Today I met with the new department head to discuss a promotion now that my former boss left the picture. I wasted no time, just laid out a number for him and then backed up my reasons why. I don’t know if it’s Genesis or WB or a combo of both, but in that moment I knew my worth and I wasn’t going to settle. Old me would have thought “oh what if they think you’re being greedy or demanding or ridiculous?” New me is like, if you don’t ask you don’t get simple as that.
I looked up similar positions and salaries and built a range for myself. Even if other job postings were paying less I told myself nope, the status quo doesn’t dictate how much I get. I won’t have someone accuse me of being entitled or unrealistic. I could feel myself rejecting old wealth barriers. Just because other people get underpaid and eat it, doesn’t mean I have to either. I’ve been thinking lately that financial struggle is NOT in my reality, I’ve been through that and I refuse to accept that as ever being a part of my life again.
So if they can’t do my proposed salary I’ll negotiate a bit. But if it falls too low I’m staying where I’m at with the responsibilities i"m comfortable with. They can hire someone else for the position above me around the same pay I proposed + the cost of getting them up to speed, get a subpar experience because our environment is a nightmare to navigate, and I’ll just kick back and wait to see what happens. I’ve been through it with 2 other guys now that didn’t work out. If they can’t see the value in giving me that same rate of pay they’d throw to someone completely outside of this org, I don’t know what to say. I’m not even offended, but you know businesses are gonna do what they do. I’ll be there if they change their mind. One thing is for certain if I do end up with someone above me, he or she better damn well know how to do their job, I won’t be coaching them through the ins and outs.