#006 - Handling critical situations is a super-skill.
Create your own Space (and luck)
Tackling difficult conversations is an art.
How to ask for a raise.
🚀 Welcome back to the Imprv.ing newsletter, Andrea’s here.
Every 2 weeks I introduce you to innovative practices in the the world of work.
Enjoy this article and feel free to get in touch!
Navigate the unconscious bias with ease.
Today we’ll discuss something underrated: how people can create their career growth path.
There is a lack of instruments and strategic information on managing your career and using critical moments to your benefit.
If you work in the corporate world, whether you are a director, a manager, an employee, or a worker, the harsh truth is that only one person takes care of your growth: YOU. 🥇
People specialists love to say that processes, rather than individual influence, can ensure fairness, inclusion, and equality in promotions and salary increases. ⚖️
It’s only partially true.
I don’t want to destroy a myth for my former HR colleagues, a company with a transparent career framework can indeed drive a positive outcome to individual growth, but this is not common practice on the market.
I will introduce practical tips to be used regardless of your position to achieve better roles, compensation, and, in the end, more professional satisfaction.
“If an opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
Be careful: instead of dreaming of a better career and waiting endlessly for it, work with a coherent direction and then practice for the next steps.
Over-planning can kill everything, so I suggest you use this philosophical method by Meta in 2015:
There is no sense to plan at 5 years from now. Define a direction of who you want to (professionally) be in 30 years.
And where you want to be in 6-12 months from now.
Then, constantly adjust to catch the bigger picture.
⏩ Create your own Space (and luck)
Increased career chances are the result of a simple equation:
def career_success = (personal_experience + corporate intelligence + network_strength)Before facing difficult conversations at work about growth, you have some homework to do.
First, be super-clear about what you want to achieve. I mean, in the long run. And then focus on the growth process instead of a numeric outcome.
At the beginning, it’s better to build a daily positive habit rather than achieve intermediate tasks. 🎯
There are some dimensions to consider if you want to make a super career a dream come true. Let’s break down them.
A) Personal Experience: 30 years ago your career might have been linear. Now, forget about it. 🛣️
If you want to reach extraordinary targets, prepare for the unexpected and take care of a few variables that can help you build confidence.
Create a personal brand on Linkedin (should I explain why?)
Invest time to update your skills and expand your knowledge.
Master your storytelling abilities, it will be useful in many contexts. Remember that you can be a leader even without a leadership position!
Help others for free with your experience, the ROI can be high.
B) Corporate Intelligence: Also called ‘how to play the game’. Knowing the rules of company context will help you to choose better which emotional tool to use, and when, during your growth. 💼
Who’s who: identify the relevant stakeholder for you.
Introduce yourself to other function managers.
Participate in big and complex projects for higher visibility.
Fake it until you make it. if you act “as if” you feel a certain way, you’ll start to feel that way.
❗Be aware: I’m not saying that you have to lie! Simply feel uncomfortable enough to be scared to do something, but do it anyway.
C) Network Strength: We tend to forget about work connections really fast. Try to create a process that will make you feel connected also after the professional collaboration. You can stand out from the crowd with a simple message. 🔄️️
Connect with the right people, inside and outside the company.
Start around you: 1 or 2 levels far from your position. Being connected with Elon Musk or Bill Gates is cool, but will not help your career.
Getting recognized by others: being heard and seen is a subtle mastery. Is composed of your presence + the reputation you’re able to generate.
🗺️ Tackle difficult conversations is a fine art.
Career growth is a marathon, not a sprint. 🏃
Your daily job (and its achievements) are the bricks of the foundation layers, the truth is that the individual path often hinges around a few crucial conversations:
A job interview.
Negotiating for a raise.
The annual performance review.
A tough meeting in the office.
A project with high visibility.
These moments (and others..) are the cornerstone of all effort and rewards that you might face in the workplace. And since they are ‘coded’ into formal moments, it’s better to be prepared for any difficult conversation about it.
So, what you can do? 👇
1) Put the right mode ON. 🔛
We usually tend to procrastinate a tough conversation. It’s easy to get out of control and start a panic spiral that will lead to screaming and shouting. To avoid defensive reactions from others, set a positive context by using soft language:
❌ Bad: “Jenny, the presentation to the client was horrible”
✅ Good: “Jen, great job with the presentation. Listen, I did see a few red flags from the client. Can you help me to fix it?
Benefit: Setup the conversation with the channel also in mind (video, physical, by phone, and adjust it depending on the mean)
2) Anticipate any misunderstanding. 🪢
It is important to dampen the emotional impact of any criticism, so you can warn right away about what kind of conversation you are going to have by stating your good intentions about it.
❌ Bad: “Do not start with unexpected criticism”
✅ Good: "Sometimes I can be pretty blunt, so don't take what I say personally."
✅ Good: "Okay, this is a 'work' talk, and very specific. Let's separate it from any personal relationships for the next 15 minutes."
Benefit: Declaring your strategy will help you to stick with it and manage your emotions.
3) Focus on common language.
We often fall into the most easy part of hard conversations. All the proper settings and well-crafted targets will be blown away in a second if you use rough words. Be aware of who are you talking to and set the conversation in a mutual problem-solving mood, instead of a confrontation.
❌ Bad: “Your documentation for the client sucks.”
✅ Good: "We’ve been getting some feedback that our offer is way too complicated. Can we work together to streamline the numbers and make it more efficient? What do you think about it?
Benefit: Be humble enough to ask for help or gently put yourself at service.
🤌 Asking for a raise.
This is the mother of all difficult situations at work.
I know what you’re thinking: ‘My job speaks for itself, I don’t need to ask’
Unfortunately, no. You have to do it. 🚨
To master this approach which is, in fact, a super-hard skill, you can apply a set of principles. 👇
Keep in mind: popular wisdom rarely is wrong, asking for is 50% of achieving.
Don’t need it. The part that needs it more is in a weaker position. The part that needs it less is in a powerful position. So, you will need to be the one that needs it less. How to do it?
❗Scout the market for your position, look for other companies and participate in recruiting processes.Create multiple options on your path to have more power when asking.
Be specific. Knowing how much salary increase you want is crucial.
Whether is a defined amount or a % (suggested), you have to think about the range you want to achieve. 💵
Collect as much data as possible about your position and your pay band.
Is your inquiry fair, depending on the role and the experience?
most companies have hiring budgets higher than the budget for raises.Increase your Chances. Prepare the ground to avoid misunderstanding before you want to discuss a raise. Instead, drop a hint that the conversation’s on the horizon for the future by asking:
‘How can I catch a higher level of work?’ or, ‘How does the compensation process work here?’Recency bias. People will better remember your most recent performance over your past work when making a decision. So, try to be flawless before making your move. ⏲️
Finally, tackling and winning in difficult situations at work is a well-prepared mix of transparency, correct focus, and knowledge about the dynamics of the conversations.
Don’t be afraid to feel a bit bad during it: discomfort is part of the growth!
Did you find this useful? Send me a direct reply or, if you need help or want to know more, feel free to get in touch!
That’s all!
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