You are bringing Redeemable Value that garners a raise
You have Leverage that garners you a raise
Ideally, your hard work should be rewarded. Administration sees the early mornings and long days, the work you are doing outside to improve yourself, and the direct relationship you have with the athletes. In truth, administration probably does not see any of this, nor do they care. Admin will puff you up with phrases like, “strength staff are the most important piece of any athletic department for their tireless work ethics and the value they bring to the athlete.” This will be followed by no increase in compensation, because it is not you that is the perceived value. They believe the construct of physical development is the value, and the people that make up that department are interchangeable.
It is common practice in business to ask for raises. For some reason, it has become taboo to broach the subject with a superior. It has a connotation of you being ungrateful. The harder truth is that Strength coaches are not intuitive in understanding their value. Strength coaches have a hard time expressing their desire for increased compensation. We more than likely worked for extended periods of time with no compensation, giving a perception that time does not count. Consider a raise as making up for back-pay you are owed for time served.
In regards to Redeemable Value, you have to view time served unpaid as experience. The intent was to increase your understanding and to network, so the time can still count towards experience. A football coach that played at a high level would be viewed as valuable on the job experience for an aspiring coach. Why is interning in S&C viewed any differently? Your Value is the aggregate of all the experiences, knowledge, and responsibilities you bring. You have to look at it as: if you were to leave, how much money or time would it take to replace all of that? If you are paid 35k a year and you oversee the equivalent of three people’s jobs, then asking for a raise is justified. Do the math: 35k multiplied by three is a heck of a lot more than raising you by 3500.
There is a rule in business: never take the counter-offer. It always leads to resentment that you earned your increase in salary the ‘wrong way’. Any profession that is competitive has a lot of lateral moves. Movement is movement in some regards. A fresh start sometimes is the best thing for someone’s career. Having another job opportunity gives the chance for your current employer to match. The question becomes: why were you looking for another job? If the reason is because you were miserable, taking the counter offer to stay is a bad idea. If you love where you are and did not want to leave in the first place, you have more to consider. The humble-loyal coach may view turning down the offer without even broaching the subject with your current employer as a sound strategy. There is merit here. There is also an opportunity for you to see if your loyalty is actually valued. If they come back and say you should take that, your reasons to stay may be unwarranted.
As an administrator, I encourage my employees to seek better. Good coaches have more opportunities. Bad coaches have fewer opportunities. My job when I hire is to have as many good people as possible; with that comes a certain amount of turnover. I would much rather have a good coach that wants to move up. I would take that everytime over bad coaches who stay around forever. It also ties into the work environment. A Growth Mindset environment is one where employees feel like each day matters. Their resume is the product of not just the places they have been but the value they brought to those places.
My hope is that people leave for one of two reasons: more money or a higher position. I cannot argue that one bit. People wanting to leave because they are unsatisfied with the work is a reflection of me and the environment I created. For me, once they tell me they are going to make more money or have a better position – I push them out. Because I have another person waiting to take their spot. This starts the whole process over and eliminates stagnant work environments. You have accomplished the goal; it may be hard to leave, but that does not change the fact that you now have to go.
Take solace knowing that it is not easy to ask for more in any circumstance. The question is: can you justify the ask with concrete evidence that you deserve it. Demonstrate the value you are bringing and what it would cost to replace that. If you have another opportunity that is a lateral move but more money, ask yourself: how much am I worth? The perceived value sometimes is not seen until someone else has to replace your skill and talent. Tread lightly because this could be resented but is also doing your employer a favor. The cost of replacing an employee is immense: interviews, setting them up with HR, orientation, on the job training, and all the little things that need to be replaced. Have perspective on what it is you are asking, prepare to justify the ask, and present in a clear and concise manner.