ALT-1 Get that Raise know how to Play your Boss like a Fiddle
It might be a big mistake going into a meeting with your boss to ask for a raise thinking that you are going to "play him like a fiddle." Unless your boss is very stupid, this kind of ploy is dangerous and has a high probability of failure. The only way that anyone can play anyone else is if they know that person very well. Playing someone means knowing exactly what buttons to push and what strings to pull. In order to do this successfully and not have the opposite outcome from the one you are seeking, you'd better study your boss like he was your final exam.
In order to successfully manipulate (I mean "influence") your boss it is necessary to really pay attention to how he interacts with you and with other employees. If you hardly ever see your boss, you will not be able to "play" him. But if you are able to see him in many different situations and interactions, pay attention to what he responds to positively and what he responds to negatively. You are really trying to nail down his personality with very little information.
What makes him angry and what pleases him? Does he respond to compliments or does he see right through them. Can he be flattered with recognition of how well the company is doing? Does he interact differently with males and females? Does he like directness or does he like to start with small talk? I had an interaction with a business man who was a lawyer and owned the business I was working for. He was talking to me about taking a certain position in the business and being paid separately for this work. Essentially, he wanted me to spy on my immediate supervisor. He asked me what I thought about some baseball game and I said I didn't follow baseball. I didn't like baseball. He laughed and said, "You always need to follow sports so you can start a business discussion with some small talk about sports before getting into the nitty gritty." So learn your boss's style of interacting, what he is used to and comfortable with.
So if you want to activate the most positive side of your boss when asking for a raise, you'd better know him better than your best friend.
