#VALUE: WHY YOU DO NOT GET TO DECIDE HOW MUCH THAT ORGANIZATION PAYS YOU.

If you are given a blank cheque tomorrow by your boss to fill out how much you want to be paid from henceforth for the work that you do, how much will you fill out?

That is a question to ponder on, but not for all. Some will say, such things do not happen… if they ever did, not now. Some others will prefer to laugh off the idea of it; a number of people will chose to turn it into a prayer point; however, one person will take this seriously and decide to find out how possible this is. Are you that one person?

Some years ago, one of my sisters came back from the UK after finishing her Master’s degree in business psychology. Before she left for her masters, a shipping company employed her, which was a subsidiary of a larger business group. On her return, she had the option of returning to that same company to fill the same office she occupied before she left, or find a job somewhere else, which could include more strategic and well-paying jobs in another company owned by this same group.

After much thought and discussions were put into place, she decided to leave the shipping company and go to the oil company of this same business group. In that case, she had to come in as a fresh job applicant. She probably had a better chance of getting a job in this company than any other applicant. She now had two university degrees of important magnitude and a working experience in one of their subsidiary companies. That was good enough to get the job she was going for.

Later on, she was called for an interview. According to her story, during the interview, she was asked a question that brought up a serious conversation later on. The question was, “How much do you think we should pay you to work for us?” That sure sounds like a blank cheque, doesn’t it? Looking at it very well, some may say that is a blank cheque. Some others may say that looks more like a set up.

However, here is what happened. She was given some time to think about it. When she finally responded, she was replied with another question; “Why should we pay you $...?”  My sister is very smart, so she began to give many reasons. But you know what? Her interviewers were also smart. For every reason she gave them, they had a reason why they should not pay as much. After this, the interview came to a non-conclusive end.     

She was later contacted that she got the job; and this news, as good as it sounds came with an offer letter. In this letter, the company stated out her potential job description and how much they were willing to pay her for it. The offer was way below what she expected or had asked for, but she took it nevertheless. Half bread is better than none… It was not bad after all. She got a job and many do not have one… I think I am reading your mind.

Let us make a valid discussion out of this. Looking at the question she was asked during that interview, “How much do you think we should pay you to work for us?”… Do you think the company was being serious and sincere about this question? It is possible they were not, looking at the state of our society today, many people ask so many insincere questions, just to make a joke out of situations or raise false hopes. However, let us imagine they were being sincere. (At least they gave her some time to think about it…).

What response would she have given that would have been acceptable? Rather, put yourself in her shoes; what response will you give if such an opportunity faces you tomorrow?

I came to understand something that I think is very vital for everyone to understand. No one will pay you what you want, to do what they will train you to do.

In well set-up organizations, there is something called graduate training programme. This programme is set up to train individuals that wish to work in that organization, enabling them with skills needed to offer certain services as required by the organization. Along with this training comes an offer thereafter, which includes what the organization wants the trained personnel to do and what they are willing to pay for that service to be rendered. They are the deciders of the job description, and definitely the deciders of the pay that comes along with it.

Well, that is not in all cases. In some cases, an organization is not willingly to train a new staff, so they rather will look for experienced personnel to work for them. The experience the applicant has however, must have to do with the job description they lay out. This is true in many cases.

Check this out, “People pay for value added”. True or false? If one can proffer a solution to another’s problem, who decides how much will be paid, the solution provider or the problem recipient?

This remains the case in any area of endeavour. As long as you are not the one with the solution, you are not the decision maker. The trick of that organization is simple to understand. They know and understand the problem; they have the solution; they need people to help them to solve the problem; they teach the people about the solution; they do not teach them how to understand the problem and relate the solution as required; they keep them in different sectors with specific job descriptions (they call it division of labour); they decide how much these people get paid…  

Is this bad? Answer is NO. This is simply how to run an organization. It is very interesting when you are the Executive officer or Managing Director, because it looks like you are now on top of the food chain. If you were not the brain behind that business, then you simply got that high not because you worked hard, but because you got to understand the problem and how to incorporate the solution in the right way. The board will definitely choose you because you have that knowledge. In some cases, people are just employed into organizations as managers and top executives, simply because they understand how some things work.

If you find yourself in the same situation my sister did, with that same question, “How much do you think we should pay you to work for us?”… Just understand that that organization wants to know if you have a special value to add (which they do not have), or you are like the rest who are simply coming to work out the job description.

Sometimes, you will not be asked that question. However, every interview, meeting and networking arrangement is an opportunity to tell others what you can do for them, what value you can add, what problem you can solve.

You do not go to the hospital to meet a doctor and tell him, hey doc, I will pay you $10 to treat my malaria… The Doctor may not call security on you, because he may think you have a good sense of humour. The Doctor holds the solution, the Doctor decides the bill. Your landlord holds the solution, your landlord decides the rent. Isn’t that the case?

The case in any area of life is, you have to have a value to add, or they will tell you the value they want you to add. Once you allow them do that, you have simply signed up as their subject.

You do not have to be self-employed, you do not have to be an entrepreneur, all you have to do is be the master of your own game. Look for that problem in the world, in your community, in that organization, and proffer that brilliant solution to it. You will discover after that; You will no longer work for companies and organizations, you will begin to work with them.