How to ask for a raise: First, think from your manager’s perspective

Where is your boss coming from? Libby Leffler
pictured.
Steve
Maller

• Libby Leffler, a former Facebook executive and Google
  employee, is now the vice president of membership at
  SoFi.
• Leffler recommends that, before you ask your boss for a
  raise, you
  put yourself in their shoes. What are they going to be thinking
  and feeling when you start negotiating?
• She also reminds people that they can negotiate for
  things other than a salary bump, like benefits.

“Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is really
important.”

This is true of life in general, but it’s especially true when
you’re asking your boss for a raise.

According to Libby Leffler, who is the vice president of
membership at personal
finance company
SoFi as well as a former Googler and Facebook executive, the
first thing to do when you’re planning to petition your manager
for a salary bump is to “consider where you’re coming from and
where they’re coming from.”

For example: Are they trying to manage an already-tight budget
for the division? Are they under strict orders only to grant
raises for knock-it-out-of-the-park performance? Once you
understand their goals and constraints, you can adjust your pitch
accordingly.

Leffler’s advice recalls insights from Daniel Shapiro, founder
and director of the Harvard International
Negotiation Program, and author of “Negotiating
the Nonnegotiable.” Shapiro
previously told Business Insider that it can be helpful to
play the role of your boss while a friend or colleague plays you.

The idea is to think and feel how your boss might be thinking and
feeling — and to then tailor your strategy so it really resonates
with them.

Remember, too, Leffler said: You can negotiate for outcomes other
than financial ones. “Compensation is whatever these things mean
to you,” Leffler said. It can be flexible hours, extra vacation
time, equity, or bonus pay. Figure out what exactly you want (and
what your boss might be most likely to concede).

Leffler’s most important piece of wisdom? “Practice, practice,
practice your pitch before walking in.” She’d never advocate
going in cold.

Leffler said, “You want to take all these steps in advance to
really set yourself up for success.”