5 Questions You Shouldn#8217;t Be Afraid to Ask Your Boss

5 Questions You Shouldn8217t Be Afraid to Ask Your Boss There is a fine line between being toopermissive and being too demanding and this is especially true in the workplace. On the one hand, if you simply accept the status quo without questioning anything, you might skate past everyones elendice.Your contributions, concerns, desires, and ambitions could go unrecognized, especially in the corporate environments that often reward demanding, assertive behavior.You need to be at least a little demanding if you want to get ahead but not too demanding, or you may come across as a high-maintenance and self-important.To strike the perfect balance between self-centerednessand passivity in the workplace, you need to know how and when to ask the right kinds of questions. Here are five such questions that a career-minded individual should never be afraid to ask their boss just dont be too aggressiveabout t hem1. Can I Havea Raise?You shouldntfear this question, but you should be judicious about when you ask it. You want to make sure the timing is right, for maximum positive effect.If you have any of the following information on hand when you ask this question, youll be platzdeckchenting yourself up for success and you wont come across as demanding or unrealisticExamples of additional responsibility youve taken on since your last raise.Evidence that you are outperforming your peers or going above and beyond the call of duty regularly.Evidence that your peers who you are performing comparably areearning mora than you are.A higher salary offer from a prospective employer.This information wont guarantee you araise, but it will ensure that you appear justified in your approach. Management wont think youre totally off-base, and thats a good thing.2. Can I Have More Responsibility?You might worry that, if you ask this question, youll be given additional work that is either overwhelming or b eyond your capabilities. If thats the case, just remember thatyou are the one making the advance. As a result, you have the chance to propose additional duties that you feel comfortable with.If your manager does offer duties outside of your comfort zone, consider askingfor additional support in terms of training and or development before taking the responsibilities on.Now, why, exactly, should you ask for more responsibility?Because doing so will show your boss that youre a team player. Demonstrate your commitment to the company, and you may earn yourself a promotion and/or a pay raise in no time.3. Can I Have Some Help?You may be the type tosoldier on without help even when you feel overwhelmed, but that can be a foolish decision. If you dont ask for help and then fail to meet your targets, do you think your boss will accept I didnt want to wound my pride as an excuse?If you feel overwhelmed by your workload, take a cold, hard look at whats on your plate.Determine what sort of addi tional resources you may need in order to meet your targets, and then make a quantified request for help from your boss. That way, youll be bringing your boss the solution, and not the problem and thats always the best way to get the help you need.4.What Are My Goals?Many companies are so busy fighting fires that important things like goal assignment can goneglected. Dont suffer in silence, working aimlessly without any clear goals or objectives.Doing so will only result in more pain for you and your manager down the line.It is your managers basic duty to assign you clear goals. If you dont have them, how can you be expected to meet or exceed performance expectations?If you dont have goals, ask your manager. If the goals still fail to surface, prepare your own set of goals and propose them to your manager.5. Can I Have Tool X to Work More Efficiently?In resource-starved, cash-strapped environments, it can seem futile or even greedy to ask for better tools to increase your efficienc y. However,you should never fear asking for performance-boosting resources as long as youdo it the right way, of course.Show your boss your current productivity rate, and then forecast your future productivity rate with the new tool. As long as you can demonstrate a significant ROI to your boss,you should never be afraid to ask for more resources, no matter what the environment is like.-For somepeople, asking for thingscomes quite easily for others, its a major challenge. If you want to get ahead in your career, though, you need to be ready to push for what you need whenit comes down to it. Be prepared to ask the right questions, in the right way, at the right time, and youll set yourself up for career success.