Jordan Cox

I can not overstate how important it is to encourage people to take breaks. The brain is an incredible thing but it does not do well continually working on the same problem for long periods. It's amazing what stepping away for even a few moments can do to reset the brain and allow for new insights. Even better if that break takes you outside or somewhere else equally different from your normal work area. Sometimes you may even need to switch tasks for a while to let other parts of the brain continue working in the background.

Staying calm is vital to truly being assertive. You may be able to get your way by acting out or getting agitated but it will not be due to people respecting your points or you, it will be purely because you made a scene. Although this sort of strategy may work to get something, it will undermine you and devalue your inputs later down the line. It's also important that when you do have to break your calm, it means something and people understand that it's serious. There will come a day where you do need something to happen urgently and it really is a big deal - if you've been the "boy who cried wolf" 1,000 times before, no one will listen when it does matter.

Feelings of imposter syndrome can be a negative and it's worth working to overcome them. But don't forget that feeling and don't stop trying to improve yourself. Continue to learn and stay up to date with skills and the industry.

Silence is more powerful and useful in more situations than just this. Most humans hate silence in communications and have a natural desire to end it. The longer you let it go on, the more powerful that desire will grow in people. If you have nothing else that you need to say, then less is more when it comes to talking. Let the other person do the talking once you've made your points.

I continue to learn the power of clear communication. It's easy to take for granted that people are aware of your feelings, needs, wants, and other aspects driving you. You may even be the kind of person that invests in understanding others. However, it's vital to note that many people are simply bad at this skill, and others may not understand your particular perspective. If you need something, say it. If you think you're undervalued, don't sit around hoping someone will notice, say so. If you think you should be paid more, tell them exactly why and be clear that you aren't asking them as a favor, you are telling them you're worth more.

It can be hard to find the market rate for your role so don't be afraid to have a conversation with your peers at other companies, previous workplaces, and even people you know well at the place you plan to be negotiating. While companies have stigmatized salary discussions, that's really the best way for employees to know the worth of their current skillset and I encourage it - and no matter what anyone says, it's legal.