Alana has received several awards from professional organizations in her field. She is a well-known chemist and has published many articles. When she was asked to take on a managerial role, she had no qualms about it. She knew she would be great at it and it would just be another way for her to showcase her many talents. The only thing she objected to was the people she would have to manage. They did not know nearly as much as she did, nor would they ever.
Symptoms of the Braggart. People like Alana will tell anyone who asks (and many who do not ask) how good they are in anything that they put their hands to. There are genuine braggarts. That is, people who do in fact know quite a bit and are entitled to some bragging rights. And then there are the types who "think they know it all" and go around telling everyone how great they are when, in reality, they aren’t. Braggarts, of either type, find any opportunity to brag. It could be while they are at a team meeting, communicating with an individual team member, on the phone with a customer, or at the car wash.
Impact on Staff. Even though most staff members like to work for people who are bright and recognized in their field, they still look to their manager for positive feedback and recognition. They also look to their manager to train and support them. Braggarts don’t do this, and it is very demoralizing to the staff members.
Impact on Department/Organization. Organizations like it when they have an employee who is well known in her field and is an expert. However, when that person is in a managerial role she needs to do what all other managers do—that is, lead and manage. When that does not occur, the organization suffers.
Why Accidental Managers Become Braggarts. There are many accidental managers who deep down feel that managing is beneath them. They also do not want to have to associate with individuals such as their team members who are less skilled or qualified than they are. To compensate for that, they overly exaggerate their technical abilities or their past performances in order to get their team members to respect them.
Hints for the Braggart. The Braggart manager has to let her excellent work performance and high level of skill speak for itself. There is no need to continually tell others about your accomplishments. Doing this actually gets others to think much less of you and your achievements. Braggarts have to get down to the business of managing and come to realize that it is their role to develop their team members. They also need to have the belief that most team members have the ability to succeed at high levels of performance.