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Bragging While Asian: Crazy Rich Backlash or the Anxiety We Invent?
33 Plays15 days ago
In the first episode of 2026, we dive into the wonderfully awkward world of bragging at work, inspired by Peggy Klaus’s book Brag: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn. We unpack whether the backlash we fear is real—or just the stories we tell ourselves—especially for Asian professionals navigating cultural expectations. Along the way, we trade personal tales, geek out on objective data, and laugh about how team dynamics can make or break your brag. Tune in for a fun, honest, and slightly spicy conversation!
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Transcript
Introduction to the New Season
00:00:09
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, your podcast for all things Asian in the workplace. I'm Jenny. I'm Echo. And I'm Doop. So we are back. It is the new year, 2026. Yay!
00:00:21
Speaker
First episode of the season. um So last episode, we talked about or did a book review of Bragg, The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn by Peggy Klaus.
00:00:37
Speaker
And i recall that we got a chance to talk about the book in depth. And then I think there were some things that we didn't get a chance to to cover, some nuanced topics here and there. And hopefully we'll get to tap into that a little bit in this episode.
00:00:52
Speaker
Echo, anything to add to that?
Focus on Bragging Techniques and Workplace Backlash
00:00:54
Speaker
The only thing i will I'm going to add there is I think that in this episode, it's going to more like a applied sessions because I think last session we were more discussed what the book has been talked about. In this one, we're going to be talking about how we're going to apply some of the techniques or the skills that we learned from the book.
00:01:13
Speaker
And i think one of the reasons why we wanted to continue the topic is because, ah you know, Peggy Klaus, she brings up a lot of good points about bragging and how to do it, how to do it authentically. But she doesn't really talk about like the downside of bragging and what might happen if you brag with good intention and, you know, you try and aim for good impact. But sometimes if you are not someone that people typically think of as a leader, um there might be backlash even if you brag in an authentic and genuine way. So we wanted to kind of address that and then do a practice session where we demonstrate or practice for ourselves what bragging might look like and how we can own it. I mean, one area that I i sort of had a problem with, i mean, I don't know if that's the right word, is the fact that Peggy doesn't really address what what you can do when you face you know backlash, when you start bragging and other people um are not into it. they're not They're not receptive. Because in the workplace, if you brag, it could potentially you know come back to harm you in a way.
00:02:18
Speaker
um And she doesn't really talk about that. I'm genuinely curious, like, what what do you think? What are some of your thoughts on
Is Backlash Real or Imagined?
00:02:24
Speaker
on that? I think, Jenny, you touched upon an interesting topic here when it comes to the backlash with the bragging. Even I think in the book, Peggy has mentioned a little bit um herself as a woman, ah that where she at the beginning felt like, oh, when she started bragging, that might put her in a space that is very uncomfortable. And think
00:02:51
Speaker
can sense that. And one of the things that make people uncomfortable is that backlash or the potential backlash might come at you. ah What I was thinking there is um I have been thinking, is this backlash thing more of a out of our own imagination or is it actually true that people do see or do actually experience this kind of backlash when they start bragging?
00:03:18
Speaker
And whether that's the same or different based on the person's background themselves. I'm throwing it out there. That was the only thing that had come up so far.
00:03:30
Speaker
So is it in our head or is it actually happening? Yeah. Chuck, what do you think? Hmm.
Stereotypes and Norms in the Workplace
00:03:38
Speaker
You know, i think Peggy is a great storyteller. So when I remember reading the book, I'm like, yeah, I'm going to do all this, right? all these things that she suggested without thinking about the potential negatives ah that may come through. And Jenny, I think you grew bring up a great point. Like what happens when we brag when we normally don't?
00:04:01
Speaker
um For me, like I... i personally don't know that that side of it that that well, because I have a tendency to not be braggadocious. I'm trying to ah learn to be more braggadocious, but in a way that in the middle, more so in the middle than than usual.
00:04:22
Speaker
But it is something that i'm I'm curious about too. What are the implications? What are the potential downsides that ah that may happen when um you know Asian and Asian American employees break ah the stereotypical norms that others have of them?
00:04:41
Speaker
I don't know. like i don't we we can i feel like even if we what We experience, I wonder what the the average, the average Asian, Asian American experience when they do brag.
00:04:56
Speaker
mia Well, i I know there hasn't been like direct research looking at what happens when Asian um and Asian American professionals brag in the workplace, but if we draw on the existing research that looks at what happens when women violate stereotypes that we have about them, there is backlash, right? So i think to Echo's point, is it in our head? I think there is a lot of evidence showing that it does happen and it does negatively affect like performance evaluations,
00:05:22
Speaker
i I think I remember reading um a research article about when women negotiate on behalf of themselves, they're seen as more selfish and they receive more negative ratings versus if they were to negotiate on behalf of like their team, because that's, you know, conforming to um gender norms, right? Women are communal, you're supposed to have your team, you're supposed to be helpful and thoughtful towards other people. So I don't know, i feel like if if we rely on existing research and assume parallels, I think there is going to be a penalty. And I think there has been a study, and I think we did mention this
Team Culture and Celebrating Successes
00:05:59
Speaker
in one of our episodes, the Bernal, the one from 2012 that looked at what what happens when Asians violate stereotypes. And it was a negative outcome, right? i'm trying to drop my memory here.
00:06:12
Speaker
Yeah, Jenny, i what you said there made me also thinking... One of the stereotypes for Asian and Asian-American is being modest. Like you guys are not supposed to brag your work because you just did well and that's your job. That's what expected of you. That made me thinking like, isn't that brag?
00:06:35
Speaker
or learn to brag is already a breach of that expectation. And that will lead into some of the backlashes for Asians and Asian-American, just that behavior itself. And this is not even touch upon the content that the ah the person is bragging about.
00:06:55
Speaker
That's such a good point. Okay, I'm going to ask another question. Do you think it's going to look different for East Asians versus South Asians? Absolutely, yes. It's going to be different. for And that would be because? Because there's a stereotype between the two.
00:07:12
Speaker
And not trying to demean any of the race and ethnicity there, but even in some of the research that we've seen there, for South Asians that...
00:07:25
Speaker
I don't think they were known for bragging, but there's definitely a stereotype of them like to talk about their work. They are more vocal about their work and more expressive about the accomplishments, the achievements they have made rather than speaking compared to East Asians. So,
00:07:45
Speaker
when they were bragging, it just considered as normal. It's seen more as a norm, right? Considered as a norm. But for Asians, that might be considered a norm violation.
00:07:57
Speaker
That's my interpretation. no That's such a good point that you made. And maybe this is a study, you know, what happens when East Asian versus South Asian versus white Americans brag? What's the penalty? Is there a difference among the three groups?
00:08:11
Speaker
I love that research idea. Could easily do this on prolific. Yeah, a research idea for 2026. Are you guys on board? Well, first one in year 2026.
00:08:31
Speaker
Doug, what do you think?
00:08:34
Speaker
Part of the reason why, like this is just for me, ah part of why don't brag is that the people around you, if you're around the right people, and if they brag for you, you don't have to.
00:08:47
Speaker
So I guess that's, that's, uh, I guess it's the, um, my barometer of like, do I need to brag? Like if other people were bragging for me, do I really need to,
00:09:00
Speaker
overdo it. And if I do brag, like, what is the punishment? Like people are bragging about him or already and he's already bragging about himself as well too. Like, I feel like definitely there would be punishment or it just wouldn't work out.
00:09:16
Speaker
Uh, so i feel like, maybe another sense of another view of not just that person bragging the individual, but what does it say about the person when others brag or don't brag about their that person's performance? And then we can vary that by ah race and ethnicity as well, too, to see if there are ah punishment or if there are different perceptions on when Asians, South Asians, East Asians, and Caucasians brag or don't brag and their colleagues do brag for them.
00:09:54
Speaker
You know what just popped into my head based on what you were saying, Duak, is when you are looking for a job, You know, one of the things that you might want to look for is what type of work culture is this? Is this a culture where other people celebrate you and your accomplishments? Because I think if that is the case, then you might end up on a team where people are bragging about your accomplishments and you are bragging about other people's accomplishments. But if you are interviewing and you find that this organization is very cutthroat, this team is very cutthroat, then you can go in expecting, okay, I'm going to have to brag on my behalf because other people are probably not going to brag about my accomplishments. They might even do the opposite. So I think if you are lucky enough to be in a team where people are celebrating your accomplishments, that's great. But in the absence of that, I think the burden falls on us. And then that's what makes it so difficult.
00:10:44
Speaker
Like I want other people to brag on my behalf. That makes it easier, right? Yeah, of course. Yeah. And now you said this, I did recall um my like very first encounters with this current team I'm working with.
00:10:59
Speaker
And... How what you have described there was actually the the type of feeling I get that this team is celebrating for each other. And I think that's super important. I think oftentimes we place that on the leaders, but we um ourselves as members sometimes also need to be be that person. Sometimes it just takes one cheerleader. And when people see that happening, you all started to do that for each other.
00:11:28
Speaker
I have a question for you, Echo. So did you figure that out during the interview process or after you joined the team? I only learned when I joined the team because even in my interview loop, I did not get a chance to meet all the team members. and But it it was during the first team meetings, I started hearing this one other person saying something good or nice about the other person's work. I was like, okay, this is the right team. This is the team I wanted to be in. Yeah, maybe that's actually a trick for the employers to think about, like if that's something that they need to highlight. Obviously, there are so many things that they can sell to the candidates, but it's definitely one of the things I feel like it's going to be important and it's like a for me.
00:12:12
Speaker
How would you ask for that? so if you are interviewing for a company, ah What are some questions that you as an employee, because you know when they ask us so do you have any questions for us? Right. What are some ways you could ask that? you know what's the What's the team dynamic like? Team culture, yeah, team culture look like. But you have to be very specific though. Yeah.
00:12:32
Speaker
Yeah. Recognition? about Tell me about a time ah when you know the team last celebrated each other's accomplishments. Hmm. yeah So we flipped the behavioral question on on the on the interviewer. yeah Yeah, that's a good idea. That's very specific because just asking about team dynamics, that's too broad.
00:12:53
Speaker
But if you actively ask how or what's the last time or how do you celebrate each other's accomplishments, it's really putting them on the spot. And if they blundered. um If they start stammering, if they're like they give you some half-assed, vague response, then I guess that's information, right? That's intel.
00:13:13
Speaker
So I think the current organization, we do have a tendency to to celebrate each other's accomplishments. And I don't think there is this fear that, oh, if I celebrate someone else's accomplishments, that means that I'm less, like I'm less competent than Whereas in the past, when I've worked in like consulting or even my previous academic job, I think it was all about focusing on like me, me, me, me. me Like look how great I am, as opposed to celebrating the things that your colleagues have done. And I think That sort of environment, I don't really operate well in that environment. And I think that says something about me as a person as well. I mean, there might be people who are just like, i don't want to celebrate other people's accomplishments. i don't want to talk about that. I want to just be in a cutthroat environment where it's all about me.
00:13:58
Speaker
But no one ever really says that though, right? Like on paper? no um they wouldn't say that. They'd be like, oh, I'm a team player, you know, i I'll do what's best for the team. But in reality, probably
Remote Work and Team Dynamics
00:14:09
Speaker
not. Yeah, now you said this, i I do think another moderator I can think of, which is like indirect moderator, because my mind those days has been thinking about um how this company is different from some of the other companies I've worked for. And one of the unique thing is this entire company is completely remote, 100% remote. So that means...
00:14:31
Speaker
people actually going to mind their own business more so than some of the other, like when you go into hybrid, you're going to see each other on the surface level, you're going to pretending you're a care about each other. But here, like, because right, like shut down your laptop, you're not going to see, you're not going to see each other.
00:14:50
Speaker
I wondered if that effect is going to be weaker for a company that is purely remote versus um what is makes the difference between the fully remote versus more of a hybrid company that might make a difference. So are you saying if you are more remote or if you're fully remote, then...
00:15:12
Speaker
there there's more importance on celebrating each other's accomplishments versus if you work hybrid or in person? I think so. When you are fully remote, you actually, the tendency is for you to focus on your own. So you will become like, oh, it's me. it's I need to get this thing done rather than think about your teammates, celebrate others,
00:15:36
Speaker
um So I think it's even more important for a remote company to be thinking about those things for themselves. So that's my hypothesis. I don't know if it's true, but I thought about it and the other day.
00:15:50
Speaker
I mean, on that note, like my work is completely remote. And so maybe there is something to that. So the people that are on my team, they value that team cohesion. And so one way that they build that is by being more conscious about celebrating the work and accomplishments of others. rather Yeah.
00:16:07
Speaker
I was just going to chime in in echo what you said, Echo, with the other side of it, being in person. think being able to just drive by and ask how people are doing and, you know if there's anything they need from you, i think that's kind of nice because... Sometimes you'll hear, you know, oh, there's nothing, you know, that needs to be done. Or so other times it's like, it'd be really nice if we had this or that. So in hearing that sometimes, you know, it really starts the work that we need to do to address the needs of others. But when we have these like natural conversations that kind of
00:16:41
Speaker
occur that that showcases a pain point for somebody else in another business unit. And then it's something that we can do about it allows us to kind of do something about that maybe acknowledge that, you know, that's the what we need to do to help them accomplish their goals or commitments. And I think at least for me, I felt that when it's in person, it's a lot easier to do.
00:17:05
Speaker
as opposed to being online, because ah I would say, yeah, I think it's totally different. and maybe its also it also depends on the job, because like for me, I have clients, about 100 clients, you know in the U.S. and outside. i don't get to meet with them, all of them in person, but the ones who are in person, it's really nice to people have that feedback and to hear, I know the things that they're saying about me, to hear some of those things as well too. So it's echoed to your point, it is about the work that I need do, but it's also about the work that I need to do to make their work easier.
00:17:41
Speaker
Doug, since you are in person, you're your hybrid or do you have to go in every day? I was hybrid in the old job. i am in person five days a week now. Okay. Okay. So in your case, maybe it might not be moderated by the remote versus hybrid or in person. Yeah.
00:17:59
Speaker
And is everyone in person or you just choose to be in person five days a week? Everyone has to be in person unless there are mitigating circumstances where they're taking half a day off. So it's, yeah, it's...
00:18:12
Speaker
So I guess the takeaway here is if you are wondering, hey, I want to brag, but I don't feel comfortable or I'm not sure how that's going to land with my supervisors or senior leaders, and you are able to have fellow team members who can do that, maybe you know negotiate that with them and start bragging about each other's accomplishments in team meetings. Because that could feel less intimidating, especially if you have like colleagues who are also sort of on the same wavelength.
00:18:40
Speaker
Mm-hmm. using objective data, right? Does it have to be objective data?
00:18:48
Speaker
Echo say more about that. well What's the non-objective data?
00:18:54
Speaker
No, I'm just kidding. um
Objective Data and Demographic Disparities
00:18:56
Speaker
Yes. um I think to a point, Jenny, like earlier, you already mentioned that like when people are using like objective data, that will make the case more convincing for people. but I also feel like in my day-to-day working experience, there are people not bragging based on the objective data and they can get by with it. And so what is the problem with Asians using objective data versus some other research? The same applies to like women and other like minority groups.
00:19:32
Speaker
So the people who are not using objective data, who are they? Who are the people who are bragging? Well, mostly white male. that That tracks. That tracks.
00:19:45
Speaker
ah Can I just add one thing to that? There is a game where or that situation does happen and there's no punishment or there's just positively reinforced by it. I'm not sure that we want to get good at that And I don't know, I feel like there's certain people that are too good at that. I'm not sure that's something that's a skill we want to own.
00:20:09
Speaker
And but to to that point, um going back to our earlier research topic, We'll see, like we can moderate or can we we can like even like adjust the level of the um the different content when people are bragging about and see whether that backlash or the consequences differ by person's background themselves. So subjective versus objective. Subjective versus objective. Yeah, we'll see.
00:20:36
Speaker
I'm very curious about that with millions of moderators. It's just complicated. No, but I think that gives a good point as to why it's so difficult for or why there are additional things that people like us have to think about. um And this also applies to women, people who are just not part of the the majority group. There has to be extra emotional labor, extra thought that goes into how you brag.
00:21:00
Speaker
It's not just, as Peggy says, brag. you know Everybody can do this you know and there's no penalty you might face. Hopefully, listeners will walk away with you know some nuggets of wisdom on how you can brag. We're not saying you shouldn't do it, but we are seeing that there might be some things that you want to be mindful of as you navigate the minefield of bragging in the corporate workplace.
Personal Accomplishments and Self-Promotion
00:21:29
Speaker
i want to hear echo brag. Oh, Doug, I thought you already had one. Like you already started seeing yours and that's the for us to say, hey, we wanted to we wanted to also develop our version.
00:21:47
Speaker
I want Echo to brag so I can then brag on behalf of her.
00:21:52
Speaker
What do you want to brag about? Nothing work related. Okay, you do not. How about we make it specific, like something that you accomplished last year that you're proud of? Yeah.
00:22:06
Speaker
I think I got two. One is work-related. Another one is non-work-related. Okay, let's hear it. Yeah. And also for listeners, the reason I'm doing those two brags and the principle that I'm applying for this bragging is to strike a conversation.
00:22:23
Speaker
that make the other people interested in me so they can have this conversation with me. i love the setup. The first one I'm going to start with is this year marks my 10 year anniversary of work anniversary where I switched from a web 2 to web 3 industry.
00:22:45
Speaker
It's an entirely new industry for me um and it's known for volatility and also a fast paced moving industry. I made the decision because I wanted to give myself some challenge um and I wanted to expand my skills, get myself out from the specialized route. So that's the first brag.
00:23:08
Speaker
um My second one is not work related. I was counting on earlier this year I have traveled 13 countries this year alone. Wow. wow And, I think that number might be still counting. Um, but, uh, I think the.
00:23:33
Speaker
But the best part was the summertime that I got to spend with two of my co-hosts here in Copenhagen in Denmark, where we all went to the Academy of Management conference, presented our work, which I think that work we've done almost like 10 years ago. So it also marks another landmark for us as like a research group or a research team. so And what was the work about? Oh, the work, the topic, I think all of us have presented on different topics. The theme is centered around the working experience for Asians.
00:24:14
Speaker
And um we have people talk about the stereotypes for East Asians, South Asians. We have people talking about the microaggression experience that they have experienced um in their work.
00:24:27
Speaker
And we also have um people talk about what does the inclusive leadership look like and when it comes to the Asian-American space. So thought this year is a quite interesting year, even though at the beginning I thought it's dull, it has nothing to brag about. But now after I share this too with you, feel like I have something to brag about.
00:24:54
Speaker
yeah Those are not real accomplishments. Those are very, very big accomplishments. Way to go, Dr. Yu. who's the next one? i can go next. I have one brag, and I think it has to do with the theme of our... our episode, which is, I guess, practicing what we preach. And for me, it was really putting myself, pushing myself to do something that I'm not comfortable with, which is like self-promotion. um That is something that I've always viewed as an ick.
00:25:24
Speaker
But um during my promotion process, I really had to advocate for myself. I was using objective criteria and I was going to my boss, going to the dean and really self-promoting. because I wanted them to first recognize and validate you know my accomplishments. And I was also, you know I needed that financial raise that I needed that. I only get two promotions in my career. And so I really had to go for it. oh But yeah, I really had to push myself. I found myself in a territory that I'm very uncomfortable with.
00:25:55
Speaker
um which is you know the whole idea of self-promoting, you know talking about your accomplishments over and over again. But having gone through that process, I'm very proud that I did it because I learned something new. I learned that you know there is discomfort and doing something that you're not familiar with and also doing this as an Asian woman too. And as someone who usually believes my accomplishments should speak for themselves, right?
00:26:15
Speaker
are you meritocracy And realizing that that's not going to always work. and that it really falls on you to self-promote yourself. So again, for those of you listening out there who are similar, who feel similarly about, you know, self-promoting or self-advocation, do it. It's a practice, a skill that you just have to start doing.
00:26:35
Speaker
It's going to feel uncomfortable. But I think once you start doing it, you will notice the the benefits. I think there are more benefits than there are downsides, at least if you do it in a way and do it with people who are receptive to it.
00:26:48
Speaker
But yeah, I would say that's my biggest accomplishment is really pushing myself to do something that I was uncomfortable with. And Doug, what about you? Can just say that's just amazing that you're able to you know articulate that and just to continue move forward with it. You said you, it sounded like you said you were afraid to do it but as you were speaking,
00:27:06
Speaker
It sounded like it was just something natural that I, who know Jenny Kim, Dr. Kim, would expect of Dr. Kim. So I just wanted to say that. Aw, thank you Thank you. And it also helps that I have like such supportive friends who encourage me to do this um and hold me accountable.
00:27:25
Speaker
So right back at you. Well, i got nothing to brag about, so let's end the episode. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, we're not doing that. going to hold you accountable. Oh, come on. um For me, I would say, you know, coming into this new role, I've been here for about nine months.
00:27:42
Speaker
Prior to me, in the last 12 months, there have been four people in the role that I'm in right now. um Prior that, in the last 17 to 20 years, there are two people running the performance development process at this organization. When I took over, I was supposed to do i was supposed to be half-time. And what I was trying to do was when I realized, and I stepped in, I realized it was going to take a lot more work. I pushed and I advocated that you know this this role needs to be at least full-time. And knowing that it was at least two people before, and I know sometimes organizations want to trim and make sure they're lean as possible. 50% in this role was too lean. So I pushed for me to continue to do this full time. So I would say my biggest brag is really, i took over something that was ah carried out.
00:28:37
Speaker
by two full-time employees for the last 20 something years. I'm in the role all by myself. And for me, I don't know. It's, well, I do know. I know that pushing out performance development, the performance development process for about six 60,000 employees for a large organization is a huge task.
00:28:59
Speaker
I try not to make a big deal out of it, but I know it is because a lot of that stuff hinges on people's merit and raises and bonuses and all that. And I play a role in that.
00:29:12
Speaker
It makes me happy that within nine months I feel adjusted and I feel like i can continue to do the work by myself, but I know the work, sorry, I know the work depends on a lot of other folks that that help me out. And I've been doing it, I've been doing these small networking things where I ask people what they need, we talk about that, and then I brag about how how how they help me. And you know i guess when you do that and you brag about other people, they brag about you as well too. So for me, it's the adjustment, it's leaning into this role and continue to learn and grow as I move forward.
00:29:53
Speaker
so That's about it. 60,000 employees. That's 60,000 lives that you're potentially affecting. That's that's not a small accomplishment, Doug. Dr. Nguyen?
00:30:05
Speaker
And not only that, Dr. Nguyen, I also want to say is among all the people that I knew, you are the one that care about us.
00:30:15
Speaker
I think that is the most important thing. I have no, I mean, I haven't met those two people who were before you. Um, and I don't know how people think about this, but I know you are one of those person that really cared about this. This is important work impact on the employees impact on people's life. Um, and that's why, why we're doing our jobs. I think a lot of us is driven by that care. Like we care about this. Yeah.
Humor in Addressing Stereotype Backlash
00:30:44
Speaker
Absolutely. i and I know sometimes I say like, you know, the job is, you know, it's it's a paycheck. it it' It's a means to the end. But think having like relationships, not relationships, having.
00:30:59
Speaker
sure i mean, it's a professional relationship. Professional relationships at the workplace. Yeah, it is. Right, right. It is a relationship. Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:09
Speaker
So it's it's ah that's always nice. And I try to joke about it as well, too. So if I could interject with another ah little story, we had a new SVP that just got brought in at a new ah HR chief, chief HR person.
00:31:26
Speaker
So those two folks are new. There's like about two, three layers between myself and the um and the the s the SVP. One day I saw that she was coming out meeting and she was lost and she verbalized it. And i realized this and I'm like, I got to go talk to this person, introduce myself. So I went over and I said, you know i can help you find the way out.
00:31:49
Speaker
introduced by and myself, said, hey, my name is Duke. I run the performance development process here and gave me a little spiel about what we do in terms of commitments and check-ins and whatnot.
00:32:00
Speaker
And I showed her out. ah When I came back and talked to some of the my other colleagues, were like, wow, that was really smooth. That was really, i did a good job of introducing yourself and whatnot. I'm like, yeah, you know this new SMP just came in and I just showed her out the door. I'm not sure if I'll have a job at the end of the day You are helping her.
00:32:22
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. But I guess it's also, I guess that humor is also probably a buffer too, right? In maybe moderating you know, when we brag, but then like put a little bit of humor in there too. Like, yeah, I introduced myself, but, you know, I don't know what's going to happen. know, anytime there's new management up top, there may be things that change, but I'll roll with the flow, whatever it may be. But, you know, it's, you know, I'll just continue to do my own work, but... the end of the day, it's a job, and I get to work with some pretty awesome people, and I'm very thankful for that.
00:32:59
Speaker
I admire your humor, Doug, always. i think that carries a level of sophistication that you had ah or the maturity that you had in the workplace. It's not something easy to get.
00:33:15
Speaker
Sometimes I want it to be humorous, but you just don't. Or you can. Especially humor that helps, I think, diffuse any tension in the room. i think that's a very good skill. And a Doug, you are a really good example of that. So maybe that's another takeaway is ah using humor to diffuse certain situations and using humor to maybe diffuse the backlash that my people might get because we're violating that stereotype. you know We're tooting our own horn. We're violating that stereotype of being modest, but we can just like maybe
00:33:48
Speaker
address the elephant in the room. Like, I bet you didn't expect me to do this, but you know. Yeah. Yeah. I would say my advice for our listeners at the workplace is that, know, they should just drink a lot of water, you know,
Humor as a Workplace Strategy
00:34:00
Speaker
drink a lot of water. So when trouble comes by, the bathroom.
00:34:05
Speaker
That's another good example. for That's a great example. That's a great joke.
00:34:11
Speaker
Yeah, there you go. So drink a lot of water. There you go. To our health. We're all raising our glasses. Where's my cup? Where's your water echo? Where's my water?
00:34:22
Speaker
I need to go to the restroom now. Do we have a do we have a ah haiku? Yeah. i have I have a haiku, which I wrote before our sessions, and now I'm like, i don't know if this is applicable anymore, but we can try it. Our first haiku of 2026.
00:34:45
Speaker
And also, I switched over to Gemini this year. Oh, yeah? I'm not at ChatWD anymore. Why? Because I got my Pixel 10 Pro, and they come with like a free Gemini access for a year, so...
00:34:58
Speaker
I just discontinued my ChatGPT subscription and switch over to Gemini. Okay. RIP ChatGPT. Hello, Gemini. Are you noticing any differences? So far, not quite significantly, I would say. But because I also use a lot of G Suite stuff, so it felt more integrated to my own like workflow and stuff like that. so Okay.
00:35:22
Speaker
Cool. Yeah.
Encouraging Self-Worth and Achievement
00:35:24
Speaker
So the haiku of the year 2026 or the first haiku of the 2026 reads, uh, your worth must be shown.
00:35:36
Speaker
Let your success shine for all speaks to your triumphs loud. Interesting. Your worth must be shown. Hmm. Yeah. Okay. So Gemini is getting on board with it. Yeah.
00:35:49
Speaker
Please sponsor us.
Farewell and Future Excitement
00:35:56
Speaker
That is our wish for 2026 gets sponsored. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that's it for our first episode in 2026. Tune in for future episodes. we look forward to having you all this conversation.
00:36:12
Speaker
Bye, everyone. Bye, everybody. Bye, everyone.