A CLIENT RECENTLY sent me a thank-you letter, acknowledging my skill and effort and recognising the role I played in helping him win a prestigious industry award. I think my boss should know about this, particularly as our company has been having a tough time lately, but I am worried he will think I am bragging. What should I do?
It is important to let people know when you have succeeded, especially in today's competitive business climate. Few managers have the time to acknowledge individual achievements and may even be too busy to notice the contributions you have made. If you do not draw your manager's attention to what you have done, no one else will, and then it is quite likely that your talent will be overlooked and your role undervalued.
However, knowing how to blow one's own trumpet in the right way is a challenge. Particularly in Asia, where talking about personal success can be perceived as immodest and self-serving, it can be even harder to make sure you get deserved recognition without creating the wrong impression.
Sometimes it helps to approach things from a different perspective. Perhaps think of what you have achieved as 'good news' which you can share with your manager as a kind of gift. You will be making him aware of positive developments in the department or the overall business and may be opening the door to a range of future possibilities. This could have special resonance if the company has been going through difficult times. The information you provide might be used, for example, in presentations to potential clients, enabling management to portray the company in a good light and win new business.
Remember, too, that every manager likes the chance to take some credit for the success of his or her team. Unless you share news of successes, your manager is being denied the opportunity to gain recognition as a competent leader capable of achieving results. In such circumstances, part of your role as a subordinate is to allow the manager to look good, to show you have pride in your work and make it clear that you are keen to have a positive impact on the business.
Be sure, though, that your intentions are genuine. Do not talk about your achievements if all you want is a pat on the back or, worse still, to highlight by comparison what less proficient colleagues have not done. Simple boasting is easily detected and is unlikely to be well received. If your motive is clearly no more than self-serving, you could end up raising the hackles of a sensitive boss and of other people in the workplace who become aware of your approach.
Therefore, to avoid being regarded as a show-off, it is important not to create an unnecessary fuss about any issue, or to tell your boss about individual successes in front of others. If possible, look for ways to weave the points you want to highlight into general discussions or day-to-day conversations. For example, if the manager asks how things are going, you could say, 'Great, and I have some really good feedback to share with you ...'