Career Advice: 5 Bold Reasons To Be The Squeaky Wheel

This career advice is going to sound a little absurd. In fact, it’s going to sound downright strange, and some of you are not going to like it because you have been at the opposite end of a person like Jarrod.

Jarrod is the squeaky wheel at work. He is constantly griping his concerns to the boss, will not leave well enough alone. When Jarrod is in a meeting, everyone rolls their eyes and hopes to good god he doesn’t have anything to say. Jarrod seems to get a lot of what he wants. He isn’t a bad person, he’s just clear on what he wants.

Consider this quote as part of the career advice…

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
~George Bernard Shaw

Think about that concept for a minute. Shaw suggests that “…all progress depends on the unreasonable [person].” Surely, Jarrod is just that unreasonable person. Jarrod wants the process. He wants what he wants. And he is a little unrelenting. He is tenacious which, while sometimes annoying, while sometimes 

Like George Bernard Shaw (although not as great as he), I am unreasonable because I want the world to change. I wanted my teachers to change growing up, I wanted my parents to change, I wanted my bosses to change, I even went so far as requesting that organizations with thousands of people change. My efforts haven’t been totally fruitless, but admittedly in dealing with the big guys it was very limited.

So why bother with this particular career advice?

You need to understand, if you are going to take career advice like this the benefits can be hard to realize at first, but can come in time. The idea is not to get too emotionally attached to the outcome. The truth is my dissatisfaction with the status quo has gotten me exactly where I need to be.

I’m in a business where I get to change lives, help people find careers they love, build businesses that start with a single idea, and in my opinion – at least attempt to – create world peace.  I’m an optimist, a relentlessly dissatisfied optimist, so it’s no wonder that I believe that world peace is possible.

I believe that every single person on Earth has the capability to work in a job that they find meaningful and I am dissatisfied that more than 80% of people do not feel their job is a great fit for them.

I KNOW that our current thinking around work and work/life balance (which doesn’t exist in my opinion) is completely flawed and it keeps people severely unhappy.  If people did something they loved rather than something for money or obligation then I think we will be one step closer to world peace.  

That’s my bigger vision and I’m dissatisfied that we are not there yet. And truthfully, we never will be, at least not in my lifetime. I can keep giving career advice though, practicing career coaching. This is my reason for waking up, however. And in my own business, it’s how relentless dissatisfaction and being the squeaky wheel contribute to my success as an award-winning coach.

I may be totally unreasonable in thinking that I can make the world change, and I know I can’t do it alone. I can be part of it though. I can change my world, my perception of the world.  Isn’t that a better place to start than nowhere at all?

How does this career advice affect you in a corporate setting?

How does this career advice affect you in a corporate setting?

By asking, and by being like Jarrod, you have a better chance of getting what you want. And why shouldn’t you have what you want? Do you know how the successful get to where they are… they 1) Get clear on what they want; and 2) Ask for what they want.

I have seen it time and time again with my clients. When I give career advice to “ask for what you want” the response they get is often favourable in some form or another.

!!!PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!!!

According to research done by PayScale…

“If you were to ask your employer for a raise, your chances of receiving one is fairly good. Seventy percent of employees who have asked for a raise received one. Thirty-nine percent of those who asked for a raise received the amount they asked for. Another 31 percent got a raise that is less than the amount they requested. The remaining 30 percent did not get a raise.”

~PayScale

And yet, only 37% of workers have ever asked for a raise. Given the statistics, EVERYONE should be the squeaky wheel. Take this career advice… ALWAYS ask for what you want. Yes! You need to be strategic, timed, well-spoken and maybe not so “squeaky” but you MUST ask!

So what are the 5 Bold Reasons To Be The Squeaky Wheel?

1. Your chances of getting what you want go up simply by asking!
2. If you don’t ask for what you want, every single time, the answer is already a no. Why not hear it from them!
3. People who ask for what they want and get rejected develop resiliency. If you don’t get a no, then ask a different way. Make them say no to you… although, it’s more likely you will get a yes in some form or another.
4. Successful people ask for what they want.
5. It will help you get clear on what you truly value and help you remove fear.

So I say go for it, take this advice, be unreasonable! Ask for what you want. Be the squeaky wheel.

If you want to learn more about negotiating for more of what you want in your career please do reach out to me directly, I want to hear from you.