Page 193 - Free Yourself From

176 It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor

To Gary’s point, in today’s work environment, women have a
strategic advantage when asking for what they want. They are often
better able to read and connect with people, which is an essential
skill in successful negotiations. “Women need to learn and accept
how much influence they really have in the business environment.
This is a leverage point for women and an advantage if they use it
appropriately.”

So Why Is Asking for What We Want So Hard for Us?

It is amazing, yet true, that we still ask for permission to negotiate
or ask for what we want! In many cases, what holds us back from not
getting what we want is simply not asking for it. This can end up sub-
stantially impacting our career potential right down to our financial
well-being. Tory Johnson, CEO of Women for Hire, said, “Men are
four times more likely to negotiate an offer than women—that leaves
$500,000 on the table over the course of a woman’s career.” Wow,
if we only knew how much we were leaving behind, we might think
twice about asking.
Pink Magazine found that nearly half of the 2,400 women sur-
veyed had not asked for a raise, additional benefits, or a promotion in
the past 12 months. The study also indicated that those who didn’t ask
missed out, because 72 percent of those who did ask got it! Another
interesting statistic indicates that in some cases, others are expecting
us to ask and are surprised when we don’t. Imagine that! The Soci-
ety for Human Resources indicated in a recent study that 80 percent
of human resource professionals surveyed said that they expect coun-
teroffers from employees when agreeing on salaries. So, if you are
considering a new job or feel that you are under compensated, don’t
rule out the fact that your organization or your boss is willing and
able to make that salary adjustment.
So, why is asking for what we want so hard for many of us to do?
And, I mean asking for any of it—a raise, a promotion, time off,