Musings on design & other stuff jen's place

This technique is so simple, that you may curse me for making you read my blog. About 10 years ago, I was working with a guy who seemed to have it good. He'd just gotten a computer system from our boss, he was working on a brand new project that was outside his regular duties, and he generally seemed to be getting perks that the rest of us weren't. At first I got frustrated at the inequity of it, but then I asked him what his secret was. Are you ready for this? He said, "I ask -- the worst that can happen is that she says "no", but I haven't lost anything by asking." That was his big trick. He asked for what he wanted.

Now, there is just a little more to it than that -- there's how you ask and when you ask, but the critical part is that you ask. Don't wait for the good luck fairy to come sprinkle the dust of success over your head. Like the slogan of the Maryland state lottery says, "You've got to play to win".

Set expectations with your manager, find out what steps you need to accomplish to get from here to where you want to be, and then execute on those steps.

And does it work? You bet it does. This isn't about being a squeaky wheel or a whiner, this is about discussing your goals with your manager and putting a plan of action in place. It could be that you have done everything that you need to do to get what you want -- in that case, it's even easier. It's just a discussion where you lay out what it is you want, and why you think you have earned it. Humility is a great quality. Save it for everyone but your boss.