Annie:
Welcome to the whole Assistant podcast, where assistants come to embrace their badassery and discover how to show up more strategically for their careers, their executives, and most importantly, themselves. I'm your coach, Annie Croner. Join us as we dive into the skills, strategies, and mindset that will help you unleash your full potential. Let's go. Okay, everyone, welcome back to the Home Assistant podcast. With me today is Madeline Mackey. And Madeline and I met at IAAP conference this last summer, and she is so brilliant. We are going to be talking all things in review, but before we launch into that, Madeline, would you please introduce yourself. Tell my audience about you. Tell. Tell them about your brilliance and all that you offer.
Madelyn Mackie:
Oh, my goodness. How can I? That's the best introduction ever. Well, hello, everyone. I'm Madeline Mackey, CEO and chief career activator of Madeline Mackey and Associates. We're a high touch, high engagement boutique career management consulting firm. And it took me 40 years to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was a published biochemistry researcher. I worked in professional theater for 15 years. I was an officer for the American Red Cross. And between all of those jobs, I was also an admin. So admins are some of my absolute favorite, favorite audiences, and I'm thrilled to be here today.
Annie:
Yes. Awesome. Awesome. We always like to have people who have sat in the seat before, you know, on the pod, because nobody understands the role of executive assistant or admin like another admin or somebody who's actually been there before. And I think you and I also bonded over our theater background. Like, I. I studied theater in college, and it was not for me after college, I just quickly discovered. But I think I still have a love of the arts. I still love. My best friend is an actor, writer, producer. I still love to go see her shows and everything. So to start off our discussion today, we're going to be talking about annual reviews. And I think that a lot of people that I've supported in the past have brushed off their annual review, and I'm constantly encouraging them. I'm like, this is the one conversation a year that is all about you. And it's so rare. And I think part of the reason why is because we don't like to talk about ourselves.
Madelyn Mackie:
Right.
Annie:
We'd much rather keep it focused on our executives. But can you explain why the annual review is such an important opportunity for professionals, especially for admins, executive assistants, especially for those of us who may not have a traditional set of KPIs, right.
Madelyn Mackie:
And I love that you asked this question because a lot of people just blow over the annual review. Right. It's kind of something in my checkbox I have to. To get done. And so they don't think about it as something that I really should spend some time reflecting on it. But the importance of your annual review is to set you and your executive up for success in the coming year and also to celebrate some of the accomplishments you've had in the previous year and to finally kind of, if you haven't already, talk through some things that can be improved upon. So it's a really useful tool for both sides of the desk, the admin and the executive. And that's how you can grow. And we should all, all be lifelong growers and learners. And a big part of that is the annual review.
Annie:
Yeah. So in the past, I have coached executive assistants who have felt like it was being braggadocious whenever they celebrated their wins or whenever they brought their wins to light with their executive. And what I'm always trying to convey to my audience and to my people is like, look, your executive isn't going to know all that you manage for them unless you actually share that with them. And I'm a firm believer in creating a brag list, for lack of better terminology, or maybe a value proposition list. If brag. If brag list feels too weird for you. But I, I would be curious to hear from your perspective, what's the biggest mindset shift people can make when it comes to preparing for their review, when it comes to taking themselves seriously? Like, how can they move past this idea? Or like this insecure piece of us that's like, I don't want to, like, come off as braggadocious. I don't want to toot my own horn. It feels really uncomfortable for me. How would you walk somebody past that?
Madelyn Mackie:
It's. Think of it this way, right? You are your executive's second brain. Right? And sometimes you're their first brain, but, right. You hold all the details and information so they don't have to. Does your executive remember what they had for breakfast two days ago? Probably not. And they're definitely not going to remember all the great, amazing things that you have done. So the first mind shift to do is really prepare for this conversation, right? Don't just wake up this morning and say, oh, I have to do my performance degree with my executive at 10am Let me. Let me wear a nice shirt and put on my best lipstick and go, no, you want to spend some time leading up to it documenting all of those great projects that you've worked on. And I think the best way to do that is every quarter, right. If, if every month. It'd be great if you could remember to do it every month, but we're busy. So if every quarter you can kind of sit down and say, what were the big projects that I worked on? What were the big events, what were the big reports? What were the big things that I did? And you do that every quarter and you can save it in a file on your computer. And if you do that, then you're going to be absolutely ready to remind your executive doing your performance review of here are the things that we accomplished with my help during the past 12 months. And the importance of all of this preparedness is because remember, this performance
Madelyn Mackie:
review is going to determine if there's any salary increases based on merit. If there are training opportunities like you mentioned going to the admins conference, like, if that's something you want to plant the seed about, you can do that at the performance review. There are learning opportunities that you might want to take advantage of. There may be a title change that you want. So you're building the case for all of those things with the performance review.
Annie:
Yeah. And so in addition to being like prepared, I feel like preparedness is a big one. And for those of you who have followed me for any amount of time, you will also know that I'm big into process. And so having a process by which you manage your task and capture all that information in one centralized location. This is why I'm such a big fan of this. Because it not only helps you line things out and not only helps you prioritize things, it also helps you capture all the wins. Because we just, especially if you've been in our roles for any amount of time, we just tend to breeze past those wins as just like normal course of business. What are some other common mistakes you see people make heading into their annual review?
Madelyn Mackie:
They do not make a list of the things that they would like to see in the future. But I actually think, now that I think about that because that's a really great question. One of the biggest things that people mistakes they made is people do not want to know what went wrong. Right. They don't want to know about areas of improvement. Because we are like, I don't want to talk about mistakes and things like that, but that's how we learn. So I think really asking those questions of, well, what could be improved upon what. Let's talk about this event, this scenario, this project, because it wasn't our brightest shining Moment, let's talk about what we could do better in the coming year regarding this area of improvement. So there's nothing wrong with getting critical feedback. It's how we get better. And it also helps build trust between you and your executive that you're open to feedback, both positive and critical. So I think that's a big mistake people do is they don't use that time to find out areas of improvement. And it's not the time for you to tell your executive all the things that they did wrong. This is your performance review. So this is your opportunity to find out if there's something that they would like to see you do differently. This is where you can find out about it. And it's really important to get that information.
Annie:
Yeah. And I think sometimes we shut down instead of get curious like you were talking about. And so I think if we can take a few deep breaths as we are getting this feedback, and we can also take it in the perspective and in the. With the intention that it was met, which, which is more often than not more likely that your executive actually wants to see you improve, that, I think that is also helpful. And so what I love about a curious mindset too, is that when we are curious, we are not coming up with our retorts. We are able to ask probing questions like, what did you mean by that? Can you share an example of a time where I did the thing that you're telling me that you don't like to see? Can you, can we, like, can we further the discussion and can we get specific? And unfortunately, more often than not, what happens when we get defensive is we shut down. Our body language shuts down. We're not open to hearing what other people have to say. We don't get curious because we're trying to protect ourselves. And so I'm a huge fan of leaning into curiosity instead of the defensiveness piece and asking those probing questions and asking for examples. And more often than not, the examples will be probably more minimal than we're conflating it to be in our head, right? No, we just conflate it in our head. Right, right.
Madelyn Mackie:
It wasn't that big like you thought. It was a crisis of epic proportions. And your executive may be like, what are you talking about? Right. Because there's so much happening in the day to day life of the executive. So I think it's really just important to get all the feedback you can because there could be some minor little thing like one of the executives that I used to work for, it was an eight week Contract. I was there as a temp. And even during those eight weeks at the four week mark, I asked for some feedback and he said, yeah, it kind of, he's. And it was a little thing that I didn't even know that I was doing. But he was like, sometimes I come out and I, you're not at the desk and I don't know where you are. And I was like, oh, do you want me to let you know when I, when I leave? Because it may be going to the restroom, maybe going to the copy machine, it may be, he goes, you know, just if you're going to be gone for 15 minutes or more, I just kind of want to know about it and it's totally fine. And so we set up a system that if I was going to do something, I would just put a little note on the desk because I never wanted to interrupt him in the middle of his doing his job. So I would just put a little note on the desk, you know, back in five, back in 10, back in 15. And that was a way. And he was like, that was just so helpful for me because I'd be like, oh, okay, she's gone on her lunch break, she's gone to a meeting with so and so. Okay. And so just those little things helps relieve tension that you may not even know is there.
Annie:
Yeah, yeah. And I think also it does help foster better communication with you and your executive too, you know, And I think even, yes, this is annual review. We're talking in review here. But I was always checking in about once a quarter to once every other month, my executive and being like, hey, just temperature check. How are we doing? Is there anything you're noticing I'm missing? Is there anything I can be doing more of? You know, and I would just ask for real time feedback as well. I think also that's helpful because we, we don't want to be broadsided. We don't want people to be like listing things and resentment to build throughout the year as well. So yes, we're talking annual review. And yes, this is important for annual review, but it's also important to just get a temperature read every couple months anyway just to make sure that you aren't missing anything. To make sure that, that the relationship is going smoothly. And more often than not in these roles, no news is good news.
Madelyn Mackie:
Yes.
Annie:
Because it means that you're doing your job, things are going smoothly. And so that is also challenging because it's like if things are going smoothly, I think a lot of our executives appreciate us they know that their lives are better because we are in them, because taking care of things, but they don't fully understand the breadth or depth of all that we're doing. What I love about the annual review season is that now is your chance to shine.
Madelyn Mackie:
So my.
Annie:
My question to you, Madeline, is like, how can someone translate the soft skills of this position, translate those things that we're doing in terms of communication, adaptability into tangible business impact for the organization, for their executive? Because I think a lot of us are intuitively compassionate. I think a lot of us intuitively know what. What's going on with other people, and here's the reality that I talk about a lot on this podcast, too, is that we are the bridge between our executive and the rest of the organization. And so we get to decide what gets pushed off the bridge. We get to decide what doesn't go any further than us. We also get to decide what gets put in the bank for later to maybe bring up with our executive at a later time. We can also point out those interpersonal dynamics with our executive and our team. So our team may come to us being like, I need to speak with so and so today. And you're like, not today. You know, it's a terrible day and they're in a bad mood. And so maybe just wait till tomorrow. Like, we're that bridge piece. And so there's just so much benefit to that. And I'd be curious to hear how we can quantify that in an annual review for our leadership.
Madelyn Mackie:
Oh. So my favorite tools to do exactly what you want to do to get us clarity on what I did, what skills I used, and what was the business impact is using a method called the Star Story S T A R. And it's situation, task, action, result. Or sometimes I like to use what's called a sore story. Situation, obstacle, action, results. So if at the end of a big project that you've worked on, the annual staff meeting, the board of directors conference, a new software integration that you had to do, a big trip that your executive had to take, sit down, give your set aside 15 to 30 minutes and write out what was the situation, what was the task or obstacle you had to accomplish, what were the actions you took? And that's where you can highlight the different skills you used. And then what were the results? Like, that's the quantifiable thing. Like, how much did that trip cost and was it under budget? Did you find savings or that conference you planned, how many people attended, what were the testimonials and Feedback how much business may have been won by the sales team. By mapping that out and really thinking about it when you're calm, when you're not in a rush, when the ideas are fresh in your head. That's why I want you to do this after the event, immediately after,
Madelyn Mackie:
then you're going to have that whole business case. And so then you could do what I call, you know, the highlights to your executive and say, I just want to share with you before we go into the performance review of Here are the list of the projects that we accomplished in the past 12 months. And here are the results that the organization achieved through these projects that I led or had a big part in organizing and coordinating. And by doing that that they can see it's a hit list. Don't write out the whole Star story for them. It's just the event and the results, they're going to be able to see the impact you brought to the organization.
Annie:
I love that, I love that. The Star method. That's really cool. And it's also a great way to quantify. I think it's also a great way for us to slow down because to quantify for ourself our own unique value proposition when we are just on autopilot. And I think also many of us assume that what comes naturally to us also comes naturally to everyone else. But I gotta tell you, I spent the last seven years of my career supporting high net worth people. Common sense, not that common. Really not that common. And so what comes naturally to you is actually a superpower and it's unique to you. So I will always ask in a group setting, as I'm, as I'm doing group training, I will always be like, who here loves to plan events? Right. Yes. And, and it's, I'm, I'm always amazed and surprised at how many people love it and then also how many people hate it. And I point out that that's their superpower. Like if you love events, you love planning events, that is a flex for you.
Madelyn Mackie:
Yes.
Annie:
That's something to lean into. That's something to have a conversation with your executive that you want to do more of. And so I love this idea of using our annual review time as a time to find clarity for ourselves and also time to share clarity with our executives in terms of our career progression and where we want to take our careers. Do you have any tips or advice for having the conversation and advocating for yourself in the context of an annual review?
Madelyn Mackie:
Absolutely. So two categories you want to really focus on when you talk about the future, Right. So you've talked about, here's our successes from the past. Now let's talk about what's next. Let's talk about the future. So one category is existing, exactly what you said, asking and advocating for yourself of saying, I really, really loved working on these types of projects. Maybe it's technology. Some of us just love everything about technology. And right now it's all about AI, artificial intelligence. So maybe what you want to do is bring the organization into the 21st century and say, hey, I'd like us to start integrating AI more in the work that we do. Because I feel like it could help us be more efficient, more productive, get more done, be more accurate, and even maybe generate some revenue or cost savings for the organization. Are you okay with me exploring ideas, working with the technology team to increase our use of AI through the organization or through the department, depending on what level you are at with the company. So really thinking about what do you want your job to look like in the coming year and then creating some talking points around those items and the benefits that will have for the company. So really just sitting down and pick two or three things. Don't go in there with 10 things, like, here's my 10 point plan that's going to overwhelm your executive.
Madelyn Mackie:
But one or two things that you're like, I think the department, the organization, would really benefit from this. I know you're busy, I'm happy to spearhead it. And here's my plan for doing that. So that's number one, talking about the future of what you want your job to look at. And then number two, honestly, we all need to be lifelong learners. So what areas of professional development do you want to pursue? Is there a course, workshop, webinar you want to take? Is there a conference you want to attend? Is there a coach if you feel like, hey, I think the organization would really benefit from us bringing in Annie Croner as a coach to work with the executive team. That's when you advocate for that. But you have to have the hypothetical results, right? What would the future star story look like if they spend the money, invest the time in you developing these skills and how that's going to benefit the company. So I think those are two big areas. The future of your job, what you want to be doing in the future and what type of professional development you want?
Annie:
Yeah, and this kind of arcs back to values, which I'm constantly talking about. Like there is some values alignment, hopefully with your company and you. It's kind of pinpointing where you are aligned values wise and then selling, selling that value piece to your executive in terms of how you want to pursue professional development, where you want to see your career going. Because I will tell you, if, if I was tasked with an IT task, for example, and I mean, I would not, that would not be how I want to spend my time in the coming year. Like managing all the IT issues of the office, other people, I'm sure would light them up, but like, not for me, not my jam. Right. And so I think this is the other piece, is that we really want to make sure that we're advocating for something that feels in alignment with us, that we feel capable of, that we feel may be a stretch for us, but that also that we kind of want to grow into as well. So it's kind of finding where those likenesses are. And in my pastoral, for example, I was working in venture capital and I was working in family office space, in the private wealth management space. And I just wanted to learn how to read a P and L on a balance sheet.
Madelyn Mackie:
Yes.
Annie:
And so I advocated for me to go take a class at Denver University to be able to do that. And there was a, there was a continuing education course that I could take and it was a three day long thing that we sat in and my executive traded a training that he did with their people, with students and for, for me to attend this thing. And I think that is a good example of a way that will help my executive because then I can read P and L and balance sheets and I have a better understanding of the financial aspects of business and also help me grow as a human too, because there again, I'm using, I'm running my own business now. It's good for me to know how to read a P and L on a balance sheet and just a good life skill to learn. So really figuring out where that alignment is and challenging yourself to maybe push the edge of your comfort zone, to step out of that comfort zone a little bit and to dabble into something that may feel a little bit scary in the name of growth.
Madelyn Mackie:
Yes.
Annie:
And I think also taking it seriously. I know a lot of executive assistants are like, I've been doing this job for 15 years. There's nothing new under the sun. I really don't have any way to grow or change or, or anything like that in my current position. And I would challenge that. There's always a new avenue of growth. Always. And so figuring out what that is and figuring out what that alignment piece is and figuring out what also Fills fun to explore, but also feels good in your body when you think about exploring it and then putting that in front of your executive. I think also our executives don't know what our career trajectory is and they don't know what it is we want in our careers. And I think that it can be scary sometimes whenever we talk about in reviews because we're like, well, I'm just going to give lip service. I'm going to say this is what I want to pursue. But honestly, if you have an honest conversation with your executive, then even if, even if it's moving out of your current position, like, I want to not be an executive assistant in two years. This is where I see myself taking my career. Your executive, like, if they're a good person, will support that and they'll be like, okay, this is where you want to be, this is where you want to go. Let's get you there. And like, also you guys can be much more intentional about the transition out. You can be much more intentional about bringing someone on if you do want to transition out of your role, someone that will support this person at a high level. So I think, I think it can be a win, win for everybody. But we really have to be honest. Now. I will also say that in certain environments and with certain executives, it will not be safe to do this, especially if there's some narcissism at play. So this is not going to be for everybody. But if you're in a safe
Annie:
environment where you feel well supported and you feel like your executive genuinely wants to see you succeed, having these really real conversations about where you see yourself headed. I mean, I've only had success with clients who have been in those environments and with those good executives and they have advocate in advocating for themselves and they often will move to another position in the company that's a much better fit for them.
Madelyn Mackie:
Absolutely. And you can also use this to find out what your executive's career trajectory is. Like, what if your executive is planning on retiring in two years? You need to know that because you need to set yourself up for that transition and ask yourself, well, do I want to stay with the new executive or will the new executive allow me to stay? Because a lot of executives want to bring in their own assistant and their own admins. So really talking about those difficult conversations about here's where I want to go, where do you want to go? Where do you see your role at the company? Like, is your executive, if he's a vice president, president, is he looking to move into an executive vice president role or is he aligned to be the CEO or a chief executive officer of some type? Like, you know these things. But it's a little scary. And another thing, what's the health of the company like having that conversation, especially right now where it was just announced Amazon laid off 14,000 people. Right. Asking your executive, what is the health of the company? What is the future of our department in these trying economic times? What's next for us? And that will help you get prepared because if they say, you know what, I'm a little concerned because our revenue numbers are off and I think there might be some difficult decisions in the future. Oh, that's your clue, to update your Resume and your LinkedIn profile to just be ready, don't do anything
Madelyn Mackie:
drastic. But that knowledge is power. Yes.
Annie:
And what I love about it too is it's just data points to file away and to properly place on your journey, on this journey, on your career journey. So I love that. Okay, any other tips or strategies that I have not brought up here today that you want to share that I have left out of the conversation? Madeline, I think the last thing is.
Madelyn Mackie:
When you're thinking about the performance review, don't leave it up to your executive to reach out to you to schedule it. Because what's going to happen a lot of times is they wait until they get the email from HR saying they are due tomorrow. Please do your performance reviews instead. Find out you know when these are going to happen at the organization. Chances are you're scheduling them for other members of the team. So when you know that it's going to be performance review season, you need to get on your executive's calendar sooner rather than later and prepare them for the conversation like a week beforehand. Send them that highlight reel that we talked about. That's the project and the results. Send them some questions that you might have that are going to lead to difficult conversations. Don't blind sign them. Let them know, this is some things I'd like us to discuss and talk about. Have something in their future topics to pursue so that they are aware that they are prepared to have this conversation with you. It'll be a much richer conversation. And the second bit of advice I have for everyone is honestly, don't wait for 12 months to have some of these conversations. Schedule a quarterly check in with your executive to go over the highlight reel to talk about professional development, to ask about the future of the company for the coming year. Like if you continually have these conversations every three months with your executive, when it comes time for the annual
Madelyn Mackie:
review. You're both going to be old hats at this and it's going to be a comfortable conversation. The trust and respect expect is going to be there and it's going to benefit you, your executive and the organization as a whole.
Annie:
You can do this 100%. One other thing I do want to touch on that kind of reminded me was especially the preparing your executive piece was around asking for a raise, because annual review time is the time where most people. It is the time where most people ask for raises and it's the time where it's expected. And, and I love this idea and I'm always encouraging my clients with this as well. To send your executive information about all you've done this year in advance, like Madeline just said. And also if you were intending to ask for a raise, including that information in there so you can have a meaningful dialogue. So you are not broadsideing your executive. Oftentimes there is this bias. I can't remember what it's called. But like the first person to the table, the first person to put out.
Madelyn Mackie:
A number, the first Mike, he. Yeah, he speaks first, wins.
Annie:
Yeah, yeah. And so if, if your executive is expecting to give you a 3% standard of living raise and you're wanting 10%, you need to kick off the conversation first and you need to get that number out there first to work from instead of working from the 3% number, because it's going to be a lot harder to get that number up than it is to negotiate from the 10%.
Madelyn Mackie:
Right, exactly.
Annie:
So I'm also a fan of asking for more than you expect to get because executives are trained negotiators. And I knew this like I was sitting at my. Outside of my last executive's office my first year working for him. And he would negotiate everything. This is like a multi, multimillionaire. He negotiate the price of everything. And I'm sitting here going like, this is not even worth your time. Like, why are we negotiating this price on this thing? But what I realized in that moment was that my executive likes to get a deal.
Madelyn Mackie:
Yes, yes.
Annie:
And he genuinely wanted to see me happy. He genuinely wanted to be a fair employer to me. And so I knew I was going to have to ask for 15 to 20% more than I expected to get. And because I asked for that number, they met me at the number that I wanted. And because they couldn't meet me at that 10 to 15 or, sorry, 15 to 20% more that I asked for, they actually asked, included an extra five grand in my bonus that year. So I didn't leave any money on the table. And I think especially as a pink gar group of people, we are largely Pink collar. The ad, the administrative world is we're 95% women. We have not been trained to negotiate. We've not been trained to ask for what we deserve. We've been trained to not upset the apple cart, to not rock the boat, to not be seen as selfish or self serving. And so these conversations are challenging, but they're a lot less challenging if you prepare your executive for them well in advance and you actually put out a number in advance that you can talk about during these important discussions. So I think that's my last kind of thing for you, Madeline. Anything around asking for a raise, any advice there too.
Madelyn Mackie:
It's all about timing, right? So first you have to know when's the budgeting cycle at the company, Right. Is it an alignment with performance reviews or is there a six month difference? Right? Because sometimes there's the fiscal calendar and the annual calendar and performance reviews might be on the annual calendar and the fiscal calendar is different. So it's first of all, know when the budgeting conversations are starting to happen, when are they putting together the budget and when you know that's gonna happen, that's when you need to have the raise conversation. Because once the budget is finalized, there's not a lot of wiggle room, right? But if you can get that number into your executive before they finalize the budget so he knows, oh, I need to put this in the budget, then you're going to position yourself in a lot stronger with a lot stronger case. Then with that, you have to build a case so that that hit list of all those projects and the company impact are critical. So providing your executive with that, here's how much money and I know a lot of us are like, I don't know how much money I saved or did with the company. You need to find out. You need to really dig deep into that of if you planned the sales conference for the sales team and from that conference, a, the conference came in under budget and B, the sales team says, based on that conference, we generated over a thousand new leads. We converted half of those leads that generated $3.8 million for the company, you need to know that you need to have conversations
Madelyn Mackie:
when those events happen, when those projects take place, so that you can have dollar based metrics so that at the end of that highlight reel you can put in total, I saved the company this much money and helped the organization, right? You weren't the salesperson. But you help the organization generate this much money. Based on that, I am requesting a salary increase of 15%. Now, with that, I love what you said, Annie. You always ask about more than what you want. If you want 10, you ask 15. You want 15, you ask for 20. And you ask for a percentage. Because a lot of us think, oh, I'm making. I'm making 85,000. I'd like to make 95,000 next year. But that's not how the budgeting works. Everything is based on percentages. Your cost of living raise, your merit rates, your bonuses, a lot of this. It's all based on percentages. So you need to get out the calculator, and you need to figure out what's the point percentage raise you want. And then you can put that in there. You can say, I'm looking for in the coming year, I am seeking a salary of this. Do not make it a yes or no question. It's a statement. Yes. Right. Love it. Right. Because a yes or no. Could you give me a raise of 15%? That's yes or no. You want to be able to state it in your power and in your confidence.
Madelyn Mackie:
For the 2026, 2027 fiscal year, I am looking for a salary of this much money, which is a 15% increase. The justification for that is the $300 million I helped the company save. Save, and the $500 million I help the company generate. I look forward to this conversation. So spell it out so that they're like, oh, that's what they want. Okay. And then you can. Don't, Don't. Don't think that. Oh, I put it in writing so I don't have to talk about it. Yes, you do. And you need to practice that script. So practice with a coach, a mentor, your work bestie, and say, this is how I'm going to ask for my raise. And you simply. You keep it kind. You keep it gracious. This has been a great conversation. Thank you for being open and transparent. We had a very, very successful year. Based on the metrics that you see in front of you for the coming year, my salary request is this much money, and you stop talking. You stop talking.
Annie:
I think that's the. The hardest part is the stop talking piece. Because I remember when I was asking for my raise in my last role, I literally sat on my hands and bit my tongue after I put the number out there. And it took a minute for my executive to digest the number.
Madelyn Mackie:
Yes, yes.
Annie:
And I gotta tell you what was going on in My brain was like, oh, but I don't need that much. Like, this is what I. This is my official request. But I, I'd be fine with this amount, you know, like asking for more than I expected to get. But no, you want to bite your tongue, you want to sit on your hands, you want to lean into the discomfort. You want to let them speak after you put the number out there and not say a word until they speak. Don't reel it back, don't justify it in any way. The number.
Madelyn Mackie:
You already did that, right? You already did that. And when they come back at you and say, oh, I don't know about that, I appreciate you listening and I look forward to hear what the outcome is because they're trying to get you to pull back. Don't pull back, they say, I don't know if we're going to be able to pull that off. I know that you are a fabulous negotiator and I look forward to hearing what the outcome of your conversations are regarding the budget that will include the salary increase that I am requesting. I love working for you and I hope to continue.
Annie:
Yes. And I will also say too, if you can find job descriptions in the salary range that you want that are similar to your current job description, that will also go a long way. Any kind of documentation that you can present with regard to salary and also recognizing that that is a baseline and that you're doing X, Y and Z above and beyond this current job. This job description that I'm including in this package piece, like anything that you can do that way is also helpful. But I love this conversation and I think one of my favorite things is getting women more money. That's like my favorite. I love it. So much fun. And it's, I think, because it's been a journey for me too. It's been a journey for me too. So I love, love, love getting my clients more money. So thank you so much, Madeline, for coming on today for sharing all your wisdom can share where people can find and connect with you.
Madelyn Mackie:
Absolutely. So people can find me on LinkedIn. So just put in Madaline Mackie in the search box. You'll know it's me because you'll see. Career Activator. Please click that More button to connect with me. Not just follow. I want to be in conversation with you. You can also Visit my website, Madeline Mackey.com and everyone listening today can get a complimentary consult consultation to talk about your career, your future, and asking for the money you deserve. I love it.
Annie:
Okay. And I'M going to link to all of those links in the Show Notes. I'll link to her LinkedIn. I will also link to her website. Please avail yourself of Madeline's kind offer to give you a free consult. She's well worth her time. And thank you so much, Madeline for being here today. I really, really appreciate you.
Madelyn Mackie:
You're welcome. Have a great day everybody.
Annie:
Bye bye. That's all for now. Hey, before you go, don't forget to grab my free Strategic Planning Session guide. This stealthy playbook will help you and your executive find clarity on their priorities so you can make a greater impact. Go to wholeassistant.comguide or click the link in the Show Notes to snag your copy. And if you're loving the podcast, please subscribe, leave a review, and share with another assistant ready to level up. Thanks for listening, and until next time, keep embracing your badassery.
