Level with me here, how many times are you gonna let Confident Carol steam in and get the promotion/ secondment/ pay rise (delete as appropriate) whilst you sit on the sidelines kicking yourself for not being bold enough to ask for what you want AGAIN?
I hope that the answer is ‘no more times!’
And if it is, and you would like some help making your career vision a reality, keep reading as I’m about to share with you 5 simple steps to confidently ask your boss for what you want, that you can start taking today! Let’s go.
1. Get crystal clear on what the tangible ask is.
Vague isn’t gonna cut it here I’m afraid. Don’t go in with a request for “more money” or “more responsibility” or “career progression” or something equally ambiguous. Is it a pay rise? If so to what salary? A promotion? A promotion to what role? An investment for training and/or development? What programme, when, who with and at what cost? You need to know specifically what outcome you want to get from the conversation.
2. Be ready to justify it.
You need to be ready to put forward a business case and explain how giving you what you're asking for will positively impact the organisation. For example, if you’re asking for an investment in training, what skills will you gain as a result of doing the training and how will that positively improve business outcomes? If you’re asking for a pay rise, be ready to justify it by outlining how you achieved X and that added a value of Y.
3. Get your timing right.
If you’re asking for investment, for example, look at when your organisation sets its budgets for the year. This is the best time to request funding as once set, budgets may be inflexible. Regardless of the ask, book a specific time slot with your line manager and let them know what you’re wanting to discuss, rather than go in for an off-the-cuff conversation that could be interrupted, cut short or ill-timed.
4. See it as a two-way thing.
Yes the conversation has been driven by you and you have a clear agenda of what you want to cover, but still use the opportunity to ask for feedback and input from your line manager, invite them to share their vision for the situation and make any suggestions they see fit.
5. Don’t be afraid to follow up.
It’s likely your request won't be immediately granted during the initial meeting, and that's OK. Allow time for reflection but be assertive and ask if you can schedule a follow-up chat to pick up the conversation and agree on next steps once they’ve had time to consider your request.
There you have it, 5 simple steps to get stuck into straight away!
I hope these help you to feel more confident and prepared to go after what you want at work, you deserve to be happy and fulfilled in your career.
Final Thought
Let me leave you with this final thought… The gap between where you are now and confident Carol isn’t as big as you think, and it can be bridged by skills that you can learn, a mindset that you can cultivate and an attitude that you can adopt. The best part? You don't have to do it alone... I can help you to get the results you want and deserve quicker and more effectively. So, if you’re ready to work on your exciting career goals, I would love to have a chat about how I can support you to get there. Book a 30-minute complimentary chat with me here. Leanne x