Book Review: BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It

Run, don’t walk, to get your hands on this book.

Huge thanks to Dan Johnson for turning me on to this book. I resisted cracking it for a while, and have library fines because I read it so slowly, but from the first page realized that it might be one of the most important books for someone to read this year.

It’s not about networking, although it helps you communicate better in network settings.

It’s not about personal branding, although it helps you effectively communicate your personal brand.

It’s not about the job search, although it helps you respond to interview questions with power.

BRAG! is a book that gives you permission to say what you should be saying. We are taught to not brag (this word makes people cringe as much as the word “brown-nose”) – ever. So how do we effectively communicate our wins?

BRAG! is a book that teaches you how to say what should be said, giving it amazing impact. Lots of times when people talk (especially about themselves) there is a lot of noise.

BRAG! let’s you know when to communicate things so you don’t get lost. How many times have your efforts not been appreciated by someone? It could be that you are assuming they’ll know all the great things you do – maybe they do know! But because of all the noise they deal with, maybe they don’t rememember when it counts.

This book is awesome, and will serve as a reference book for me for years to come. I can’t give you a book report – it would take too much time and you should read the book anyway. I’ll just share two things:

First, here are seven bragging myths that Peggy Klaus dispells:

1. Myth #1: A job well done speaks for itself
2. Myth #2: Bragging is something you do during performance reviews
3. Myth #3: Humility gets you noticed
4. Myth #4: I don’t have to brag; people will do it for me
5. Myth #5: More is better
6. Myth #6: Good girls don’t brag
7. Myth #7: Brag is a four-letter word

Second, straight from her website, the Take-12 Questionnaire (which lays the foundation so that you can put your Brag Bites and Bragologues together):

1. What would you and others say are five of your personality pluses?
2. What are the ten most interesting things you have done or that have happened to you?
3. What do you do for a living and how did you end up doing it?
4. What do you like/love about your current job/career?
5. How does your job/career use your skills and talents, and what projects are you working on right now that best showcase them?
6. What career successes are you most proud of having accomplished (from current position and past jobs)?
7. What new skills have you learned in the last year?
8. What obstacles have you overcome to get where you are today, both professionally and personally, and what essential lessons have you learned from some of your mistakes?
9. What training/education have you completed and what did you gain from those experiences?
10. What professional organizations are you associated with and in what ways_member, board, treasurer, or the like?
11. How do you spend your time outside of work, including hobbies, interests, sports, family, and volunteer activities?
12. In what ways are you making a difference in people’s lives?

(Note that you can put your answers to these questions in JibberJobber’s Interview Prep area, under the Question/Answer section)

Seriously, I can’t think of one person I know that shouldn’t read this book. Go get it. That’s all I have to say 🙂 Luckily there are other bloggers who have already written about this (yes, I’m late to the game again):

Amybeth Hale (Research Goddess) – Self promotion and tooting your own horn

Mike St. Pierre (The Daily Saint) – Mini review of Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Horn Without Blowing It

Have you read it? Do you need to? Leave your thought below!