Justifiable self-promotion… or just bigheadedness?

The Times has recently published two articles discussing the British tendency to favour diffidence over self-promotion, Brag like an American to get ahead at work, British told (£) and British false modesty is worse than bragging (£).

Both articles are behind a paywall, although the titles do give you a fair gist of what they’re about. In summary (and to be fair it’s a bit more nuanced than this) both articles make the case for doing away with self-deprecation, describing it as ‘a worse gaucherie than many species of bragging and bombast’. They argue in favour of showing more self-confidence and indulging in a bit of bragging. 

These articles got me thinking.

Firstly, would bragging ‘like an American’ help you get ahead at 50 Degrees?

Spoiler alert. No.

During my working life I have worked in, and with, a lot of different organisations. I’ve never seen a culture where self-promotion has been seen as a big positive. In fact, it tends to be the opposite. In the early 2000s, I remember being introduced to someone (while they were present) and being told their name was “The Sniper’s Dream” (you know, cos they had a big head). I’m fairly sure it wasn’t meant as a compliment, although I should say that The Sniper’s Dream definitely seemed to see it as badge of honour. I guess they were an early adopter of the bragging to get ahead doctrine.

At 50 Degrees, where we have a pretty flat hierarchal structure, and one of our values states ‘… we can only create something great when we work together’, self-promotional bragging would jar with our culture. Telling everyone how great you were on a project implies your colleagues were less great. No thanks. Let your work do the talking.

I’d also suggest that if a team member feels the need to broadcast their successes, then it’s a further failure of culture and management. People working hard and producing good work shouldn’t need to brag about it to their peers or their line manager. It should be recognised and rewarded, whether that’s informally via an old-fashioned ‘good job’ or ‘thank you’, or more formally through a people strategy that provides career progression (and reward) based on meritocracy.

Secondly, is there a place for bragging in bid writing?

Spoiler alert, again no.

The first thing to say is that self-deprecation doesn't work in bidding. Being humble and modest can make you look like you're not confident in your ability to deliver a service. When you're actively competing against other organisations for a contract, this is the last impression you want to give.

But bragging doesn't work either. Listing accomplishments can be a massive ‘turn-off’ in the wrong context and without hard evidence to back it up, it will come across as ‘too good to be true’ or even insincere. This is why case studies can be so important. Present the facts, discuss achievements in quantifiable terms and let the evidence speak for itself.

It's also worth remembering that an over-reliance on past achievements can be detrimental to a bid’s chances of success. Whilst listing past successes will evidence experience and competence, they won’t win you the bid. Funders want to know what you’re going to deliver next – that’s what they’re buying. Investing resource into developing (and clearly describing) a solution that will create an effective service is crucial. Again, that’s about letting the facts speak for themselves.

 Is there a conclusion here? It’s probably best summed up as saying it’s about finding a balance that works.

And with £1.5bn of business secured for our clients in the last 12-months, we’re not doing too badly on finding that balance.

Bragging, self-deprecation and quantifiable facts in one sentence. Beat that.

John Ashworth
Managing Consultant