Empowering Conversations for Career Growth When Money Comes Up

Can the way you approach salary negotiations transform your career? Absolutely. In this enlightening episode, we uncover the delicate balance between "deserving" and "willingness" when it comes to asking for a raise. Learn how to articulate your achievements and present your case with confidence. We discuss the critical importance of understanding your worth and aligning your contributions with your compensation expectations. This isn't just about getting more money; it's about preparing for a productive conversation that could shape your professional future.

We also dive into the leader's perspective, exploring the best strategies for handling raise requests without triggering negative emotions. Discover practical advice for navigating these sensitive discussions, ensuring both parties feel heard and respected. Through real-world scenarios, we highlight how to prepare for these crucial conversations, setting the stage for informed decisions and positive outcomes. Whether you're an employee or a leader, this episode equips you with the tools to approach salary negotiations with clarity and confidence. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that challenges the conventional wisdom of pay raises and reveals the true value of effective communication.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

Recently, I've been observing a lot of conversations online on LinkedIn and thought leaders sharing you know about pay and you know what people should be paid and how do we have these conversations with our employees, and it really got me thinking about two concepts.

Speaker 1: 0:53

Number one deserving. When somebody comes to us, there's a question we need to ask ourselves as leaders Are they deserving? Number two do they think they deserve more money? Money is a very emotional thing Tactically if we say, well, you're not in our pay range, you need to get promoted, you're at the top of your pay scale. I'm not saying that's wrong. What I'm saying is that policy-driven response to someone who's emotional about money can be a trigger to leave the company get upset. What have you? So we have to understand number one at level one, the concept of deserving. Do they feel like they deserve it? If they do, be prepared as a leader, do you feel like they're deserving? Be prepared as a leader. So the number one thing we do when we get that question, if you want to have a really good career coaching conversation, is to literally say that's awesome, you want more money. Embrace it, don't fight it Now in the moment they're going to think, oh good, more money's coming. Then you ask specifically walk me through your thought process of what got you here today. What represented not just your wanting more money, but the experiences, the work you've produced that got you here, that told you. You know what. I'm going to go ask about more money and just stop. It's amazing to me how many people are not well thought out. Now, if they're not well thought out, you might say well, you know what, janet, let's do this, let's get back together. I want to continue this conversation. I want you to come in with some specifics of what you've done, the work you've done and the conversations you've had with me and your coworkers, and what's really gotten you to this level to talk about more money, and then let's really have an open, candid conversation. That's level one of the conversation. The output really depends on their reaction.

Speaker 1: 3:08

Number two, the second concept, is willingness. See, I often think people ask for more money based on personal needs. Recently, somebody said to me I've got to go to my boss because my car payment's higher and I said I have to stop you. The person goes what do you mean? I go? Your boss has nothing, nothing to do with your car payments. Yeah well, I just don't feel like I'm being paid enough, and I said so. I went back to deserving. I said well, walk me through what you've done specifically the last 12 months. That's really elevated your game to the point where you know what. This is the right time to ask for more money. The person could not answer that question.

Speaker 1: 3:41

Now again, as this sounds a little bit jaded, I'm not against people asking for more money, yet we tend to show up because the emotions drove us to get there. We have to get them to see the reality, because money is very personal. Now let's go back to willingness. One of the questions I'd love to ask people when they want more money is to say well, first of all, let's talk about deserving, give me some specifics. And then, number two, if you were to get more money, what would that look like afterwards? Right, they're not ready for that question. See what happens and no one will talk about this when a leader or an owner, like a business owner like myself, gives more money.

Speaker 1: 4:25

You know what I'm looking for. Are they going to elevate themselves, are they going to show appreciation, not just and say thank you? I'm talking about. I'm going to represent the decision behind that pay. The decision behind that pay? I'm going to represent my boss, who went to bat for me by elevating my game, or do they get complacent? So the question again is let's assume for a second we give you a raise. What will that look like afterwards? Now some people will say, well, I'll work harder, I'll come in more. And then the question might be well, that's awesome. Well, let me think about this. Do you mind if I ask you kind of an off the wall question? And let's assume they weren't doing that before the pay raise. What were your thoughts on coming here today knowing you hadn't done that up to this point?

Speaker 1: 5:15

It goes back to the deserving. Now some of you might be saying, well, wait a minute, this isn't logical, you know, but conversations around money never go in a straight line. They're not logical. So, level one do they feel like they're deserving? Do you feel like they're deserving? Ask them for specifics. Stay away from the word why. Well, why do you feel like you deserve money? We'll put them in a defensive posture. The question is what were your thoughts? What are some of the specifics that really made you confident to come, you know, for more money in terms of your work product, your work output. The second level is willingness. What is that going to look like? Assuming you get more money, we give you a raise. What will that look like afterwards? And then you'll see if they're well thought out. But you've planted a seed of responsibility. Let me know your thoughts.