Praise a colleague

A more comfortable way to brag

Many of us — particularly women — have heard the advice that we need to talk more about our own accomplishments. Everyone lives in their own little worlds, so people do not automatically know the good work you are doing.

It makes sense. However, I think many of us have trouble with that advice because it can feel unseemly to talk about yourself. Even if it’s business, we’re all still human. Old impulses die hard.

But there’s another path to showing that great things are happening around you — and that’s talking about your colleagues’ accomplishments.

Basking in the glow

When you celebrate the good work that someone else is doing, it shows that you are on a winning team. Even if you’re shining a light on someone else, you get some of the glow through your connection to that person. It also makes you seem like a positive person — and it is a bit of a power move, because calling attention to other people’s wins shows that you are surveying the scene and making judgment calls that other people might want to listen to.

There’s very little downside. So be on the lookout for others’ accomplishments that you can highlight.

Do you have a direct report who was chosen for a professional development workshop for emerging leaders in your field, or who earns an in-demand credential? Share the news as broadly as you can.

Or maybe a junior staffer steps in to lead a project while his direct manager is on vacation, and he does a great job. You can let the senior leadership of your organization know this when you’re reporting on news from your division. Your colleagues will surely realize that his success covering this role was partly due to your mentorship.

Introductions are another great time to talk up your team’s accomplishments. When you’re introducing a staffer to a client, or to someone from another department, make sure you make space for a little bragging about your resident numbers whiz, or how your colleague just gave a speech at an industry conference.

Praise as the person wants to be seen

Now obviously all of this has to be authentic. You can’t make up good things and if you praise things in a way that is over-the-top pointing toward you, or doesn’t reflect the other person in the way they wish to be seen, then you won’t really score any points by doing this.

But when you brag about a colleague, you get to make someone else feel good, share good news, and make it clear that good things are happening all around you. It’s a lot of upside for something that tends to come across as nice, rather than grating.