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Jessica Chen grew up in a “Quiet Culture” household where deference, humility, harmony, and single-minded hard work were both expected and praised.
Worthy as those traits are, they seemed incompatible with much of what she found in the “Loud Culture” of today’s workplace. The result was that early in her career she felt underappreciated, passed over for opportunities and promotions. Stuck.
Today, with background as an award-winning TV journalist, she speaks at Fortune 50 companies and conducts LinkedIn courses that have been watched by more than two million people. She’s also CEO of Soulcast Media, a global business communication training agency.
In her book Smart, Not Loud: How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons, Chen offers great advice on how to get noticed at work without being loud, aggressive, or boastful.
For people who tend to behave with “quiet” traits, Chen recommends four “cultural reframes.”
“Some of us grew up in an environment where working hard, being studious, and not making waves were ingrained in us,” she says. “I call these ‘Quiet Culture’ traits. However, once we enter the working world, we see that working hard alone will not differentiate us, especially in a competitive workplace. What matters is our ability to build visibility, showcase our wins, and advocate for ourselves.”
Chen says the four cultural reframes are a new way of showing up in the workplace that allows us to embody “Quiet Culture” traits while getting noticed in a “Loud Culture” world.
- Engage Others – how we communicate: It’s not about staying quiet in meetings, but tailoring our message to our audience so it resonates. It’s putting others at the center of our speaking so it’s impactful.
- Spend Time – how we approach work: It’s easy for “Quiet Culture” professionals to keep to themselves, put their heads down and just work hard. However, a more strategic way to approach work is to take the work and find opportunities to share it with others, such as leveraging the assignment and using it as an opportune time to open more doors.
- Handle Wins – How we celebrate our achievements: Being modest and humble are important traits. However, in order to get noticed at work, we have to let others know about what we’re doing. It’s not about boasting, it’s articulating how our work has helped others, such as making their job easier or streamlining a process.
- Manage Conflict – How we handle tricky conversations: Most people dread tough conversations. However, they are inevitable at work. Instead of avoiding it to maintain a harmonious environment, we must consider the dynamics at play like asking: who is involved? When did things go wrong? When is the best time to talk about this? Hiding during challenging times is the quickest way to shatter our credibility at work.
Chen writes about “Quiet Culture Bias” and how people can deal with it without compromising their personal values?.
Jessica Chen
“The Quiet Culture Bias is when others assume just because someone is quieter that they don’t care or they’re not engaged at work,” she says. “In most Western and corporate workplaces, the focus is towards those who are loudest in the room. Reducing the Quiet Culture Bias is ensuring we create opportunities for all, including those who are more quiet so they can chime in and share their thoughts. We can even call out their achievements so we show them we notice and appreciate them at work. That’s great for boosting morale.”
What are the steps to building a career “brand” without coming across as an arrogant self-promoter?
“Many people think their career brand is just what they were hired to do,” Chen says. “However, we can control how others perceive us, including what projects we get assigned to do. To shape our career brand, we must be clear on what we want to be known for. We must think beyond just the work we are assigned to do. For example: you want to be the go-to person for X expertise or the source for all things X topic or issue.”
Next, she says, you’ll want to take that career brand and find opportunities to showcase it beyond just the day-to-day work. “For example, identify what projects you need to be on to build visibility. If nothing exists, you can create a small project from scratch. The key is to be consistent with talking about your career brand so when certain projects come up, your name comes to mind.”
So, how can a Quiet Culture person build credibility (earn respect and trust) in the workplace?
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“Credibility is something that’s earned and re-earned because while you may be seen as credible in one area or in one kind of work, once you enter a new environment, or when introducing yourself to new people, you have to establish and reestablish yourself quickly,” Chen says. “To do that, prioritize building respect and trust, which means doing what you said you’re going to do, keeping people in the loop, and following up with action. Don’t be afraid of sharing high-level accomplishments. It’s not boastful as long as you have points to back it up.”
In a Loud Culture environment, how can people most effectively advocate for themselves in seeking growth opportunities?
“Advocating for yourself at work isn’t just nice to do, it’s a must do,” Chen says. She cites four actions people must take when advocating for themselves at work. She calls it ACCT:
- A – Ask for what you want because you can’t assume people will know.
- C – Circle back because it often takes multiple attempts to get an answer. It also shows you’re persistent.
- C – Celebrate your wins because you must be your own best cheerleader.
- T – Turn down requests with tact because time is limited and you need to focus on work that can accelerate your career and career brand.
To help people communicate with impact, Chen recommends what she calls the 4A Sequence. She says it helps people who tend to struggle with finding the right time to speak up and structure their messages so they resonate.
- A – Active listening: the opposite is passive listening, which is sitting in meetings without the intention of speaking up and sharing our thoughts. Active listening is joining a meeting knowing you’re going to find an opportunity to chime in. For example: a split-second pause or when people get to a relevant talking point.
- A – Acknowledge: the first few words you say should be to recognize the person before you because it creates a seamlessness in conversation flow. Simply say, “Jen, that was a great point, and if I may add to that …”
- A – Anchor: now you repeat one or two words the person said as a way to connect your thoughts to theirs. For example: “… you mentioned Project X, which reminded me of my idea …”
- A – Answer: give your pointed statement and keep it concise. Ask yourself, what’s the point I am trying to make?
For people whose natural behaviors tend toward a Quiet Culture style, Chen offers advice for making the most of Zoom and other platforms for virtual meetings and presentations
“Building visibility in a virtual environment can be challenging, but keeping your camera on if others have it on is an easy way to build familiarity and recognition,” she says. “The key is that other people are seeing you. That can help you stay top of mind consciously and unconsciously. Another way is to engage in the chat if chiming in feels too difficult because you want others to see your name. If you’re in a meeting, make a conscious effort to be noticed, even just once, because that can compound to creating the impression you’re present and engaged.”
That, Chen says, is Smart, not Loud.