Be a chicken, not a duck

Triumph of the "Brag Doc"

Author

Bruno Nogueira
May 29, 2023

A wise McKinsey Partner I once worked with once said: perception is reality.

I, the dumb young analyst, didn't realize back then what he was meaning. Here's what he meant in plain, simple words:

"Hey Bruno, you dumbfuck, you do quite good work, but if other people don't realize that and think you're lazy and incompetent, it doesn't freaking matter!!!"

It took me a few more months for me to realize that I needed to improve my "perception" game.

And this is why I LOVED the tip fellow reader Luiza shared:

Be a chicken - not a duck

Apparently chickens scream and shout when they lay an egg - ducks don't.

So in your career, be a chicken. Scream and shout and point out all the amazing things you have done - because it's important for everyone to know how much value you have added even with the small stuff.

How do I do this? Brag document. I have a small Word document that is always open where I quickly write stuff down after I've finished them that I believe is worth "bragging about" - on average women have more trouble with this so usually I write EVERYTHING down and then filter it later. This helps a lot when it comes to self-evaluation and gives your manager specific points.

So yeah, people in life tell you not to judge a book by its cover, and yet everyone in the publishing industry knows that what sells the book is the cover.

Think about it… We spend (at least) 40 hours per week working, but how many of those hours are spent managing the perception people have of us?

I love her tip about the "Brag Doc" (yes, I've rebranded it so it's more trendy).

Here's why:

It takes you maybe 5 minutes per day to put some bullet points in it, plus 10 extra minutes per month to filter the best things up to the top…

… And just by doing that you have an endless source of things to brag about. Perhaps not in an obnoxious, chicken-like way (yes, I've watched videos on Youtube to see if it was true), but in a loud enough way to make your work VISIBLE.

We all know the guy in the office that does good work but no one notices it.

And we sure don't want to be them.

If we're laying some eggs, might as well let everyone know, right?

So, if you feel like the perception of your work isn't at the level of what you're delivering, here's the action step for today:

  • Open a "Brag Doc" for yourself and use it often

  • Get the best stuff from it before your next 1-on-1 and let them know of your value add

Keep working smarter.