ASQ InfVoices – What’s Your Case for Salary Raise?

The December Topic of ASQ Influential Voice raised by Paul Borawski (CEO, ASQ) that "2012 Salary Survey – What’s Your Case for a Rasie?" Moreover, Paul wondered what you’d tell your boss you did in the last year to increase your value to the organization such as customers more satisfied, revenue enhanced, money saved, waste reduced, lives saved, or risks managed. If today is the end of the world (21 Dec 2012), it is nothing to be considered. But the day after the end of the world, we still face how to tell your boss or customer your value.

(Photo taken during TQM Uz 2012 Forum in Uzbekistan: Currency between Uzbekistan and US)

In my experience, education (e.g. BSc, MSc, PhD) and certificates (e.g. CQE, CQA, CMQ/OE) are foundation of career. It is only affected your salary in the beginning of your career. After that I would like to suggest using personal Balance Score Card (BSC) to raise your value in the following sequence.

1. Internal Process Perspectives - Core Competence
Education and certificates could reflect personal competence. However, your working track records are more important such as implementation of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, TQM, 6 Sigma, etc.

2. Learning and Growth Perspectives - Your Attitudes
Apart from your foundation education, you need to grow according to your career development. Therefore, continuous learning and implementing new knowledge into your work is inevitable.

3. Customer Perspectives - Customer Satisfaction and Market Share
You need to consider your customer / your boss satisfactory (See Reference 1). Market share could be considered as your personal brand in your field.

4. Financial Perspectives - Shareholder Value
After considered the above 3 perspectives, you have competence, work experience and brand to create shareholder value. Financial Perspectives are the result for your measurement.

Several year ago, a book called “Double your salary twice within 5 year” for fresh-graduate. I expended ten year to achieve it. Mr. Chow said the only way to achieve this goal is Promotion. It seems more and more difficult today. My experience is the first two perspectives (Internal Process & Learning and Growth) of personal BSC could help you to double your salary in the first time. After that the remaining two perspectives could help you for the second time but it depends on your preparation and chance.

Reference:
1. Leadership Strategy - How to Reduce Conflict and Stress by Managing Your Boss - http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2012/12/leadership-strategy-how-to-reduce.html
2. CHOW Yung, Robert (周融, 2006)《5年薪金加4倍》(Double your salary twice within 5 year) - http://chowyung.com/出版著作/