THE MAGIC QUESTION that could advance your career and job search

In her interesting and insightful book, Influence Is Your Superpower, Zoe Chance highlights what she calls, The Magic Question, a question that has helped prevent sex trafficking in rural Zambia and brought together teammates at a biotech company to fulfill orders on holidays and weekends.?A question that can reframe negotiating a raise or promotion, so it doesn’t feel so awkward or adversarial.

The Magic Question is this: What would it take?

According to Chance, if an employee just asked, “What would it take for me to get to the next step in my career?” or “What would it take for me to be at the top of the salary band for this role?” their manager is very likely to say, “Here’s what needs to happen.”?The employee then has a roadmap for how they can meet the conditions to get their case supported.

The Magic Question, however, doesn’t have to be used strictly to negotiate a raise or promotion. Below are examples of ways in which What would it take? can be asked to unearth important information that individuals can use to be a better person, employee, job seeker, leader, teammate, or business owner:

(Of your target employer):

? What would it take…for me to be a (more) competitive candidate?

(Of your clients/customers):

? What would it take…for me to exceed your expectations?

(Of your employees):

? What would it take…for me to be the best leader you’ve ever worked with?

(Of your potential clients/partners)?

? What would it take…for you to say yes to my proposal?

(Of yourself)?

? What would it take…for me to achieve my goal(s) in half the time?

? What would it take…for me to be the best version of myself?

(Of your teammates):

? What would it take…for me to be an ally?

? What would it take…for me to be a trusted, reliable, and effective teammate?

What would it take? is often going to lead to Here’s what needs to happen.?And when you know what needs to happen, you can go about making it happen!?

As I often tell the individuals I coach, the answers you are seeking almost always exist – you just have to ask the right question(s) to surface them.?

When it comes to discovering answers to advance yourself, your career, and your job search, What would it take? might just be The Magic Question you need to ask!

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