How do you toot your horn?

[cantdrv55]

It's a must if one desires to advance in the corporate world. Problem is, I don't know how to do it without making myself cringe. It's too much like bragging and being an Asian immigrant, it's just not in our culture.

Any advice?

[DARISC]

What are you talking about, "It's a must..."? What is this "corporate world" that you refer to that requires you to blow your horn in order to advance?

If it's "just not in our culture" what's your concern? Is this "corporate world" that you wish to advance in some culture other than "our culture"?

Have you considered that maybe your cringe impulse and your adversity to bragging are positive character traits?

Incidentally, all the Asian immigrants that I happen to know are polite, considerate people. I don't happen to know any Asian immigrant gang bangers - do they blow their horns a lot?

I could be wrong, but I believe that in California it is against the law to use the horn for anything but an emergency or legitimate warning, like waking someone up who sits at a traffic light after it turns green (I use an auxiliary diesel air horn for that). Sounds reasonable enough to me - keeps down noise pollution, no?

I had an idiot neighbor once who left for work at 6:00 a.m. every morning, would back out of his driveway, then toot his horn twice at his idiot wife who stood at their front door waving goodbye to the moron.

I felt like strangling both of them after several months but, fortunately for all concerned, they moved before I snapped.

Your question's a joke, right ? (it's very late - or very early; depends on how you look at it .............).

[legion]

Try yoga.

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

It's a must if one desires to advance in the corporate world. Problem is, I don't know how to do it without making myself cringe. It's too much like bragging and being an Asian immigrant, it's just not in our culture.

Any advice?

I had a boss who insisted we "document and communicate" our successes. He said it made it easier for him when review time came around, and it's a good habit anyway.

Any time you have a significant achievement, document the benefits and how you contributed to the success. If there were challenges, make sure you detail how you overcame them.

We would usually fire off an email to our boss a few weeks after the close of a project we headed. Our chance to toot our horn and have it on record.

It's handy to have on paper anyway, because it's easy to lose track of this stuff over time. When an opportunity for advancement comes along, you can go back a few years to find examples of documented hard work and succesful outcomes.

[legion]

My boss has us do a monthly status with him. In preparation for the meeting, I document what I've done over the month. At the end of the year, I have twelve of these and I go through them and look for results. I send my boss a list of these results--it tells him what I actually accomplished that year.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Some good advice above.

Think of it as a 'work diary'. Document assignments accomplished in a personal journal. List your contributions ...even the small ones so you will recall them.

Even if your boss does not require such, at the end of the year or just before appraisals/job reviews are given out, submit a CONCISE outline of what you did that year to your boss/reviewer.

It's not bragging, just a way to document to management your achievements.
You do a lot daily, they may never know about unless you point it out.

[legion]

Originally Posted by Mo_Gearhead

It's not bragging, just a way to document to management your achievements.
You do a lot daily, they may never know about unless you point it out.

Yep. We are essentially asked two questions at the end of the year: "What did you accomplish?" and "What do you need to improve?"

To me, it's not about bragging, it's about clueing your boss in to what you spent your time doing over the year (or week, or month...). You certainly don't want him/her to think you spend all day on Pelican!

[Jeff Higgins]

Have your mom call your boss and tell him what a wonderful guy you are.

If your work does not stand out from your peers, all the horn tooting in the world won't help. And it starts to appear to your bosses and co-workers more as horn knobbing...

[The Gaijin]

Let's face it the modern workplace pretty much sucks...

Profit/loss, growth, retention, developing and maintaining relationships with customers and keeping the troops happy and in line counts for little.

Who is jumping ship, who is getting a promotion, who is aligned with who and knowing who is getting forced out is most important..

If the shareholders had any idea, they would revolt.

So if you are not a horn tooter - get yourself into a position (like being your own boss) where you dont need to do it.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Actually, for newcomers to our "culture" ...all one really needs to do, to see how companies function ...is to read the Dilbert comic strip daily!

[Icemaster]

With the button in middle of the steering wheel.

[on-ramp]

read the Donald Trump way to "kick A$$" . that should get you fired up.

[berettafan]

man i do not miss having to deal with that stuff!!!

[MRM]

Remember "enlightened self interest". Make yourself valuable to your boss and he will take care of you because it is in his interest to do so. Bosses value workers who make their job easier. Companies value workers who add value. Try to do both.

The first thing I recommend is to figure out how to distinguish yourself by doing things that are valued in the company and doing them as well as you can.

Don't confuse effort with doing valued work. I have a friend who once went to work at a warehouse. He went on and of about what a great job it was and how lucky they were tohave him because the operation needed so much work. He spent the next two weeks working 100 hours or so organizing the warehouse. He bragged about how hard he was working and what great work he was doing for the company. The next week the company instituted a no overtime policy (seems as though the 100 hour workweeks got paid at time and a half) and ordered him to report directly to a supervisor for his tasks during the day and to NOT clean the place any more. Did I mention he had an MBA? If he had figured out a faster way to unload and track pallets but left a foot of trash on the floor he would have been better off.

Second, your job is to make your boss' job easier and to make him look good. You boss is evaluated on how well his group delivers. His raises, promotion, retention is based on how well his people work. If you make him look good he will be rewarded and you will be able to shine in his reflected light. I know, not all bosses do this, but remeber enlightened self interest. Even bad bosses will keep you happy enough if it is in his interest to do so.

Use your year end evaluation to show what you did and why it was important, but don't brag or exaggerate. Tooting your own horn makes you look insecure and annoying. Documenting your success and reminding your bosses of the value you add to the company is not.

But the best way to get recognized is to get along with your peers, complete your assignments on time, make suggestions to your superiors when you see a better way to do things, and keep quiet in the mean time.

[on-ramp]

Originally Posted by MRM

Remember "enlightened self interest". Make yourself valuable to your boss and he will take care of you because it is in his interest to do so. Bosses value workers who make their job easier. Companies value workers who add value. Try to do both.

The first thing I recommend is to figure out how to distinguish yourself by doing things that are valued in the company and doing them as well as you can.

Don't confuse effort with doing valued work. I have a friend who once went to work at a warehouse. He went on and of about what a great job it was and how lucky they were tohave him because the operation needed so much work. He spent the next two weeks working 100 hours or so organizing the warehouse. He bragged about how hard he was working and what great work he was doing for the company. The next week the company instituted a no overtime policy (seems as though the 100 hour workweeks got paid at time and a half) and ordered him to report directly to a supervisor for his tasks during the day and to NOT clean the place any more. Did I mention he had an MBA? If he had figured out a faster way to unload and track pallets but left a foot of trash on the floor he would have been better off.

Second, your job is to make your boss' job easier and to make him look good. You boss is evaluated on how well his group delivers. His raises, promotion, retention is based on how well his people work. If you make him look good he will be rewarded and you will be able to shine in his reflected light. I know, not all bosses do this, but remeber enlightened self interest. Even bad bosses will keep you happy enough if it is in his interest to do so.

Use your year end evaluation to show what you did and why it was important, but don't brag or exaggerate. Tooting your own horn makes you look insecure and annoying. Documenting your success and reminding your bosses of the value you add to the company is not.

But the best way to get recognized is to get along with your peers, complete your assignments on time, make suggestions to your superiors when you see a better way to do things, and keep quiet in the mean time.

Crap.

follow this advice and you will surely be on the way to a work related anxiety disorder.

read this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Think-BIG-Kick-Business-Life/dp/0061547832/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7640366-5676603?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193149803&sr=8-1

you need to be straightforward and to the point, ask for a job, ask for a raise, whatever it takes. if they don't value you enough, find another job and threaten to leave. that might wake them up.

I never had a boss (except 1 , only 1) who looked out for my own interest. they are all selfish pigs , self-serving. F them all. go make your own raise .

life is one big arcade so be the ball. ( this is from a song, but still holds very true).

[notfarnow]

Actually I thought MRM's advice was bang-on.

Your job is to make your boss successful. Make him money, save him money, make him look good.

Sometimes the grunt work isn't that noticeable... even important and valuable work. It's up to you to make sure that your boss recognizes your contribution.

[KFC911]

I've never felt the need to "toot". If "management" requires it, then I'm either the wrong guy, or at the wrong place...

[tobster1911]

Originally Posted by on-ramp

Crap.

follow this advice and you will surely be on the way to a work related anxiety disorder.

......

I never had a boss (except 1 , only 1) who looked out for my own interest. they are all selfish pigs , self-serving. F them all. go make your own raise .

It was good advice actually.

Seems there is only one lcd (lowest common denominator) in your experiences with management.

Edit: P.S. Awareness is not the same as bragging. The best workers are the ones that don't need constant oversight. This also means that the supervisor is not terribly aware of your effort. I have weekly meetings with my boss to go over what I am working on just so HE does not fall behind and appear clueless to his boss.

[rammstein]

With Lube.

[Zeke]

I raise my leg slightly.