Page 195 - Free Yourself From

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

her to realize this was when she started to observe that others had
gotten opportunities and she asked them how they did it. And they
said, “I asked for it.” Or, she learned that those getting the choice
assignments and opportunities would let someone know they were
interested in a certain role or responsibility and in many cases, in a
month or so, something similar to their request came up and the orga-
nization reached out and offered it to them. Christina added that
sometimes we make it more difficult or stressful than it has to be
when deliberating over whether we should ask for that raise, bonus,
or some other opportunity. Christina said, “For example, there was
a time when I knew I was underpaid in my current role, but I didn’t
want to change companies.” She went on to explain that learning
about opportunities at other companies made her realize she was
underpaid compared to her peers and the marketplace. Rather than
wait or assume that her boss would make the adjustment for her, she
took the initiative and scheduled some time with her right away. She
made her aware of the inequity—simple and to the point. “I didn’t ask
for anything, just explained the situation. And a few weeks later, I
heard from my boss that I was getting an increase in salary. In a few
months, at annual bonus time, I received the largest bonus I had at
that point in my career.” It is important to learn that, like Christina,
showing up with a sense of confidence, self-respect, being astute, and
letting people know what you know is sometimes all that’s needed to
get what you deserve. Christina said, “I used to worry about asking
for something—now I realize that was my issue and that nothing is
lost by asking for what you want. Either you get better results as a
result of asking or you don’t, which is a valuable form of feedback.”

You Don’t Get What You Don’t Ask For

Lota Zoth, former CFO of MedImmune, said, “I remember the first
time in my career when I went out on a limb to ask for something—
it was a promotion and I really didn’t think I was entitled to it. Since