Transitioning successfully from one practice to another depends on appreciating that while the grass may…
John Borrowman, CPC
Borrowman Baker, LLC
Gallatin, TN
It’s a common question: “What’s the average salary for X position in valuation?” For the sake of the discussion, let’s say you get the answer. Then what?
Simply put, your salary is either higher or lower. If it’s higher, how much satisfaction is there in knowing that? If it’s lower, what are you prepared to do about it? Are you planning to go to your boss and say that “so-and-so” says that my salary is below average?
Comparing yourself to others, especially when it comes to pay, can be a waste of time and energy. A better measure is satisfaction. It’s more difficult to define, but it’s what you want even though you’re asking about money.
Try this approach, instead.
On a scale of one to five, check your level of satisfaction when it comes to the range of responsibilities you handle, the kinds of engagements you get to work on, your relationships with your boss, your peers, and the firm’s clients.
If any of your scores is less than five, what change would push it to five? Are you ready to do more of the report than you’ve done previously? Are you prepared to take on that complex engagement that just came in the door? Would you like to have a larger client-facing role?
Now, look for who can authorize those additional assignments. Maybe it’s not about asking, but about offering to do more or taking the initiative to do it. For example, if you typically handle steps 1, 2, and 3, and then get authorization for step 4, do that before you take the work to your supervisor. (Don’t jump to step 5. That can get you in hot water!)
When your level of satisfaction is high, it shows in your performance. When you ask for more responsibility to raise your level of satisfaction, your boss will notice. And when you’re “running on all cylinders” in this way, there’ll be no need for any of the comparisons you used to think were important.
John Borrowman
