Were you raised not to brag? I was. My mom always taught us, let others share how great you are.

Well, I learned at my first interview after college, I was interviewing at a large public relations firm in Washington, D.C.

I realized that the entire interview

process was about me basically bragging. I needed to share my strengths and highlight my accomplishments.

It felt awkward, and to be honest, it still does now. My client, Dr. Carol Wheeler, would say the same. In this coaching

session, she and I talk about why she does not freely share that she has a PhD in leadership

when she is a leadership consultant. My friend, if part of your educational background relates to the work

you do now, be sure to highlight it. One of my other clients who is a fractional CFO, chief financial

officer, has a master's in accounting. Yet she does not highlight that when she is presenting herself to

potential clients. We need to find what differentiates us from others in our industry and position

ourselves accordingly. We also need to clearly understand what causes potential clients to come looking for us.

What are they struggling with and how can we demonstrate we are the solution and can provide

the transformation they need?

When I worked as a management consultant, I was often the only woman on the team.

I learned a lot from the men I worked with and one was that they unapologetically shared with one another and with our clients about

their strengths and great things that were going on for them professionally. And guess what?

The men did not judge one another for this. Now, I do like the saying,

do not blow out other people's candles to make yours shine brighter. Do not blow out someone else's

candle to make yours shine brighter. But also, don't blow out your own candle.

Shine bright, my friends.

And why not try to brag a little this week?

Before we dive in, may I welcome you to the Biz Chicks podcast, which has been a free resource for women entrepreneurs since 2014.

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