If you encounter pushback to your #ask, and you suspect that it might be a budget issue on their end, don't ask if it's a budget issue.

I had a boss who liked to cut me off EVERY time I spoke at a meeting…

Questions that start with who, what, when, where, how, and why. Questions that don't assume anything. Questions that can't be answered with a simple yes or no.

Last Friday I was in Kigali, Rwanda where I led a day-long negotiation workshop for local professionals.

It was an amazing trip, and I almost didn't make it.

"I don't know what my worth is."

"I'm afraid to upset the higher-ups with my ask."

Have you had thoughts like these that holds you back from becoming bolder, braver, and better paid?

In this breezy 3-page read, I've laid out three SIMPLE but POWERFUL steps you can take to set yourself up for success in a conversation strategic to your career growth.

After a live demonstration of a simple but powerful strategy to get past no, a workshop attendee asked this question:

"But how do you know whether you're being aggressive, pushy, or too much?"

This was an excellent question, because it voices the doubt we've all encountered. 

Have you ever felt like there were unwritten rules of leveling up and getting ahead in the workplace that NO ONE TOLD YOU ABOUT?

If you're reading this, then you've probably already wised to the truth that keeping your head down and silently doing good work DON'T get you promoted. It's not the fast track to promotion; it's the fast track to exhaustion.

Being strategic with your long-term goals, however, will help you navigate the unwritten rules.

Asking in a smart way, I've found, always works.