I'm a little more than a week away from submitting the final draft of the dissertation, so this post will be short.
1) I have been loving your asking stories. It's going to be an awesome collection -- they run the gamut in styles, approaches and objectives, even continents. If you haven't sent in an anecdote yet, please consider doing so. My aim is to compile as many concrete examples of successful askings, negotiations and the like and then post them as a reference for people.
2) A preview of what I've asked for these past weeks, and which I will report here, once I'm back in daily writing mode:
--Asked for a pay rate higher than what a client offered me
--Asked for a professionally oriented opportunity that I am still smiling about
--Sought permission from my adviser to do something drastic
--Sought strategies about handling a conundrum
--Asked if I could help someone with her job search
--Asked someone else the same thing
--Also: follow up on the parking ticket appeal
--And a reflection on why askers make good givers
3) A friend and reader alerted me about this rousing blog post about our favorite subject:
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2009/12/can_nice_girls_negotiate.html
It's from the Harvard Business Review and has a wealth of info, concrete strategies and perspectives in the comments section. The original poster's stance -- that a nice women can ask -- is of course laudable, too. So, while you're not reading this, do read that!!
4) The image above: What I'll be doing the weekend of April 16, once I send in the dissertation... I'm thinking some place in the mountains, cozy, with a hammock, a porch and a mystery novel. And no balconies.
[Credit: ffffound.com]
