Negotiating in Your Power, In the Fullness of Yourself

A Conversation with Salary Negotiation Expert and Two-Time Author Kate Dixon

I tend to read pretty voraciously, especially on topics related to the healthcare industry and physician compensation. I recently read Avoid These Three Mistakes in Your Next Salary Negotiation and found the advice to be both spot-on and sage.

I reached out to Kate Dixon, Principal and Founder of Dixon Consulting, who specializes in corporate salary negotiation coaching and compensation solutions, to discuss collaborating on salary negotiation from both the corporate and physician perspectives — and she graciously agreed! I interviewed Kate regarding her book Pay Up!. We discussed our shared client success stories, professional experiences, and best advice for negotiating successfully.

Here is an excerpt from our conversation.

Jessica – SCC

There are two points in your book Pay Up! that I want to share with people. You write:

1. Your ability to stick with the discomfort inherent in negotiation conversations is key to your success.
2. When you’re clear, you’re more confident, and when you’re more confident, you’ll negotiate better.

That is the crux of what we do to help clients and why seeking salary negotiation advice is so important. These are uncomfortable conversations. But, the more you do it, the more you’ll be successful at it, and the more you’ll be comfortable and collaborative. It won’t feel like a punishment, and you’ll look forward to going into those conversations.

Please share with me what is most rewarding for you working with clients.

Kate – KDC

The positive energy that is generated by people advocating for themselves in a positive way, really having their eyes open and understanding their (compensation) package fully, and hopefully, they will be successful in getting something if they ask, even though it may not be exactly what they want.

So when people enter an employment relationship having done all those things, they show up in their power, in the fullness of themselves in a way they don’t get to do if they opt out of the salary negotiation process. I love seeing people in the fullness of themselves going into an employment relationship because that is showing their best selves to their employer. The employer is very happy to get that as well. It’s a good thing.

People have less self-doubt. They don’t wonder if they left some things on the table. They don’t think maybe I could have gotten a better deal. Not knowing that stuff can eat away at you. I kind of imagine it like a superhero. You put on that suit and people know you’re a superhero now, and you feel more like a superhero, and that is good for the world.

Jessica – SCC

Yes! And that transparency of going into employment knowing the components of your compensation, negotiating, and being confident in that, is so empowering, and it’s the best part of working with clients – what could be better?!

Learn More about the Power of Negotiation

This conversation was powerful and positive and highlights how negotiation conversations can be collaborative and empowering and how showing up in the “fullness of your power” can lead to an incredibly fulfilling work experience for both employees and employers.

Click here to watch the full video.

Get Help with Surgeon Contract Negotiation

For more information about SCC and how we use the latest physician compensation data to help surgeons level the playing field and negotiate successfully, contact us today. We’d love to help you review your compensation!

Kate’s book Pay Up! — a fantastic reference guide to salary negotiation at any stage of your career — is available here.