Tooting Your Horn In The Workplace

My MSN
By Annabelle Reitman

When is it proper and acceptable to toot your horn in your workplace? What is the difference between “tooting your horn” and bragging? ! Bragging is a form of exaggeration. It can be boasting and/or gloating. Tooting your own horn is letting people know about your actual accomplishments, expertise, experiences, and where and how you want to move along your career pathway.

Opportunities to move up the organizational ladder are opened up to those whose names are known to the decision makers. And sometimes you do not know when that next opportunity is just around the corner. Tooting your horn is all about getting your getting your name out front, becoming truly visible in a way that doesn’t come across boasting, being pushy, or aggressive.

However, you definitely want people with the authority, ability, where forth to influence and make a difference in your career movements, to know about your background, qualifications, and successes. You want to be impressive, memorable, and passionate. It is your name that you want on the tip of their tongues when new positions open up or replacements are needed. You need to pu together a stash of “tooting your horn” info bits.

With this stash, whether it is a planned or unplanned moment, you are prepared 24/7 to pull out the most appropriate success, experience, or idea to mention to the person you need or want to impress. You are ready to self-promote in any work-networking situation. However, you need to know when and how to toot. Are you joining a group or meeting in the middle of a serious conversation or hot debate? Has top management called everyone together because of a reorganization announcement? These are not the right times for talking about yourself. These are situations that call for careful listening and perhaps at a later, calmer time to suggest some ways you can contribute to the solution. If your gut level feeling is that it comfortable and appropriate, then go with it.

If you do not toot your own horn, no one else will, in fact another person may take the credit for something you suggested or developed. In fact, by being proactive about yourself, you project the image of an outstanding team player and a future leader, who can always be counted on to complete projects effectively and efficiently.

When tooting your horn, remember that the “toots” must be relevant to the listener – the person must be able to identify with the info, get the image you are projecting, and clearly see how you will meet his/her present or future needs. If you want to succeed in an organization, understand and accept that self-promoting is not a bad selfish action, but a survival and moving ahead technique. So go ahead and look for an opportunity to toot your horn this very day!

Email comments to: Annabelle Reitman, Ed.D.
Career Management Strategist, Author
anreitman@verizon.net