Exactly this! There is no reason why both laborer and company can't be happy. Work is a mutually beneficial arrangement and as a manager I get to make sure that is true for both parties! I hate when people have the mentality that life, work, or happiness is a zero sum game.

disagree. if you think you're being over paid you probably aren't. If company is paying you an exorbitant amount of money it probably means they think you are indisposable.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but this is the other side of your perspective.

If you are at $BigCorp there's probably only a rough correlation between what you are paid and what you are worth.

If that the correlation is better between how much that manager likes you and who you are related to

How does that mentality serve you when it's time to negotiate your salary or benefits?

IF you're worth way more than you're getting paid, negotiations should be super easy. This is probably a terrible analogy, but think of working like mining diamonds and the employer like selling cut stones. If you mine huge diamonds with fairly regular frequency asking to get paid more is a no brainer for you and the company.

It's served me fairly well so far. The key isn't to minimize my ask; the key is maximize my value and then ask for something where I'm making good money and the company is making that amount plus all the benefits and other costs plus a margin on my labor so everyone leaves the transaction better off. The last thing I want is for a company in the business of employing @sokoloff to be in a money-losing business thereby.