Time to Toot Your Own Brand

To get a promotion, you need a healthy dose of self-promotion. Whether you are moving up, moving on or standing pat in your career, promoting your employability in this tough job market should be at the top of everyone's to-do list for 2010. Being able to talk about your success is an important part of creating, refreshing, and maintaining your brand, and your unique brand is what your company wants as its public face.

As I say in my latest book, Taking The Leap: Managing Your Career in Turbulent Times ... and Beyond, many of us have been conditioned since childhood to think that self-promotion is bad and should be avoided at all costs. But tooting your own horn is no longer an option. Building a reputation for making things happen and being able to talk about it are critical to your personal brand.

Managing up

Ultimately, helping those above you see what an asset you are to the company is your goal. Modesty is considered a virtue, yet modesty in corporations just hides all those bright lights by the bushel-full. So, how can you talk about your successes without making others feel like you are just promoting yourself? Or worse, that you are so insecure you need to remind everyone you are worthy? It is as simple and as complex as changing the way you think about self-promotion.

Self-promotion is tooting your own horn without looking like a braggart.

People who do this well stand out. You may want to consider finding someone like this and place that person on your board of directors. More about the board later. First, a few notes in the key of success so you can learn how to toot that horn well.

When you think about talking about your successes, begin to think about it in terms of sharing your success in order to make others successful.

Your boss is the best person to develop this skill with. Your boss is your first line and represents you in discussions with other senior managers. If you can't convince your boss of the value you bring in the work you do, then you won't be able to convince anyone else either. Get away from the distractions of the office so you can both put in the attention the conversation deserves. Don't use distance or differences in culture as an excuse to leave your manager out of the loop. Or that's where you'll end up.

Create Your Brag Bag

You know the good work you are doing, but how can you talk about it most effectively? Create a "brag bag" of course!

Start at the Beginning

As we make our way in the world we often encounter that dreaded four-word invitation: "Tell me about yourself." Wherever it happens, you need to be ready. Your brag bag can have stories about how you ended up in your profession, why you are passionate about your work, and what you love about your career or profession. It also needs some basics, such as how you utilize your skills and talents.

Lay Your Foundation

Before you start thinking of stories that illustrate your talents and accomplishments, think of what those are. Answer the following questions to build your foundation:

1. What would you or others say are five of your top skills or talents?
2. What would you or others say are your top five personality traits?
3. What new skills have you learned in the past year?

The Contents

Now that you have your foundation, think about some stories that illustrate your talents and skills. Some of the following questions may help you:

1. How did you end up in your current career/profession?
2. What obstacles have you had to overcome to get where you are and what lessions have you learned?
3. What is the biggest professional mistake you made and what did you learn?
4. What are you doing to make a difference in people's lives?
5. What career successes are you most proud of and why?

The idea is to have several stories that can illustrate who you are and what you bring to the party. Oftentimes we take ourselves for granted and convince ourselves that we really haven't accomplished anything important. Or we think that others will naturally notice our hard work and we will be rewarded. Nothing could be further from the truth. Don't take yourself for granted and don't hope others will notice your hard work. Be prepared to self-promote, have your brag bag at the ready, and you will succeed.

Brag Bag Revisited - the Elevator Speech

Another important offshoot of the brag bag is that it can feed your "elevator speech." An elevator speech is a self-commercial you can use when you get in the elevator with someone and have only ten seconds for the person to learn something about you. Think of a recent success or "win" you've had. Maybe you landed a great account, got a customer to buy more than he or she had planned, or created a new protocol that would cut years off the research cycle.

Okay, now that you have your brag bag filled to the brim with stories; make sure you use them. Remember, you are using stories of your success to help others achieve success. When you get the chance, be short, sweet, to the point.

Chitchat with Purpose

This finesse stage of self-promotion is about putting yourself in situations where you will have to connect with others in your company or business. Cocktail party conversation or chitchat allows you to lay some groundwork for new relationships or strengthen existing ones. There are a few simple rules for you to follow at such events to make them successful:

Make a new friend

Take this opportunity to meet someone new. If you walk into a room of ten people and you know five of them, make it your business to meet the other five as well. Spend time introducing yourself to the people you don't know and reconnect with those you do.

Find Commonality

If people you are talking to say something you can relate to, file it away so you can make the connection when it is your turn to talk. Find a way to bridge what is important to them with what you do for the company.

Be genuinely interested in what others are saying

Maintain eye contact (if it is culturally acceptable to do so) and be authentic. As you bring more of yourself to the conversation, others will perceive you as relaxed and comfortable - and will feel that way in return. They will attribute their comfort to you, which can have long-lasting benefits.

Now that you have come this far, it is time to spread your influence by creating your own board of directors. They can include present coaches, mentors and champions as well as new additions.

Your Board of Directors

A board of directors is important because in today's complex business world it is difficult to succeed alone. Members of your board of directors are partners in your success. Your personal board of directors will know what your goals are and your methods to achieve them. They will be there to advise and counsel you on your road to success. You don't need to tell people they are part of your board of directors. That is just a term you use for yourself so you are clear about the roles you need them to play.

Size Does Matter

Don't get caught up in size. Start with one member. Add another. Then another. Choose each person for the role you need him or her to play.

Coaches and Mentors

How do you find coaches and mentors to serve on your board of directors? Look around you. Once you find someone who might be a good fit with your plans, spend some time finding out if your instincts are correct. It is flattering to be put in that position. And people love to share advice.

Two roles on your board of directors should be those of coach and mentor. A coach sees your potential and challenges you to move outside of your comfort zone. Mentors share their experience and give you advice based on their expertise. They can even be the same person. They should be someone who respects you and whom you respect. Just be careful not to take them from coach to crutch. Or let them encroach.

Be Your Own Consultant

The insight you have gained from your board of directors is the final piece of the puzzle in your brag bag. I often tell my clients to treat their jobs as if they are consultants to their companies in the last half of a one-year contract. There is nothing that focuses the mind quite like the prospect of being out of work in six months. Start to tally what you have achieved in the past six months and what you plan to achieve in the next six, and decide on how you are going to present that information, vertically up the ladder.

Finally, whether you are self-promoting in a conversation, cafeteria or conference room, the key to success will always be your personal leadership presence. The brand you create for yourself - the combination of self-awareness, your leadership presence, the advice from your board of directors and your ability to self-promote - will be fundamental and evolutionary.

Start small and expand to become a brand you and others will be proud of. It's your time now!!!

Wishing you the best in 0h-Ten.