You Have To Blow Your Own Trumpet

Sometimes Nobody Else Will Acknowledge Your Work Until You Do

Leslie
A Productive Life

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I find the statement ‘blow your own trumpet’ funny. I mean, in reality that is what people do. I have never seen somebody in an orchestra waiting until others play their instrument for them before the show begins.

A wise man once told me that:

“The squeakiest wheel gets the most attention.”

There is a lot of noise out there in the world, and if you want to stand out you have to be able to communicate why you are worth one of the most valuable commodities today, peoples attention.

Now, I am not saying that you should walk around acting and sounding like a complete prideful, idiot. You do not want to rub people the wrong way. But you do have to be vocal about your unique value.

There are many brands, products, companies and individuals out there who are brilliant at what they do. But because they fail to communicate what they can do in an effective way, nobody knows.

You have to tell people, and do not buy into the myth that others will do it for you. Global Stand Out, is about how you can take control of your career. It is a DIY job, you cannot rely on the government, or elites of any kind.

If not, I guarantee you that while you are trying to be so modest, with false humility, there will be others who will rise up and make it very clear why they should be chosen.

The internet has made global talent pool more accessible, you are not just competing with others locally, the game is now on a global stage. This applies to you, no matter what industry you are in. If it is a new industry, it is only a matter of time before it expands into the rest of the world.

Information is so much more accessible, you can see the effects with the amount of people who compete for the same jobs. Being good at what you do is not enough if people do not know about it.

You have to show up, build, and cultivate relationships with the right people.

1. By all means talk about what you do, but think about the context within which you say it and speak about your value moderately.

Nobody in a party, will want to be around the guy that always talks about themselves.

On the other hand, if a group of people were discussing a topic, and that same person spoke about what they have achieved to establish credibility. Then they added value by educating people or giving them an interesting insight, it is a different story.

What if that same person was asked a question on a specific topic, is it wrong for them to establish their authority and expertise in that area by speaking about what they have done? No, because they never randomly started bragging, they were adding value in response to a real inquiry. Context is everything guys.

2. Blow your trumpet if it means you can teach people something that will help them. Maybe there is something they can learn from your success.

3. Do not only talk about your successes but balance your communication with some truly human moments in your life where you failed. Show vulnerability, and talk about what you learned from the weaknesses and downfalls.

Balance the value you add to people, and what you demonstrate, with what you say about your work.

Feel free to like this post, and share with others that may benefit from reading this post. You can also give me a shout on twitter, I promise not to bite: @LesliePoku

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Leslie
A Productive Life

I help people get noticed for their work. People person, marketer, strategy. I write about everything from Business & Marketing to Society & Ancient History.