Who's Talking About You?

It’s annoying being in the space at work with those people who can’t stop tooting their own horn. Any pause in a conversation is a reason for them to bring up something they have done, been a part of or helped with; exhausting. The better impact is for people to talk about you. For those others in the office, in your field, or just all around career town to bring up your name as if you’re the greatest thing since the internet.

Most people wonder how they can reach such heights as to have your name brought up by people who are two degrees of separation from you. It’s not hard. The key: Be the BEST at what you do! When I say be the best, I don’t mean beat out everyone per se.

Be the best by: Working harder, knowing more than what’s needed, doing more than what’s expected and being nice to everyone. The cleaning people, the cafeteria workers, the delivery guy, the mail person, the Administrative Assistant, the interns, everyone who passes you should get a smile and a “hello” just because they were in your space. Working harder is self-explanatory but now has a bit of a twist in the new work environment. Working harder means doing more than average, not stopping when you’re almost done because it’s lunchtime or break time or even time to leave; just 10 more minutes can mean the difference between someone knowing your name and someone adding you to their mental “just another staff member” list.

Yes, make your goal this week to build on what you’re already doing but take it up a few notches. If you do what you know you can, then you won’t have to toot your own horn. Be the person everyone mentions for the next project, the next meeting, the next decision, the next report or the next client discussion. Everyone should be talking about you, so make it happen … Toot Toot