Ask For It!

Today I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful event organized by a new breed of event planner, Murielle Lono, and her deliciously named company Food For Thought. "Intellectual Entertainment" is on her menu and she is bringing savory and current topics to Brussels. Today I attended Murielle's event at the Wolubis Cultural Center in Woluwe St. Lambert where American author Sara Laschever shared her insights on gender differences in negotiations. Sara is a dynamic speaker whose anecdotes not only made us laugh out loud, but also got us thinking about why most women are reluctant to negotiate for what they really want in life, both at work and in their personal lives. Her suggestion for dealing with this is refreshingly simple: Ask for it! A simple solution to an age old problem? Is it possible?

Joining her for an informal discussion were several Brussels-based business executives, including Elke Joren, HR Manager from Microsoft, Mary Pitsy, managing director from Boyden, and one brave male panelist, Etienne Van Keer, from Hudson.

I spent 30 minutes interviewing Sara for an article for an upcoming issue of Together Magazine and I hope when you read it, you will be as inspired to read her two books" Women Don't Ask" and "Ask For It", and promise yourself never to go unarmed to the negotiation table!