How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons
by Heather Martin, VPG Contributor
Ashley asked me to review Jessica Chen’s book Smart, Not Loud: How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons. I did not know what to expect and wondered if I would be able to relate to her, as she was writing from the perspective of an Asian-American woman raised in a quiet culture.
However, from the opening anecdote, I was hooked. I realized I, too, was much more of a quiet culture person. I have trouble promoting myself or making myself known in the workplace, and I’m more likely to downplay my accomplishments rather than shout them out.
Jessica talks of four cultural reframes that a quiet culture person needs to do to be seen in the workplace while remaining true to their quiet culture selves. These are how we: Engage Others, Spend Time, Handle Wins, and Manage Conflict. Of these, I felt like Engage Others and Handle Wins were the two that spoke the most to me.
My favorite takeaway from Engage Others is that we need to think about how we present ideas at work, but the presentation needs to be further tailored to whom we are presenting. I’ve always known that I would present an idea the same way at work as I would at home or in a friendly setting, but I never thought about the fact that I need to present it differently to my bosses than my co-workers, as each group comes with its own priorities and biases. Focusing on what each group you are presenting to individually can not only help you get your point across better but also help you feel more prepared and confident.
Handling Wins is another area for me that I need to address at work. Jessica told a story about a time she worked really hard and long on researching and writing a story. When praised for it at work, she said, “it was no big deal,” Afterwards, she thought about how much of a big deal it had been, and rather than showcasing all of her hard work, she had let her boss think that it had been easy. As someone much more comfortable with deflecting praise than accepting it, I have done this myself many times. I never thought about it being a part of my learned culture. Jessica said that if accepting praise is hard, we can reframe it so that we show others how our hard work benefits an individual, group, or even the entire business. This not only shows how what we do is important, but it can also “induce[s] in others a state of moral elevation,” or, in other words, it causes those around us to want to help others too.
These are just a few examples of what I loved about Smart, Not Loud: How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons. I plan on rereading the book as I implement its values into my life. I have also encouraged others I know who are quiet culture people in a loud culture world to read it. This book is one of the first I’ve read that I feel is a practical guide for a quiet culture person to advocate for themselves while still remaining true to their nature.
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