Pick Your Moment

When you raise it matters as much as what you raise. A few rules of thumb:

• Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons — attention is low
• Skip days packed back-to-back with meetings
• Aim for a slot when your manager has room to actually think

Do not corner them as they rush out of their fifth call. Catch them on a day with breathing space. And bring three things: a clear ask, a specific outcome, and an easy next step. Drop any one and the case softens into a chat that ends in "let's revisit" — and quietly dies.