You don't have to be a candidate for President to know that putting your best foot forward is key to success in the current marketplace. Whether you're a business owner, an employee, or in the midst of a job search, it's good business sense to look for opportunities to promote your service, your product or yourself.
While you may easily imagine plugging a great idea or snazzy gizmo, you might break into a cold sweat to think of overruling those cultural messages that favor humility over tooting your own horn. Keep in mind that confident communication supported by concise examples of success is different from boasting or being cocky.
In the end, it will be your ability to recognize and communicate all of the ways you add value to a work situation that will justify a raise, secure your next promotion or land a new job.
So, in preparation for the inevitable challenge of your next performance appraisal or job interview, consider the following ways you can be ready to accurately portray your best self:
1. Complete a quarterly review and record of what you have completed, led, coordinated or accomplished.
2. Be prepared with specific examples of ways you have contributed to goals and successes.
3. Make note of anything you've done that is new, innovative, and not in your job description.
4. Practice (even role play with a friend or colleague) how you will convey this information in a way that feels authentic and true for you. (Notice that I did not say that "feels comfortable" because that's not likely, nor is it an essential criterion.)
5. Be aware of key opportunities to share this information and follow through on it.
6. Be ready to celebrate the outcome!
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
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Barbara Babkirk and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
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