Don't be too humble

I once received a 5% salary hike. I was heartbroken because I knew I had worked hard, brought in good ideas, met deadlines, and acted as a team player. I did good work, but I didn’t market myself. I believed that working hard was enough. I was wrong. I realized that we live in a time when we’ll have to market ourselves.

So, the following year, I started marketing myself. When someone appreciated me in person, I asked them to send an email mentioning the same. I kept a work journal where I highlighted all my small wins and shared them with the team during meetings and discussions. I pitched my managers why I deserved a raise and a promotion. I shamelessly lobbied for my promotion. I did hard work, but I also showed the world what I was doing. At the end of that year, I got promoted and received a 42% raise in my salary.

There is a thin line between being humble and being too humble. Being humble can take you places, but being too humble will move you away from the spotlight you deserve.

When you are too humble, your peers might think you’re not confident about your work. If you’re too humble, you can never talk your way into becoming a leader. You’ll always be a follower. And most of all, others will start taking advantage of you. They will use you to get their work done. You will be the ladder for others’ growth. And, in most cases, people don’t appreciate the ladder they used to climb to the top.

From my personal experience, I would say: speak up. Be confident about your work. And, tell the world about it as much and as many times as possible. And, the most important thing is, do it with poise without putting others down.