Uh-oh!

It's that time of year again, when people like the 'Bistro Tablecloth Family' above, think that what your Christmas needs is a family-round-robin-newsletter, highlighting their achievements in the last year.  As if that wasn't enough, they top it off with a glorious photo of them in matching gingham attire.  (I'm really tempted to plonk a pile of cutlery and a vase of flowers on their tummies!)

I'm sure they're lovely people but a Christmas family newsletter doesn't leave me with the cliff-hanger feeling of a HBO box-set.  I really couldn't give a fig whether: 'darling little' Runny-Nosed-Richie, is going to achieve grade 3 on the piano, whether Sweet-but-Ditsy-Diana went for the 'Natural Hessian' or 'Magnolia' paint in the living room or whether Slightly-Sinister-Sidney got rid of that nasty rash he picked up on their 'marvellous little holiday in a 5-star resort in the Maldives'.

You can read Lynne Truss' suggested responses to round-robins here: http://bbc.in/2BhDKg1  

(I think 'take two is the best one).

It may just be a British thing, but we aren't keen on people blowing their own trumpet.  This said, increasingly in the workplace, if you don't raise your profile you'll get left behind.

So how do you do this without coming across as a gingham-dungaree-wearing bore?  You read the tips in HFM of course!

When you've done that, there's a short video of children receiving disappointing Christmas presents.

(I know it's mean, but it's funny).

Enjoy your week.

Julie

julie@pressurevalve.co.uk

www.pressurevalvecoaching.com

www.pressurevalveprojects.com

P.S. New to Hooray for Monday?  You can catch up on previous editions, including content such as: beating the back to work blues, natural networking and a dog that looks like Elton John.

Just click here: https://www.pressurevalvecoaching.com/free-stuff

For development:

Ways to raise your profile without feeling like a jerk 

You'll see from Under-the-Radar-Raquelle, one of the characters on my website, that raising your profile at work is a common challenge for people.

Yes, there are some people who are (unfortunately), incredibly comfortable in frequently telling you about themselves and their 'spectacular' achievements.  However, the majority of people are not.  The problem is, you need self-promotion as part of your career otherwise it will be the less-talented people with the bigger mouths that get all the great opportunities.

There is a middle ground that doesn't involve you walking around wearing a sandwich board that reads 'Catch a load of me - I rock!'

Read these 6 simple tips from thebalance.com.

For a smile:

Disappointed kids at Christmas :) 

U.S. talk show host Jimmy Kimmel challenged parents to give their children an early Christmas present but to make it something weird/dull.  They videoed the results. Here's one of them.  We all could learn something from the reaction of the kid who was given a potato.

What do you do Julie?

Glad you asked, I'm a coach, helping individuals and groups with a range of work and career-related challenges/goals. I'm also a contractor, providing project management for learning, development and recruitment projects, plus interim management of teams.

So, as an example, last week I:

• Coached clients on topics including: leading a new team, career crossroads and dealing with a 'tricky' boss.
• Chaired a meeting of global representatives, who are shaping and enhancing a global alumni network.
• Prepped for monitoring meetings for two grants I'm overseeing.