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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Brag Better summary
Meredith Fineman
Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion
18 mins
Brief summary
Brag Better by Meredith Fineman empowers us to confidently and authentically promote our accomplishments. It offers practical strategies for effectively showcasing our achievements without feeling boastful, ultimately enhancing our personal and professional visibility.
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Brag Better
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The costs of silent achievement
You’re great at what you do. Your colleagues respect your work, and your projects consistently deliver results. Yet when it comes to talking about these achievements, you freeze up or downplay your role. Sound familiar? This common pattern holds back countless talented professionals, and understanding its roots is the first step to breaking free.
From an early age, most of us learn that modesty is a virtue. Parents and teachers praise humility while warning against appearing boastful. These early messages stick with us, creating deep-seated discomfort around self-promotion. The impact is especially strong for women, who often face social penalties for appearing too ambitious or assertive.
Even your brain can be working against you when it comes to sharing achievements. The same perfectionism that drives high performance can make you feel your accomplishments are never quite good enough to mention. You might tell yourself that good work should speak for itself, or worry that highlighting your contributions will make you seem arrogant.
But the cost of staying silent is higher than you might think. Fineman’s research shows that professionals who struggle with self-promotion often watch less-qualified colleagues advance past them. Their valuable insights might go unheard in meetings. Their contributions to successful projects might go uncredited. Their salary might lag behind that of peers who more confidently advocate for themselves.
This was true for Elena, a talented software developer who led a critical system upgrade for her company. When she was asked about the project’s success, she defaulted to praising her team and minimizing her own role. Meanwhile, her colleague Tomas regularly shared updates about his work in team meetings and on the company’s internal network. Six months later, Tomas received a promotion to technical lead – a role for which Elena was more qualified. She hadn’t been considered because very few people knew the full scope of her capabilities.
The good news is that effective self-promotion is a skill you can develop, not a personality trait you either have or don’t. The first step is recognizing that sharing your achievements isn’t bragging – it’s providing important information that helps others make better decisions. Your colleagues and leaders can’t read your mind. They rely on you to understand your contributions and capabilities.
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What is Brag Better about?
Brag Better (2020) provides a practical framework for professionals to overcome their discomfort with self-promotion and effectively communicate their achievements. The book transforms traditional views of bragging into a strategic approach that benefits both individuals and organizations, offering specific tools and techniques for authentic self-advocacy in modern workplaces.
Who should read Brag Better?
- Early to mid-career professionals struggling with self-advocacy
- Women and underrepresented professionals navigating workplace power dynamics
- Anyone preparing for a performance review or a job transition
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