Thank you to all our loyal readers who have written to ask how things worked out for Lorna, the subject of our last coaching story. We introduced Lorna, a coaching client, as she was getting ready for her annual review. She wanted her base salary to be increased and felt that she had proven herself as she completed her 4th year in the same position.
When Lorna began working for Donald, her current boss, she did not feel that she could properly negotiate her starting salary. She would have preferred 20% more and was even told by a reliable internal source afterwards that she should have negotiated for more when hired. But Lorna needed the job and was concerned that there may not have been comparable options in her market. Lorna also felt that her skills were not strong in all areas and that this new opportunity would challenge her to learn and improve.
To prepare for her annual review, we discussed her need to document her many accomplishments. When Lorna met with Donald, she presented her case. He praised her for the quality of her work, her professionalism, her integrity, and her undying loyalty to him in his position. When asked what she would was hoping for, Lorna told Donald that she would like to have her salary raised to where it would have been had she started at a 20% higher rate when she was hired four years ago. Politely, she also let him know what the market is driving for comparable positions to hers. Donald told her that he would consider it and get back with her in a few weeks to work things out; but got back to her within just a few days with a big YES!
We are happy to report that Lorna will be receiving the increase that she requested and feels valued for all that she contributes to Donald and the organization each and every day. Coaching helped Lorna organize her thoughts and evaluate her accomplishments, so she was able to present them in a successful way which led to getting the results she wanted.