🫤 Didn’t get the raise?

Welcome to The Thinker, a twice-monthly newsletter where I provide thought-provoking questions to help you cultivate a fulfilling and high-performing career.

Hi there!

In my last email, I shared 3 key questions to help you prepare for your mid-year performance reviews and up the ante on the conversation with your manager.

But even if you brought your A-game, career progression isn’t always predictable. While we can always be in the driver’s seat of our career, we don’t necessarily have control over the metaphorical purse strings.

Regardless of how the conversation went, the days and weeks after your performance review are critical.

This is the time to capitalize on the momentum of the conversation and accelerate your growth. 

Here are 3 questions to coach yourself on what to do next: 

1. What does it take to reach the next milestone in my tenure? 

→ What do I need to do differently? 

→ What do I need to stop doing? 

If you have a clear map of what you need to do to get a promotion/raise, then good for you! But if you’re like most people and are lacking clarity about what exactly is expected of you, then you need to get answers. 

Make sure to have a conversation with your manager (and ideally your skip-level) in the weeks following the performance review. Get specific details on exactly what they need to see for you to advance to the next level - and be compensated accordingly.

2. Do I know exactly what success looks like in practice? 

→ What do I need feedback on? 

→ What are my blind spots? 

After you know where you’re going and what “good” looks like (as defined by your manager), it’s time to start putting it into action. However, if it were straightforward and easy, you’d probably already be doing it 😉

Stay close to your manager and use your 1-on-1s to ask for specific feedback. Build your self-awareness around what you need to do differently. If you’re not getting clear guidance, go to your skip-level for more insights.

3. What’s my comms strategy going forward? 

→ How should I keep my manager in the loop about my growth? 

→ What dimensions of my work should I emphasize? 

You want to consistently remind your boss that you’re working towards that next level. Prioritize work based on that aforementioned definition of success and then actively communicate how you’re delivering value accordingly. 

Your 1-on-1s are the perfect space to increase visibility on the projects that are most relevant to your promotion. What you give air time becomes reality - so be intentional about what you talk about while your boss and skip-level are around. 

Work through these questions, and little by little, you’ll make your next promotion inevitable. Let me know how it goes! 

Cheering for you, 

McKay