> I thought back to something a friend of mine says, "channel your inner middle-aged white man who'd feel entitled to ask for more". (Note that this is a statement said in jest, based on research that men are more likely to ask for raises, and doesn't have any racist undertones)
While I take the joke and sentiment at face value, as a member of said demographic, the word I think they were looking for is "dignity," and while it's a rare quality nobody has a monopoly on, it is precisely the value that institutions try to grind out of you, and what you need to negotiate effectively. It's the x-factor in leadership, the quality that causes dogs to stop barking, the dishonest to froth, women to swoon, children to feel safe, young people to seek mentoring, customers to sign with enthusiasm, staff to be loyal, trades to do a bit extra, service workers to feel elevated, antagonists to cease their hostilities, and yes, employers to give due consideration to whether they have made their best offer.
It was a funny aside in a valuable article, and self-deprecation is a peculiar UK/CAN thing, but I didn't get the impression the author knew enough to make a joke about it, and they should be more confident in the value and integrity they can provide, as they've done some really cool and fasctinating stuff and should own that.
While I take the joke and sentiment at face value, as a member of said demographic, the word I think they were looking for is "dignity," and while it's a rare quality nobody has a monopoly on, it is precisely the value that institutions try to grind out of you, and what you need to negotiate effectively. It's the x-factor in leadership, the quality that causes dogs to stop barking, the dishonest to froth, women to swoon, children to feel safe, young people to seek mentoring, customers to sign with enthusiasm, staff to be loyal, trades to do a bit extra, service workers to feel elevated, antagonists to cease their hostilities, and yes, employers to give due consideration to whether they have made their best offer.
It was a funny aside in a valuable article, and self-deprecation is a peculiar UK/CAN thing, but I didn't get the impression the author knew enough to make a joke about it, and they should be more confident in the value and integrity they can provide, as they've done some really cool and fasctinating stuff and should own that.