WOW Word-Of-the-Week #462: Self-Promotion
June 13, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #462: Self-Promotion
How comfortable are you talking about your accomplishments to your supervisors? Have co-workers been promoted when you felt you were more deserving? How good are you at framing your achievements in an entertaining narrative way?
This week’s WOW is a follow up to last week’s Wall Street Journal article by Denis Nishi titled, ‘Soft Skills’ Can Help You Get Ahead and includes 3 tips he believes can play a big role in determining whether you get promoted, hired or even fired.
1. Compile two lists to use as an action guide. One should itemize what you do well and the second should list improvements others would like to see in you. Gabriela Cora, an executive coach in Miami says, “You have to be open for that feedback and willing to work on those points. And don’t just ask people you’re friendly with. Ask a couple of people you’re always competing against or people that you butt heads with.”
2. Learn to control your emotions, and you should see a quick improvement in your working relationships. Uncover what your emotional triggers are so you can 
predict and head off any potentially rash or embarrassing responses to peers or bosses. Emotional outbursts aren’t viewed favorably in most workplaces, which is why you should just excuse yourself from meetings or work if you feel emotionally overwhelmed.
3. Know your limits. This can not only preserve your health and sanity, it can keep you from exceeding your limits and making mistakes that can hurt your career. If you can only handle five of seven tasks, for instance, that’s something you need to talk to your boss about, says Ms. Klaus, who had a client who got saddled with two jobs and ended up hospitalized because of stress.
“Most people are uncomfortable with self-promotion, but hard work doesn’t always get noticed without a little help. There are plenty of mediocre employees who get promoted because they’re good at letting the bosses know how good they are at their jobs. You simply want to let other people know who you are and what you’ve accomplished in a very gracious and artfully skillful way,” says Ms. Klaus.
This week’s focus is on self-promotion. What are your great accomplishments? How many people know about them? How would it feel to let others know who you are and what you’ve accomplished in a gracious and artfully skillful way? Who do you know that could help you with that?
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #461: Soft Skills
June 7, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #461: Soft Skills
Soft Skills – desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude.
Are you a good listener? Are you good at managing your emotions? Are you comfortable talking about your accomplishments?
I think this week’s WOW is a great follow up to the last two and comes from The Wall Street Journal article by Denis Nishi titled, ‘Soft Skills’ Can Help You Get Ahead.
He writes, “After working five years as a regional director at a large health insurer in Oakland, Calif., Daniel Eddleman felt ready to move up the ladder. So he found a mentor within the company who agreed with Mr. Eddleman that his performance and leadership ability merited the promotion. But he’d need to work on a few soft skills to clinch the job.”
“It can be a challenging environment to get noticed in because it’s such a big organization,” says Mr. Eddleman. He found a job coach who helped him identify and work on three weak
areas – including the ability to self-assess, manage his emotions and brag. “I realized that I can sometimes come on too strong. I learned to let the moment pass so I could have the space to make a calm decision. I also learned how to acknowledge my own accomplishments to the right people by feathering them into conversation, which is something that I’ve never been comfortable doing,” says Mr. Eddleman, who ended up getting the promotion to vice president.
Nishi continues, “Most people are terrible at self-assessment, a core skill that is needed to succeed, says Peggy Klaus, an executive coach from Berkeley, Calif., and author of “Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It.” Although hard skills like sales and software knowledge can get you through the door, more companies are asking for soft skills.
Soft skills refer to personal aptitudes and attitudes, such as being a good listener and communicator, that affect how people perceive you in the workplace and strongly influence workplace relationships. Fortunately, most soft skills can be adjusted or learned on your own time with some feedback from peers.”
This week’s focus is on your soft skills. If we asked your peers would they say you have common sense? Do you have the ability to deal with people? Do you have a positive flexible attitude?