Management: The Untold Parts - Raises

Whenever a team member tells me they want to be a manager, I share with them parts of my job that aren’t advertised or glamorized.

One of those parts: what to do when a team member asks for a raise?

This is a tough question - you need to answer in a way that is honest, yet, motivating.

The honest part means: “No.” The motivating part means: “Let’s put together a plan.”

For me, I am glad I listened to the Manager Tools podcast on raises and attended their training early in my management career. The Manager Tools training is a life saver.

Even with the training, the conversation is difficult. There’s so much conflict within me:

• part of me just wants to give the raise (it’s not my money)
• part of me must deny the raise (it’s not my money!)

This internal conflict makes being a manager hard.

By sharing this part of my job with the team member, my goal is to give them a rounded picture of management - let them think about what they want from being a manager.