Let’s Celebrate Success at work with Less Awkwardness
Do you ever feel like celebrating your success at work is taboo? Something you should keep quiet about, or even feel guilty for achieving? Do you feel awkward when sharing your successes with others? You’re not alone! However, let’s face it, success is something we all crave and should be proud of!
Sharing our success at work can be a tricky game. We want to shout from the rooftops about our accomplishments, but we also don’t want to come off as a conceited show-off. On the other hand, if we keep our success to ourselves, we risk being overlooked and missing out on valuable opportunities.
P.T. Barnum, the showman and businessman, had it right when he said, “Without promotion something terrible happens—nothing.” So, let’s not hide our light under a bushel. Let’s stand proud, instead let’s turn our successes into something to be celebrated and shared with pride!
“With promotion something terrible happens – nothing”
P.T. Barnum
We all struggle with self-promotion
During a gathering of the 100 Coaches Agency, my friend, and mentor, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith posed three questions to all of us present:
- Will your work, your message, make the world a better place?
- Does the idea of self promotion make you feel uncomfortable?
- Which is more important, making the world a better place, or your discomfort?
Most of the 150 leaders present answered YES to the first two questions. Leaders of industry, thought leaders, we all struggle to overcome the imposter within us. However the third question was the wake up call – that NOT to celebrate could in fact be considered selfish, in keeping our impact secret.
I texted the three questions to Eric and Ruby and challenged us to think our biggest boldest thoughts about what success for You, Me, We could look like, what success might feel like. We agreed to be audacious (for us) and launch the book LOUD AND PROUD. No quiet whispers of a launch plan, no apology for asking folks to support us. Instead we knew we wanted the book to reach as many people as possible, and to (hopefully) ‘make a list or two’.
Yet even when we decided to ‘go for it’ we still hesitated, the idea of tooting our horn made us feel icky. With Marshall’s questions ringing in my ears, we realized that without the fine art of self-promotion our book would be forever a hidden gem. A book that languishes on a retailer shelf serves no one, not the reader, not the writer, not the publisher, printer, nor the retailer – the sale of the book is how we all pay our bills. One way we measure success. Another is by making those ever present ‘lists’.
And the winner is…
We have exciting news! You, Me, We has won not one, but SIX, book awards. Whether it’s awards, glowing reviews, social media posts celebrating milestones etc etc. they help us celebrate together. We’re grateful for all of your support, we couldn’t have done it without you!
Winning awards is clear recognition and celebration of success. Recognition via awards and lists also serves a real business purpose – building credibility for the book, especially for folks who may not know the three of us personally. Ultimately it amplifies our message to help make other people’s lives lighter.
Success is a shared resource, not a scare resource
– the three of us in You, Me, We. Why we all need a friend at work
(and how to show up as one!)
Time to celebrate YOUR success at work
Are you ready to start celebrating your success at work, both big and small, and those of the people around you? Don’t wait for your annual performance review to recognize your achievements or to give credit where it’s due.
Let’s make self-promotion and amplifying others a regular habit, no matter what our goals are. Whether we’re writing a book, solving the world’s biggest problems, or simply striving to be the best we can be, we all need recognition and encouragement to help us reach our full potential.
Celebrating each other’s successes and share our accomplishments creates a brighter, more positive world. So let’s lift each other up and celebrate every step of the journey. Together, we can achieve more than we ever could alone. Remember, we’re all #bettertogether.
What advice do you have for us all to better showcase our talents without coming across as a braggart?
What would you like to celebrate?
Morag Barrett is a keynote speaker, executive coach, and USA Today bestselling author who helps leaders tackle one of today’s biggest workplace challenges: disconnection. Her work focuses on human connection at work, workplace relationships, employee engagement, and team culture — giving leaders practical tools to build trust and perform better together. Her signature keynote, Fine Is a Four-Letter Word, has been delivered to Fortune 500 companies and industry conferences worldwide. Member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches. Regular contributor to Fast Company.
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