Over the past month I have been speaking with graduates from workshops I led earlier this year (Managing Corporate Change© and Women Moving Forward®). This is an additional service always offered to participants so we can check in, answer questions and discuss how they are applying skills developed in the training.
During these calls, many significant successes were shared for both personal and professional gain. For example, deciding to go for (and get!) a promotion, reaching out to loved ones to reconcile, and negotiating a new customer contract with the best terms ever achieved!
One accomplishment in particular I asked for permission to share in this blog. As background, during the workshops it was discussed how often women do not do as good of a job as men negotiating salary for themselves. This is not because women don't know how to negotiate, but rather the issue is often tied to "deeply ingrained societal gender roles." See article: women and salary negotiation
A workshop participant who was in the process of interviewing a candidate this past month decided to do something about that. At the end of the final interview, she asked the candidate what her salary desires/requirements were. The candidates response was "whatever you are able to offer."
At that point the workshop participant specifically asked, "what salary do you need to support you and your family?" The candidates response was still low and less than what she should be getting given her 10 years of experience and results. So the workshop participant decided to secure an increase over the original ask, which was still in line with her company's salary range for the role offered.
This is what support looks like.
I asked the workshop participant to text me after she made the offer and this is what she shared:
"My candidate accepted the offer! She is absolutely thrilled and so surprised that I was able to get such a good offer. The candidate ended our call with 'I will not let you down. Thank you for going to bat for me.' "
There is no doubt that extra financial investment will have a positive ROI for the company. And the life/leadership lesson taught by the hiring manager will likely NEVER be forgotten by the candidate. Yes, that is what support looks like...Taking responsibility to make things happen that result in tangible differences positively impacting individual lives and in turn, company results.
If that is the leader you would like to be, or continue to build skills to be, please let me know. That is what I want for you, your organizations, your company, family and communities. Contact me to learn more.
