported to me that they raised their rates after my class. I was so happy for them!” This is much more effective than simply saying, “I’m great!” and it’s more comfortable too. Can you craft some success stories that showcase something you’ve done for a client?