INTRODUCING YOUR BRAG DOCUMENT

In our journey of personal and professional growth, it's essential to acknowledge our achievements, successes, and the value we bring to our work. To celebrate wins and recognize impact.


I'm introducing a powerful tool: the Brag Document.


Your personal repository of accomplishments, big and small.


It's a space where you can document your victories, commendations, positive feedback from colleagues or clients, successful projects, and any other moments of triumph and alternatively normalizing opportunities for growth.


I encourage you to embrace this practice of self-affirmation and start building your Brag Document today. Whether it's a digital file I have provided, a journal, or a simple list; find a format that works for you.


Be your best advocate!! Remember that your successes deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated and if you don’t share what you are working on and the impact, there is a good chance that others aren’t going to see below the surface of a smooth running team/role.


Creating a Consistent Structure to:


  • Track your impact, what projects make a big impact, which are necessary, which aren’t.


  • Manage up: Share with leaders what you are working on -- they can’t remember all that you did, and honestly, neither can you.


  • Oftentimes our managers know what they have to help us with or unblock for us -- what are you doing daily that they have no insight into?


  • Career Development -- notice patterns of what work you like working on and what you don’t.


  • What you are doing vs what you should be delegating -- what do you say YES and what do you say NO to.


  • Hone your communication style -- in trusted delivery to peer or manager, ask them to notice how you come across. Are you too arrogant? too passive? What is the sweet spot of confidence and clarity practice your verbal and written communication


  • Reliable resource come promotion and yearly self-review.


  • When discussing and/or ”coaching” with a peer, they can help you see points you might have missed or impact that you have discounted or over-inflated.


  • Creates community and accountability - Pair up with a partner to make your impact more clear.


  • Carve space for yourself on a regular basis - weekly or monthly, to fill out - either by self, with team, or with a partner.


  • Celebrate wins, mourn losses together!


EXAMPLES OF WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR BRAG DOCUMENT:

As humans, we have a tendency to fixate and/or remember the “bad” way more than the positive.

This can be your living document for when you need a confidence boost with your accomplishments and achievements.'

An additional bonus: By having a clear goal where you are headed along with accountability from a trusted peer/colleague, has been shown to be just as impactful as having your own executive coach.


This living list of your accomplishments and achievements and may include some of the following:

Projects completed

Presentations

Stake Holder Collaboration

Cross-Team Collaboration

Written Work

Invisible Work - ERGs, Planning

Creating / Implementation of a new structure or system

Extracurricular outside of work: speaking on a panel, conference, blog post, subject matter expert, thought leader for your industry

MAKE IT CONSISTENT

Like anything new and worth doing - it may take some work to consistently update.


What else?

01

Make a date with yourself and put it on your calendar, same time and day each week, that you give yourself 30 minutes to update.


02

Make a regular date with your peer / collab partner and hold each other accountable.


03

Share on a regular basis with your manager or other stakeholders, put it on the agenda monthly or quarterly.


Want a copy of a fillable form? Here you go!

Jessica McClureleadership tool, self-awareness