How to ask for what you want at work

You've been waiting for your manager to offer you the thing you could have asked for six months ago. You've done the work, you've stayed late, you've been the most reliable person in the room, and you've been hoping that would be enough for someone to notice. It usually isn't.

The hard part isn't knowing what you want. It's that the moment you open your mouth to say it, you hear yourself softening it into something so polite and so careful that the person opposite you doesn't even know you've made a request.

What you'll discover

Why "just ask" skips the part that's hard
The calculation women run before saying a word, and why the hesitation isn't irrational
The gap between how you advocate for other people and how you handle your own career
How to say what you want without burying it under three minutes of context
What a no gives you that silence never will

Perfect for women leaders and aspiring leaders who know what they want at work but keep finding reasons not to say it.

Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.

Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.

Get the full episode transcript

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.