Are you ready to ask for what you want

Are you ready to ask for what you wantAre you ready to ask for what you wantSelf-Assessment Quiz True or FalseI know what I need to succeed at my job, from salary to support to scheduling.I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses.I dont let other people make decisions for me without my input.I am confident with speaking up, interacting with higher executives, and tooting my own horn.There is a handwritten sign on my front door that everyone walking out of the house sees as they open the door to face the world IF YOU DONT ASK, YOU DONT GET. But before you can do that, you need to know what you want and get ready to receive it. Thats why I sure am hoping you answered TRUE to the questions in the self-assessment quiz above.Think about it. When you go to McDonalds, what happens? You ask for what you want. You dont stand at the counter and hope the pimply teenager at the register will decide for you. You cant stand there wishing for extra tarter sauce on your Fish Filet sandwich, elend a sk for it, and then be disappointed that you didnt get extra tarter sauce You have to open your mouth, people, and ASK (or point and gesture if youre in a foreign country)Lets look deeper into this analogyYou identified that you wanted a McDonalds Fish Filet.You did the workEarned the money to pay for the fish sandwichFound a way to get to McDonaldsYou ordered once you were in place and ready.You walked away with the fish sandwich.You ate and hopefully enjoyed the fish sandwich.Now, if you hadnt identified and asked for the sandwich, and taken all of the little steps in between to bring it to you (or you to it) before it rested comfortably in your small intestine, would you ever have eaten your beloved Fish Filet? NO My mama used to say, Closed mouths dont get fed. And thats befitting this McDonalds analogy, for sure. But the same goes for what you want in your job, your career, and your lifeIf you want to move up in your job, you gotta decide how to do that. Lets say you decide you want to be a senior manager. Now, you cant sit in strategy meetings, or better yet, yourannual review, and just expect people to read your mind and magically hand you a new business card with Senior Manager printed neatly under your name in Helvetica font You cant even do great work and be content that your boss knows this means you want to be a senior manager. Bosses arent all intuitive like that. You must be vocal, you must be direct, you must bespecific, and most importantly, you must beready and positioned(i.e. deserving) to get that which you ask for.I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the movieLa La Land. I dragged six different people with me on six different occasions to see it while it was in the theater. Ive seen it another three or four times since then. The reason I love the film so much is because its all aboutbeing ready to be found.You scoff at my example, but lets say you got the first step right with ordering your Fish Filet sandwich, but you faltered at Step 2. Even though you had the money, you ended up at Pizza Hut because your GPS was wonky. This throws off everything after that. You get to Step 3 and you place your order, but theyre just going to laugh at you at the Pizza Hut counter and maybe call the po-po because you are clearly deranged. Even Jesus didnt try to change pizza into a fish filet sandwich. You can still ask for what you want. But cmon, you didnt even bother to do the basic groundwork. You got the location wrong. You werentREADY.Far too often, when it comes to up-leveling our careers, people want to skip doing the basic work. So be sure that when you ask for what you want, you are indeed READY to be found. Youve been on the job longer than three weeks. (No seriously, I had a new employee ask about her promotion before shed even worked for me for three weeks. Come ON) You have the experience theyre looking for. You have a stellar performance record. You do mora than that which is asked of you. You attend conferences or workshops to network. Youve found a mentor. Youve asked to join in meetings or conference calls that arent necessarily in your wheelhouse or department but give you exposure.Get out there DO and BE so that in three months or six months from now you can confidently ask your boss, Ms. Smith, I want to be the Senior Manager of our department. Would you consider me for this role? I think Ive proven that Im more than ready.Cheryl Grace is the sassy aunt, best friend, and mentor youve always needed in your life. The successful jet-setting, global corporate executive founded the aspirational lifestyle brand Powerful Penny LLC. Her products, workshops and speeches probe, inspire and empower to ensure those who really want to can get to their next level of best. Her blogs on careers, prosperity, relationships, family, looking and living fabulously, and living a five-star life can be found atwww.powerfulpenny.com.