April 25, 2012
Read Part I: Career Life: Securing the battlements for a promotion here
The wait would have been excruciating after Round 1 if I hadn’t firmly [very firmly] decided: I’d done my best with each interviewer (even if it wasn’t the best I could possibly do ever), I had advocates, and my best opportunity to prove that I was the right person for the job would be to continue to do my job well.
Besides, I was stressed enough with having to do my job, take care of my family and a million other things. I simply added a couple new interesting projects to my plate as backup plan hatchlings in case I didn’t land it, and moved along with life.
Stage 4: Getting the offer
It was a bit of a surprise, given several weeks’ wait, that rather than another round of interviews, the panel had decided in my favor.
Obviously, I was quite happy to hear I’d won. … erm, gotten the job, but then I had to receive the offer. I was verbally informed of the terms with the usual caveat that “there isn’t movement” in the offer and that HR would be following up with the formal letter soon.
Of course I mentally scoffed at the caution that there wouldn’t be movement – there would jolly well BE movement.
Stage 5: Negotiating the offer
I had my baseline number that would make me happy in mind. I already knew that the offer had come in below that number. So? I did my research to confirm how I could couch my counter-ask.
My advantage (and disadvantage) were the same: as an internal candidate, I was getting a standard offer. That’s just what they do. Nothing extraordinary to entice me from wherever I was coming from, and nothing more than they “had” to give me from one grade to the next.
That meant I knew exactly what the offer formula was and could point out in my Ask that the standard was actually not in keeping with the situation. As the selected candidate, I was confident that they knew my work was well above standard and I’d been held up as the star performer and best hire in my boss’s history of hires during my tenure more than once. I had excellent history and having beaten out candidates with 20+ years of management experience, I felt that reminding them that my salary should reflect that confidence wouldn’t be out of line.
Having built my team out of the ashes I was given, and made it one of the strongest and happiest teams in the most challenged section of the organization, alongside a few other serious accomplishments, I pointed out:
A) My track record in our rather unique culture was a given. My past history was laid out in front of them and a clear indicator of my future performance.
B) I’d already taken a paycut to come to this company and had made my investment of time and energy and commitment; I’d further dedicated myself to the next stages of growth but while my intent to stay and make a career at the organization was steadfast, I have my own life to consider.
I was asking the organization to come back to the table with support in the form of a commensurate salary that allows me to continue to make the choice to stay on with them long term. (Note: no threats, just the observation that we need to grow in our careers and salary is an integral part of that growth – and staying stagnant in salary and career was not something I signed up for, I made that very clear from the get-go in the interviews.)
My negotiating point of contact asked me what I wanted: I gave her a number substantially higher than my baseline happy number. My negotiator to take my Ask and to negotiate for a 6 month review if they couldn’t meet my number. The accelerated review cycle was my next negotiating point so that was perfect.
Stage 6: Round Two, Negotiations
I didn’t get my higher number, but I got my baseline. Then I asked for one more item that would have been useful to me in quality of life: increased vacation time. This isn’t an area that’s normally negotiable but as usual: you don’t get what you don’t ask for. I also didn’t get what I did ask for but no harm, no foul. The reason given wasn’t really a good or a bad reason. I’ll ask again later when the water’s warm.
Stage 7: Closing Statements
In the end, I got the money and the title with the job that I was mainly already doing. With a few rounds of mockery and a laugh, we signed the paperwork.
Observations: It wasn’t a fun process but both parties were satisfied with the results and there wasn’t any animosity. I’m set for the next year: to build up the strongest, most productive team we’ve ever had with the highest retention rates we’ve ever had and with the most ambitious team goals ever set so far. That’s not going to be anything like easy but I didn’t get this job or this raise because I set low bars to achieve.
And perusing SavvyWorkingGal’s post on women in the workforce and job disillusionment reminded me of something. Someone once said to me, “They won’t let women get anywhere near power in this place.” I’d laughed and said something random to deflect but I very carefully filed that away. We have women directors aplenty, strong and outspoken, bright and introverted, if you have the eyes to see it. Never let anyone, male or female, faux-befriend and trick you into thinking that the patriarchy is the reason you can’t grow and achieve. They may actually be the ones hoping to keep you down.
Do great work. Enjoy what you do. Support good people. Find allies who love what they do. Mentor people who need mentoring and want to love what they do. Ask for mentoring from people who have integrity, strength, humor and sway. Find your joy and to quote my favorite bus driver: “don’t let nobody take it away.” It all adds up to something substantial.
March 3, 2012
Warren Ellis on space and some of our ridiculous politicians and politics today. He was specifically asked about Gingrich by name though I’m sure he could be quite evenhanded with both sides’ ridiculousity if desired.
My favorite bits that almost make this embarrassing degenerate circus seem like it’s not just spinning out of control:
As someone who’s been very astute at understanding American political mythology — in Crooked Little Vein and elsewhere — what does the 2012 GOP primary say to you about the United States?
Absolutely nothing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun sideshow, but I don’t believe it says anything about the country other than that working democracy is like making haggis, in that you really don’t want to see what goes into that shit. It does say a lot about the state of the GOP, and I can’t help but wonder if the party moderates are just letting this parade of mental patients and unelectable criminals simply happen, so that they can detoxify the party after the inevitable firestorm of failure.
What role does fiction play in inspiring innovation and human development?
Most centers of scientific innovation are full of people walking around with a head full of science fiction, I’ve found. I mean, thank god. It means someone’s still buying my books. And if it’s NASA, then they’re using your tax dollars to do it. Excellent.
For some disclosure, though not full, I take issue with just about all current candidates who are full of pompous puffery and championing insane causes for more insane reasons. There have got to be some good people left who can represent and debate original ideas who aren’t full of unadulterated …. well.
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In defense of the First Amendment, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund does good work. In this particular case, the CBLDF helped defend a man who was arrested in Canada, detained without given the reason for his detention, not granted access to counsel nor to the American Embassy.
His “crime”? Traveling with his comics, specifically manga, on his laptop which falls under the broad Canadian definition of child pornography.
Despite having the charges dropped after waging a $75,000 court battle, the attorneys involve still caution all travelers:
Although the outcome of this case is ultimately positive, comic book readers should be aware that there are still dangers for traveling with comics in Canada. Edelson says, “Aside from the very positive outcome to this story, your members should be cautioned concerning the search and seizure regime here in Canada exercised by the Canadian Border Services Agency. Moreover, they should also be aware that although anime and manga is legal in many areas of the United States and Japan, etc., to possess and utilize, the Canadian authorities may take a different view if this material is found on any laptops or mobile devices when you enter the country. Many of the issues that arise in similar circumstances are thoroughly addressed in our comprehensive Notice of Application.”
While I don’t think of any of my anime or manga as being particularly, or at all, salacious, the very nature of the style is such that everyone is drawn in an exaggerated, child-like, manner, including the adults. I’d be very careful when traveling to Canada not to bring any manga out of concern for the scope for misinterpretation.
A Recipe
Courtesy of Cait, I’m going to be trying this out.
Coconut Curry
INGREDIENTS:
2 bunches green onions
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chile paste
1 pound firm tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 cups chopped bok choy
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Remove white parts of green onions, and finely chop. Chop greens into 2 inch pieces.
2. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and chile paste. Bring to a boil.
3. Stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and finely chopped green onions into the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil and bok choy. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Garnish with remaining green onion.
January 4, 2012
It’s 2012.
I’m thinking about my mom.
I’m thinking about the fact that I should be getting some news this month, one way or the other, that impacts my career path.
I’m thinking about the fact that we have, no joke, a thousand things to do this year at work, at home, at work, at home.
I’m thinking about how much I wanted to go home today and think about my mom.
I’m thinking about how we’re scheduled to launch the pilot of a new platform that I’ve worked on for a whole year, next flipping week.
I’m thinking about how I haven’t blogged comfortably, well, in months, if not years.
I’m thinking about how on earth I’m going to keep my family together.
I’m thinking about how much travel we tentatively have queued up for the year.
I’m thinking about how much I miss my friends, even the ones I haven’t gotten to meet yet, or the friends I’ve only met once or a few times.
I’m thinking about how I feel like eloping was the right thing to do but I missed out on the bonding that could have happened with old, good friends if I had planned a regular wedding.
I’m thinking about how fun a new project could be.
I’m thinking about how sad and in pain a dear friend was this morning and I’m so glad I emailed her, all unknowing.
I’m thinking about all the thank you cards I want to, need to, write.
I’m thinking about how much I really really need to focus (Singlema’s post on Focus at Fitness, Finance and Fun reminded me of the old me, so very very much).
I’m thinking.
January 2, 2012
Happy New Year!
This is the first year I’ve taken this long to review the year. We spent the holidays traveling for two days on either side of Christmas, three days jammed with visiting of friends and family, overlaid with a nasty cold for me, and then it was back to work for me, though the family’s vacationing continued and followed us back home for the last week of the month.
December 15, 2011
It’s around the time of the year that people are caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, or the end of the year and everything that entails: financial closings, year end sales, family gatherings. A flavor for every profession and preference.
A few weeks later, we’ll be talking about setting goals or sharing the goals we’ve picked. We might have decided on them as a way to create the new us, to define an aspirational year or just pragmatically, reach new milestones. And much of the time, people will say the best way to set goals is to use the system in which you’re stating Specific, Measurable, Achieveable, Realistic goals with a Timeline. It’s meant to keep one ticking along on the road to success without burning out or slumping over in despair.
That’s totally valid. My goals, once I pick them, are general and then absolutely strategized within an millimeter of any possible parameters.
But I’m having a step before that.
In these weeks before I set goals, I’m spending some time setting Impossible Goals. So named specifically so that it sounds completely unrealistic and totally removes the pressure from my tactical brain that cannot resist immediately analyzing how I have to make it happen.
This is the time to throw utterly preposterous and lofty goals into the air and count really fast as they come floating down, thinking all the while, what else can I do? What else should I do? What else would I do?
If anything were a possibility – before reality strikes, dreaming a dream – what would I want to have done in that year?
Of course I started with money. This morning I told Doggle, “Momma’s gonna increase our Net Worth by 100K.” He was blase.
I told him too, “Dad’s gonna get you a bigger bone if he gets a promotion.” That? He perked up for. SMH. Priorities, Doggle. Mom’s goal gets you health care.
This is the year I get a promotion.
This is the year to shoot for, heck, 100K? Make that 150K NW increase. Be creative. Be really really really creative. (Legally.)
This is the year I hit the supplemental alternative employment route. I want a safety net in case either of us doesn’t love our jobs and career paths anymore, it doesn’t pay enough or we just need a fall back.
This is the year we set ourselves up for buying a home.
This is the year we set ourselves up for getting a second dog, or maybe figure out the kid thing.
Or maybe not.
This is the year I make a difference in someone’s life.
This is the year Doggle learns how to play with another dog. (bwahhaha… he can barely process the toy thing. Ok ok, no mockery.)
This is the year I make progress toward a CFP. And figure out what I’m going to do, really.
December 9, 2011
Once upon a time, I dreamed big for the future. Out of those dreams, I formulated a life plan wherein I’d be taking a professional health degree of some kind and a PhD, entering a white collar profession, and buying a home for myself and my parents (separate homes, mind) before the age of 30. After 30 was a little hazy, but I figured plotting the next 23 years was good enough. Also, the juggle of two degrees and affording two homes was a tough enough nut to crack – I wasn’t ready to plot any more years.
This was before I knew the words “net worth” because, you know, seven years old, but you had better believe that the balance sheets did not include debt. I’d already been writing out the checks for the bills for my parents and knew how I wanted to set up my own budget when the time came.
You may notice, as my mother had, that I had made no provisions in those plans, for marriage or kids. As far as I was concerned, it might happen, it might not, I wasn’t planning on it or depending on it and figured it wasn’t terribly relevant to the trajectory of my career and money. That was a pretty unsophisticated understanding of how life and marriage works.
Clearly, I was bound and determined to have my own mind and at the time, that also meant keeping my own finances, separate and free. As the years passed, I saw too many bad choices made by one or another couple where there was a divide in the spender/saver continuum, even in my own family, or business decisions gone awry, especially in my own family, and I just couldn’t fathom living in that life.
“If you live in a community property state, not combining finances is just lying to yourself about legalities.” @practicalwed
So once upon a time, I might have disagreed with Meg. Even though the only real example of marriage I had was the relatively healthy and supportive partnership my parents shared, I was still certain that I could keep separate finances in any prospective
August 28, 2010
Test!