I always say to my IT team – 50% of our work is PR.
Now maybe that figure might be off, but a lot of our work should entail some form of PR (public relations if you don’t already know). This is because many people do not realise the work that IT does, especially in the backend.
More than that, though, many IT persons (and people in general) do not take note of their accomplishments. We generally notice it during interviews when asked questions like, “What are you most proud of?” or “Give a time that you overcame adversity?”
Perhaps it’s because we have always been taught to be humble and not talk about ourselves. So we’ve raised people not to recognise their successes, and further, not be willing to share those successes with others so that they may benefit.
Not being able to speak about your successes also limits your chances of growth in the organisation that you’re employed. You can’t get promoted if people don’t know the excellent work you’re doing.
Some simple ways of growing a habit of recording success:
- Daily / weekly reports of things that went well and things that need improvement and share it with your boss and team.
- Start a journal where you state things that went well, even if it was tiny.
- Have a small knowledge sharing sessions, such as a lunch and learn, where you can share something you recently discovered or done.
- Help another team member when they are struggling. Like the previous point, but this is more about building confidence in yourself.
These simple items are no way close to bragging, and you shouldn’t come out feeling inauthentic in any way. Give them a try.