Getting What You Want At Work

Source : Eugene Loh, A Slice of Life, 938LIVE, a station of MediaCorp Radio
Article : Getting What You Want At Work

If you think your job goals don't look any nearer with each passing day, here are four simple rules you can follow to help you get what you want.

1) Ask. That seems pretty simple, but often at work we're afraid to express what we want. We may assume that other people know what we're thinking because it's so obvious to us. Or we may think that if we continue to work hard enough, we'll be rewarded. If you want a promotion or a raise, don't assume that your boss knows it. Let him or her know clearly that you are interested.

2) Show What's In It For Them. Think about how it will benefit the other person and tell them. For example, if you want to hire additional staff you need to consider how it will help your boss. Will it give you more time to work on projects that your boss really cares about? Will it allow your boss to delegate more work to you, so it will save him or her time?

3) Build a Business Case. If you want to hire more people or get more money for a project, you need to show how this will benefit the company. A business exists to make money after all. So explain how your idea will increase productivity, increase customer satisfaction, or positively affect the bottom line. Suggestions that are tied to the company's success, rather than your personal needs, are more likely to get accepted.

4) Be Persistent. Just because you ask for something doesn't mean that you're going to get it. Even if you get a "no" the first time you ask, don't let that stop you. A negative response can be changed. For example, if you ask for a raise, the answer may be "no" today because it is not the scheduled time for a raise at your company. In that case, ask your manager what you can do in advance to make sure you get a raise when the time is right. Or maybe, you haven't presented enough information for the other person to say "yes". Can you show where you have saved money, made money, or made a difference to the bottom line? That's the information managers need in order to say "yes".

Following these four rules won't guarantee that you'll get what you want, but they will greatly increase your chances of getting a positive response.

Bflygal's comments :
Do I have to say that his article come at such timely stage. Because I'm in despair in my work... The past 2 days I slept the moment I reached home. Totally exhausted is an understatement of what I felt. In fact I feel guilty that finally, I only left one more event to organise ... because the truth is I'm not complaining about all these organising (other than the fact that it is making me overeat).

Actually I have always been daring to ask my boss questions that even he felt sensitive. Because I know I have not gotten into his bad books yet. But times, I feel that it is pointless to know how he feels because he is such a paradox. Whatever he told me weeks ago, differ from what I'm facing now. In the end, I ended up with 4 more existing systems of which one needs to be pushed for the implementation of the enhancements and another is being subjected for some new system/enhancement (I have no idea what the user wants because I refuse to schedule a meeting yet). Adding on to the list is another 2 systems that just got routed for no apparent reason into my lap, both having major bugs that might end up with some rework. And today I attended a long meeting only to realise that one of my existing systems need a major rework, and I still need to discuss the details with my dm tomorrow. Gosh and I have not finish one of my enhancement (which had to be redone also because the original concept was not user-friendly). I know that one I asked for it because I delayed it for my studies. But this is no kidding matter, I really dread seeing my task list tomorrow. Because every system is shouting that it wants to be re-done... what the heck! Darnz and I have yet to tell another user to write his new requirements for an old system. At least that system will only be considered for revamp by beginning of next year, but that is really such small comfort.

Anyway, to my colleague if you are reading this, don't worry too much. Enjoy your last day tomorrow, have a nice one month break, enjoy your hols and just move on bah. Like I say, you ought to have move on long ago. As for me, just let me whine a bit more... and maybe cry in a little dark corner because nobody is there to shield me from all these arrows.

Getting what you want at work... am I really getting what I want??