4 Things to Avoid When Asking for What You're Worth

<p>http://www.sherylkline.com/blog<br/><br/>Have you ever felt like (or had the facts) another colleague is being paid more for an equal or lesser role?<br/><br/>The good news is that you’re not alone. The bad news is that it can be very unfair, disrespectful, demotivating, and bad for business.<br/><br/>You may be thinking that this shouldn’t even be an issue, and that there should not be a discrepancy. Agreed 100%.<br/><br/>It may be time to speak up! If you already have, a few new tools could make all the difference for round 2.<br/><br/>However, until we get further down this road, we’ll need to get comfortable (or I should say, confident and influential) about asking for what we are worth.<br/><br/>There is progress being made for pay transparency and fairness, partially in thanks to pay transparency advocate and former Corporate VP, One Commercial Partner at Microsoft, Gavriella Schuster. If you’d like to hear more about this very topic, what’s being done, and what each of us can do, be sure to <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylklinema/'><b>connect with me on LinkedIn and tune in to my interview with Gavriella at 2:30 p.m. PST on Wednesday, March 23, 2022!</b></a><br/><br/>Here are the top 4 things that many overlook when asking for what they are worth, which can sabotage their efforts. Dial these in, and you’ll have a better shot at getting what you want and deserve.<br/><br/>1. <b>Lack of Preparation</b><br/>Plan key points/asks/needs/outcomes. Think through how you <b>want</b> the interaction to turn out (not how you <b>think</b> it will turn out), and how you want to <b>feel</b> once it’s over. Remember, what you think comes out your mouth. If you are optimistic and positive, it will land better than being pessimistic and bitter. Make the conversation as vivid and visceral as possible, then visualize it until you believe it’s possible. In addition, do your tactical homework. What are industry standards or benchmarks in your company? What tangible data supports your ask?<br/><br/>2. <b>Lack of E