It’s widely accepted that here in the UK, unlike our friends across in america, that culturally you don’t blow your own trumpet. However, if you are ever going to get noticed for your partners for the right reasons, how do you subtly blow your own trumpet – without being seen as pushy or arrogant. This is one of the problems which Jennifer Holloway gives solutions to her recent interview with me. As Jennifer says in her interview: In Britain we’re very much light under a bushel. It’s not the done thing to brag Self-deprecation is a brilliant thing, but it can be taken too far and sometimes what I find British people do is they put themselves down too much Jennifer also correctly points out that, if the partners are going to notice you, you will have to do something about it, because: Your boss is not going to notice you unless you make sure that your boss notices you. The person who’s deciding who’s going to be the next partner is not going to notice you unless you do something to stand out from the crowd. And that’s just the norm now. That isn’t about really standing out from the crowd and “Look at me, I’m the only one out here”. Actually, you need to be doing that because other people are. You need to be doing that just to stay in the game.
So, how do you have the confidence to blow your own trumpet, without really blowing it?
It all starts with self-confidence. If you believe in yourself and your capabilities other’s will. Secondly, let your great client work do the talking for you – but make sure that you partner and appraising manager get to hear about any good feedback the client gives you. You also need to consider how you look. This may sound shallow, but you will be judged on whether you look the part – yes, the successful confident professional. Scruffy, crumpled shirts or suits are going to damage your brand of the confident, authentic professional. If you let your clients and your client work do the talking for you, look and sound confident, you will go a long way in blowing your own trumpet…. without having to actually personally blow it.
