How to Prove You're a Badass (And Your Boss an Idiot)

[tdko]

I got this tip from a member of my Toastmasters club (http://www.toastmasters.org/). Keep a document at work with the following four pieces of info:

1. How I saved the company money
2. How I made the company money
3. Crises I prevented/fires I put out
4. Support I need from my supervisors

Fill it out once a week (or every two weeks) and take it with you to your touchbases with your supervisor. Keep all of them in a binder, and when your annual review comes around, you have a huge list of accomplishments and an accurate record of what your boss has/hasn't done.

It also gives you something to work towards (that is, being able to fill it out).

[Bugsey34]

That is a good idea, not even for an annual review, but also for when you are writing a resume to look for another job! Concrete examples and numbers are the best thing to have on a resume if you can get them.

[lilyflower]

Awesome idea. Btw, what are your experiences with Toastmasters? We have a chapter at my location and I've considered joining up but I don't know that much about them.

[tdko]

The company I work for sponsors a Toastmasters club at headquarters, so we meet weekly during our lunch hour.

Toastmasters is awesome, and every great speaker or salesman I've spoken to has recommended joining TM. Primarily it's about public speaking, and members give occasional speeches on topics of their own choosing for the group. You go at your own pace, you choose your own topics, and the membership booklet focuses each speech on a particular skill.

I'm very comfortable in front of crowds and giving prepared speeches. But every meeting has a section for impromptu speaking as well. I get flustered when by boss challenges me to justify some decision I made on the fly, so I'm working on getting my thoughts together before I open my mouth. (Harder than you'd think... :)

Also, there are a number of "roles" that need filling every week, like grammarian (picks one vocab word each week), Toastmaster (leads the meeting), and ah/um counter (counts the usage of crutch words). So you also have the opportunity to learn how to run smooth, effective meetings. TM also offers leadership training. Each district hosts workshops for club officers to improve their leadership skills.

I highly recommend joining Toastmasters and taking full advantage of what it offers.