How To Promote Yourself At Work Without Being Smug

Swedish people are generally lovely, and I should know because I’ve been dating one for almost ten years. 

However, one of their less appealing traits relates to a concept called Jantelagen – or Jante’s Law. 

Coined by Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemorse a century ago, Jantelagen is a set of ten rules that can be summarised as: 

“Don’t think you’re that special, and definitely don’t think you’re better than us.”

Sandemorse intended these rules as satire, but one way or another, this socialised conformism quickly became ingrained in the wider Scandinavian culture. 

Australians might recognise Jantelagen as the “tall poppy syndrome”.

Other countries refer to it as “crab mentality,” referring to crustaceans’ cruel tendency to prevent other crabs from trying to escape the bucket they were caught in. 

Whatever your nationality or chosen metaphor, I suspect you may well have your own version of it holding you back from being more visible at work. 

Confidence = competence?   

I often see coaching clients getting frustrated when they describe the tension between feeling entitled to greater recognition at work and their wish to remain humble.

They fear being judged boastful or arrogant, so they prefer to downplay their personal successes.

“Surely, my achievements should speak for themselves?” 

To which I like to respond, “Unless your achievements involve making babies, they’re usually pretty mute.”

Of course, humility is essential to be liked and trusted at work, but being visibly confident about your work is equally important. 

That’s because confidence and competence are intimately linked, and in some cultures even more so than others. 

Indeed, to many of my readers in the US, Jantelagen and the tall poppy syndrome may sound utterly nonsensical. 

In the States, confidence equals competence, while modesty equals ignorance. 

For many Americans, it’s simple: unless you proactively and self-assuredly promote your skills and track record, nobody in their right mind will believe you’re actually good at what you do. 

You’re expected to sound confident because even the slightest whiff of putting yourself down will make you sound incompetent. 

Asian work cultures are often the opposite; unless you’re demure, unassuming, and show a high degree of self-deprecation, people won’t want to work with you or trust you to do a good job. 

Most European and non-US Anglo-Saxon workplaces are somewhere in the middle: a degree of confidence and self-assuredness is necessary to build trust and respect, but if you become too big for your boots, you can expect blisters. 

So, how do you find the right balance? 

Here are five practical tips to get over your fear of standing out.  

Tip #1: Practise enlightened self-interest   

If blowing your own trumpet feels cringe, it probably means you’re doing it wrong. 

Marketing strategist and Duke University lecturer Dorie Clark has some simple advice: stop seeing self-promotion as a purely transactional one-way street. 

In Clark’s opinion, self-promotion is nothing more than “providing appropriate and relevant information to position oneself in a positive light”. 

So, by framing it as a win-win situation, self-promotion becomes a form of enlightened self-interest.

Indeed, by proactively highlighting your achievements, you’re saving your superiors, peers and future clients the effort of digging around themselves to find out how good you are. 

Remember that those managers and leaders are far too busy with their own stuff to have their spotlight turned on you all the time. 

By preemptively feeding them data points about your performance throughout the year, you’ll save them a lot of effort when formally evaluating you later.

Plus, you get to control the narrative.  

Tip #2: Be a maven

Notice how colleagues with the strongest personal brand are usually those who’ve developed good expertise in one area but aren’t afraid to go beyond their core activities. 

They serve not just themselves; they serve others too. 

Helping colleagues, clients and other departments without expecting anything back will help you reap significant goodwill and visibility – without looking boastful.

A nice way of doing this is to be more of a connector, introducing others to people you know they’d enjoy or benefit from knowing. 

Become part of the social glue that brings your team together and connects it with other departments. 

Better yet, go beyond being a connector and become a maven – an old Yiddish word that roughly translates into ‘wiz’ for the Gen Zs among you (that’s ‘connoisseur’ for everyone else) – someone who not only has knowledge and expertise but also actively seeks to share it with others. 

Tip #3: Have your story ready

I’m always amazed to see people visibly panic when asked to introduce themselves in a meeting or a Zoom call. 

Since the dawn of time, that’s how most meetings or face-to-face introductions have started, so surely a well-rehearsed intro must be some of the lowest-hanging fruit when communicating your brand.

There’s a simple formula for introducing yourself, which you can tweak depending on your audience: 

• My name is…
• I’m based in…
• I’m originally from…
• I work as xxx (role)
• Before my xxx (current company), I worked as/in xxx
• In my spare time, I like to xxx 

Likewise, when the situation allows you to talk about a particular achievement, give yourself permission to grab it. 

But rather than rattling off facts and KPIs, tell us a story that connects your past, present and future. 

Talk about some of the interesting people you met along the way or the challenges you overcame.

We’ll be much more immersed in the moment, and you’ll make a far deeper impression without sounding like you’re showing off.   

Tip #4: Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a bit of a snore at the best of times, but it’s also the only social media platform that’s still relatively negativity-free. 

The trouble is that most people treat LinkedIn merely as a glorified CV, which means they don’t truly appreciate the wonders it can do for building your brand.

Whether you like posts, engage in conversations about industry topics, or leave a heartfelt comment celebrating someone else’s professional success, there are many ways the platform can raise your visibility without making you feel like you’re simply showing off.   

For example, start following more of the change makers and futurists in your field, ask ex-colleagues for recommendations, repost interesting articles, and curate your wall to make it a bit more exciting to go online. Also, don’t lose sight of attending real-life events. 

You’ll be surprised how many people will approach you after a well-timed intervention during a Q&A. 

Remember, there are no stupid questions because stupid people don’t ask questions.   

Tip #5: Practise the art of downplaying

Don't be a humblebrag – someone who tries to mask their boasting as lamenting or self-criticism, like the Instagram influencers complaining about their holiday fat rolls while pointing at their six-packs or me telling you I have a terrible Flemish accent in all five languages I speak.

Nevertheless, it's good to remember that a person can be delighted for you with your recent promotion while also feeling triggered about their own sense of career stagnation.  

That doesn't mean you should hide your achievements or play small not to make others insecure. 

It's perfectly possible to promote your success while still being mindful of other people's feelings simply by adding some context or highlighting the role others – or indeed privilege – played in that success.

For example, speaking five languages sounds impressive. 

But by offering you the context that the Belgian high school system I was part of makes teaching four languages compulsory, my achievement suddenly sounds less down to my efforts and more to circumstance.

Eh bien, voilà: hopefully I'll sound a little less like a jerk.   

Conclusion: Learn what's appropriate

What feels like bragging in one country can come across as insecurity in another.  

Just like the continental kiss-on-the-cheek greeting is a bit of a stretch for many non-Europeans, the same applies to personal branding.    

Get your head around what's appropriate for the country or work culture in which you operate.  

If you're not sure what the rules of the game are, get yourself a cultural mentor – someone with whom you can practise tone, eye contact, and manners. 

Expand your global dexterity and learn to switch between different cultural contexts. 

By all means, continue to be humble, but don't belittle your achievements or the positive feedback you receive. 

Jantelagen was only ever meant to be ironic, remember?