Negotiation is an act of service

We're still reeling from last Wednesday's attack on the Capitol, and we know you might be too. Here's something that Malika Williams wrote last year - "Sustaining your voice in the face of systemic racism." We hope it can provide you with some solace and reassurance for the year ahead.

Below, we're sharing some words by the always amazing Jamie Lee. You can follow her on Instagram, LinkedIn, or check out her website.

Negotiation is an act of service.

It doesn't have to be greedy or a grubby game of manipulation.

A woman who negotiates for herself serves her needs and desires. Which is a beautiful thing.

But her negotiating also BENEFITS others: her employer, her family and loved ones, other minorities who may or may not look like her.

Like my clients, you too can negotiate your career as an act of service and generate win-win outcomes.

➡️ Because your employer is better served when you're forthright about what you want in your career.

Take for example my client Caroline, who was upfront with her boss about wanting a $20K salary bump. Her boss told her, "Thank you for letting me know. You telling me helps me make the case to upper management."

This resulted in $15K raise, bigger responsibilities, and deepened mutual respect between her and her boss.

If you're up for a promotion, your employer WANTS to know what it will take to retain and keep you motivated. Help them help you. Tell them what you want.

➡️ When you take the risk to say the hard things, your family is better served.

For Amy, a mother of two, applying the skill of self-advocacy meant negotiating with her ex-spouse for a debt repayment.

Getting $3K paid back was about more than money. It was about restoring respect and balance in the relationship. A healthier dynamic in which her children can thrive.

This added to Amy's confidence to speak up while female in her otherwise all-male engineering team meetings. She's on track to get promoted this year and to provide in a bigger way for her kids.

➡️ Equity is better served when a woman negotiates her career milestones.

Liz consciously chose to engage in conversations about what her bonus targets should be in the year of the coronavirus pandemic.

She's 80% at her target with months to go in the fiscal year.

Liz negotiating and achieving her bonus means that her org's mission of growth is being served.

And it sets the stage for other women and people of color like Liz to grow and to be seen as high potentials.

LISTEN.

If you're reading this, I know you have a desire to serve. As a professional, a leader, a woman, a mother, a daughter, a mentor to others.

Your desire to serve is NOT at odds with your capacity to negotiate for what you want.

You can tap into this desire to be even more committed, principled, and effective as a negotiator. A genuine leader who serves.

Because let's not forget: negotiation is an act of service.

Yours in service,
Jamie

Jamie Lee is a certified coach who helps smart women who hate office politics get promoted and better paid without throwing anyone under the bus. Born in South Korea, Jamie first learned self-advocacy from the example of her mother, who single-handedly raised three daughters while running a small business as an immigrant in America. In her former life, she negotiated as a buyer for multinational companies, worked as a hedge fund analyst and later as an operations director for tech startups. Learn more at www.jamieleecoach.com.