Peggy Klaus - Brag!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing It

The incidents described in this book are accurate, but the names and other identifying details have been changed.

Copyright 2003 by Klaus & Associates, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Warner Business Books

Warner Books

Time Warner Book Group

Hachette Book Group

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New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

The Warner Business Books logo is a trademark of Warner Books.

First eBook Edition: May 2004

ISBN: 978-0-446-55031-4

Praise For Brag!

Go ahead, make some noise! Brag master Peggy Klaus can show you how.

Working Mother

Klauss approach is radical.

Lynn Scherr, ABC TVs 20/20

Always on target.Klaus provides solid advice.

San Jose Mercury News

Like a talk-show host, this petite powerhouse of a woman is a show-dont-tell kind of teacher.

Christian Science Monitor

Klaus blows away the myths on bragging. She gives practical, hands-on advice. An indispensable book.

Texas Lawyer

Simple-to-understand, real-life concepts.Her advice is golden; it provides the polished style and refined substance needed to climb the corporate ladder. Of all the books I have ever read, I found Klauss to have the most grace and the most overall, long-term impact.

Myshelf.Com

Masterful!

Glamour

Klauss persuasive writing style and authentic tone combined with real-life anecdotes show off the transformative effect successful bragging can have on a career.

Publishers Weekly.

Klaus shows you how to self-promote by sharing your passion and vision with grace and dignity, an all too rare occurrence in todays corporate environment. Packed with smart advice, BRAG! is a refreshing read for anyone at any level.

Dr. John C. Maxwell, founder, The INJOY Group, and bestselling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Thinking for a Change

Klaus briskly removes bragging from the list of deadly sins and sets it squarely among the corporate virtues. With pithy anecdotes and insight, she invites us to communicate our identity through well-timed, intelligent, and artful bragging. If this book jolts you into the recognition that bragging is necessary for survival, it is worth the price.

Harry Kavros, associate dean, Columbia Law School, and former COO, Global Economics and Fixed Income Research, Credit Suisse First Boston

BRAG! will change your life.It did mine and so many others in our organization of successful female professionals.

Dana Hall, managing director, CFA Lighthouse Partners, LLC, founder and president of the board, 100 Women in Hedge-Funds, Inc.

When it comes to developing personal publicity, BRAG! is a must-read.

Detroit News

Peggy Klaus, I think youve convinced a lot of us.

Ann Curry, NBC TVs The Today Show

For my clients, who have shared with me their best selves.

And for Robin, who had so much to brag about.

If someone had told me a year ago that I would write a book, I would have said Oh, right, and Im also going to dance with the San Francisco Ballet. At forty-eight and 5 feet 2 inches, it just wasnt going to happen. But then, life took an odd turn. Almost before I knew it, I had become the Brag Lady, and people began asking for a book. So I wrote a proposal, found an agent who liked it, who found a publisher who also liked it, and suddenly, I was writing Brag!

From the very beginning, putting this book together was a team effort. I could not have done it without the help of two women, the very embodiment of the phrase grace under pressure. To Jane Rohman, collaborator and publicist extraordinaire, my gratitude for your laserlike focus, constant creativity, and for getting my voice from the day we met. To Molly Hamaker, my collaborator in all things creative and corporate, my love and appreciation for letting me into your life at a time when you didnt have room for one more thing. Without you, neither this book nor my business would have taken shape. Thank you for being my guide, my friend, and my sister.

To my parents, thank you for giving me the passion and the skills to make my way in the world. To my sisters and best friends, Kathy, Mary, and Nancy, thank you for being with me from the very beginning of my journey. Steve, Jeffrey, and Nelson you have added so much to our family, not the least of which has been six beautiful nieces and nephews. Ross, Zachary, Zoe, Max, Jacob, and Ani, thanks for being who you are and for sharing yourselves with me. I am so proud to be your aunt.

A big hug to my wonderful friends: the Elkins Park gang, the LA Winers, the Philly pals, and my West Coast family. Amy Eisman, you are an angel for insisting that Brag! was the book I had to write. And Mary Mattson, thank you for knowing that Jane and I had to work together. You were brilliant, as always. Lois Barth, Melinda Leudtke, Robin Dorman, Bobbie Roth, Bob Riskin, Lynne Broadwell, Jonathan Bricklin, Trena Cleland, Tal Harrari, and my favorite father-in-law, Gerry Keyworth; you made me think I could do it. Thanks.

To Jamie Raab, an old friend long before she became my publisher, and her sweet husband, Dennis Dalrymple, thank you for feeding me home-cooked meals along with loads of encouragement to write the damn book already. Had it not been for your nudging, I would never have even thought about writing a book.

To my agent, Jim Levine, thank you for having the courage to work with another Klaus. Not only are you brave, youve got great literary taste as well. To Rick Wolff, my very patient and reassuring editor, thank you for taking on this first-time author riddled with literary insecurities. I would love to work with you again, but can I please have a four-month deadline next time? And to my fabulous copyeditor, Anne Montague, thank you for your sharp eye and great suggestions.

I owe Joann Lublin a huge thank-you, because it was her article about me in the Wall Street Journal that spurred all this interest in bragging.

To everyone at K & A: Eric Strelneck, Tasha Bigelow, Janie Rose, Jennifer Rodrigue, a big hug and many thanks for putting up with me.

A special thanks to my many clients and friends whose stories have been included in this book. (Dont worry: Ive changed names and details to protect your privacy.)

And finally, to my sweet husband, Randy Keyworth; you believed in me long before I learned to believe in myself. For that and so much more, my deepest love, now and always.

Lessons from My Father and Hollywood

I will never forget when I was nine years old and won a tennis match against an older neighborhood boy, a star on the junior-high tennis team. I whooped and hollered, telling anyone who crossed my path about my big victoryuntil one day, my father overheard me. He pulled me aside and said, Peggy, dont toot your own horn; if you do a good job people will notice you. It was to become a caution I heard often from my father while growing up in Philadelphia, enjoying a fair amount of success from my various pursuits. He had a tremendous influence on me, especially given that he was raising four girls on his own after our mother died. I took my fathers message to heart and never tooted my own horn, not even casting a vote for myself for senior class president.

Then I grew up and went to Hollywood, the bragging capital of the world. All hell broke loose.

As I interviewed for jobs in the entertainment business, I quickly discovered I wasnt very good at talking about my accomplishments or myself. In fact, I had become my fathers words. I was exceedingly self-deprecating, lacking the confidence and bravado others seemed to display so effortlessly. When put in the spotlight of explaining myself, I became racked with self-doubt. It was painful. In Hollywood, not only did you have to