My recollections of the first attempts to swim were more about just being able to hold my breath under water rather than actually performing any particular stroke. Holding my breath has also served me well in my professional career.

Yesterday had some moments ... some interesting, others fun, but mostly challenging.

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is from Patty Azzarello and covers how to get a raise (even in this economy). Azzarello is the founder and CEO of Azzarello Group, a unique services organization that works with companies and individuals to build success and develop talent. You can check out her blog and connect with her on Twitter.

When I was in my early 20’s I learned an important lesson. I was working in a start-up company and had gone 3 years without a raise.

Learning the wrong way

So I went to the CEO and asked for a raise. He asked why.

Among other things, I said that I had been working for 3 years without a raise, and that I had taken on more and more responsibility over that time, and that I always delivered and often exceeded expectations. I told him it was becoming un-motivating to feel I was working so hard and not moving forward in pay, and peers in other companies were making more money than I was…

He said he didn’t care. It wasn’t his problem. He only cared about what the cost was to replace me, and he could replace me for my salary or less – so no raise.

Your job is a contract with your company. You don’t get a raise for good attendance, or because you feel like you deserve one. You earn a raise by increasing the value of your contribution.

And if you want to get that raise, you need to re-negotiate your contract on terms that are relevant and valuable to your company, not based on what you want or need. And you have to ask.

1. YOU Drive the process

Know that you are at a disadvantage by not having this conversation.

It is vitally important that you and your boss share a common view of your performance and your expectations for promotion and compensation, even if your boss does not drive this discussion. Of the 20-something years I worked in a corporation for a boss, I did my own performance review 17 times, just to make sure that there were never any disconnects.

2. Understand how you and your role are perceived

It is important to know if you are perceived as a high, average or low performer. Don’t ever guess about this. There should never be any surprises about this. Find out.

Also make sure you know how much your ROLE is valued by the company. For example you don’t want to be the superstar performer leading the support team for an obsolete product. You may be great, but need to move into a higher valued role to get a raise.

Once you confirm that you are a high performer then go on to build your case for what you want. If you are not perceived as a high performer – fix that first. Understand what it takes, and focus on adding value, before you start asking for things.

3. Discuss your raise as part of a business outcome

The basic premise here is: If I do this, what is it worth to the company? Here are some things you can say:

• Last year, this is what I accomplished and this is my current compensation.
• I would like to raise the bar for the upcoming year, and deliver more value to the company.
• And If I were to add these additional business outcomes, exceed these goals, etc, would that be worth more to the company? How much more?
• What business outcome would I need to accomplish that would be worth this level of pay, or this promotion?
• Can we agree that if I deliver this, you will give me that?

4. Follow up on the specifics…

• 9 months ago, we agreed on performance objectives which if accomplished would result in increased compensation.
• I believe I have delivered on all of these and then some, and I also took on this additional project which has benefited the company by increasing our margin on this product line.
• Do you agree? Can I get your feedback on my accomplishments? … (Assuming it’s very positive then…..)
• Will you be increasing my compensation for next year, per our agreement?

If the answer is, No, for some reason outside performance, you need to get a next agreement. As long as you keep focused on business outcomes, you are on the high ground.

• If your hands are tied right now, I would like to understand the timeline of what is possible, and if it’s not a raise, is there [stock, bonus, promotion, etc.] that could be possible?
• I’m very motivated, but I think you can understand that at some point this level of performance will be hard to keep delivering if it is not recognized by the company, what do you advise?
• You have my commitment to keep delivering for you, but I can you help me understand what I can expect over time in terms of the company being able to hold up our prior agreement about my performance and compensation?
• And my personal favorite… If you were in my position, how long would YOU keep performing at this level with my current compensation?

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with this approach? Do you have something else that has worked in the past? Let us know in the comments!

How do we know if incentives are powerful motivators or foolish "tricks of the trade"?

Last year, it seemed the notion of "at least you still have a job" was actually part of the messaging on which the low increases were tempered. This year, however, with the economy at least showing tepid signs of recovery, that may not be enough to keep workers motivated and engaged.

When Rich DeMatteo -- the creator of the job search, recruiting and HR blog Corn On The Job -- approached me months ago to write a few hundred words for him and Penelope Trunk at the Brazen Careerist about career advice and "what I knew about getting a job" I thought: Right on.

What I submitted ended up being unconventional anecdotal advice, but for someone who grew up channeling the middle-of-the-road spirit of Richie Cunningham, sometimes I like to surprise, be giddy and cut to the left.

My advice became associated with 17 other smarter folk than me in an eBook titled: What I Know About Getting A Job - Advice from the Top Bloggers in Human Resources. It's free to download, so please, be my guest.

It's a great read full of multifaceted gems. Here are a few:

• The best thing you can do for your career after your education is to get a strong set of mentors.
• Know your destination and pursue it with complete abandon.
• There’s a really old saying “you’re network is your net worth.” It’s true.
• Do people respect you? Listen to you? Do your actions matter in this world? A job is what you do with your down time. Answering those questions will set you free.
• So when you choose your career path, above all choose one that will make you happy. Don’t settle for anything less.
• Be different and be distinct. Leave the gimmicks behind. It all comes down to you.
• It is possible to love your job, respect your employer, feel valued, and do work you care about. Promise.
• If your career provides the income and flexibility to pursue your real passions, then you’re in brilliant shape.

No, I didn't quote myself (wink).

A brief note on the first one, which was Penelope Trunk's advice: It's critical to have a strong set of mentors.

They can come in the form of a formal mentorship program at school or work, or they can be informal mentors, those guides and muses in your life you've grown close to and whose "life" advice is invaluable, a few of which for me are included in this eBook.

True, work can and should hold meaning for you, but it can also be callous and transitory.

Your mentors are a special lot; keep them close to your heart and let them know how much they mean to you.

And become one someday.

"A spirit with a vision is a dream with a mission." ~Neil Peart

Post by Kevin W. Grossman (join me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn - and now join HRmarketer on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn!)

Somehow or another I have been blissfully unaware of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball until this point in my life.

Just when you think you have heard and seen it all. Of course, with the Govenator making his grand entrance into the world of compensation, all bets are off.

My buddy Chris Ferdinandi and I chat throughout the day about what’s going in HR, social media and the world. Now I don’t know about anybody else but I work from home. So I’ve got a crew of co-workers, colleagues and friends that I keep in touch with throughout the week. Chris is on that list for sure.

We always talk about ways to simplify processes, explanations and solutions. The fight for simplicity is difficult though because you’re not only fighting against people who have skin in making things more complicated, you’re also fighting against your own natural tendency to make things more difficult than they deserve.

So I’ll tell someone that being great in HR is really simple. If you have great talent, get out of their way. If you don’t, fix it or get out.

And then someone will ask me how do they get out of their no-win scenario using these principles. Like it’s a game of stump me or something. Look, if you have a situation that is going to suck no matter what, pick a side and move on.

And people will ask me how to start a blog. So I’ll tell them pick a platform, write and connect with people who write about the same things as you.

Then someone will ask me about SEO and specific platforms and comment systems and how to set strategy?

Someone will ask me the best way to do a resume. I’ll tell them to compel the company to hire you by aligning your traits and skills with their need.

But then they will ask me about cover letters or typos. How many jobs or pages should it be?

Or someone asks me how to use Twitter. So I’ll tell them to start an account, start tweeting and following other people who you think are interesting.

Questions are asked about timing, how often, how much, retweets and…

Step back for a second.

Figure out what works for you and do it. If that doesn’t work, try something else. Or don’t.

There’s no set of “best practices” for your life. Stop over-complicating things and just live a bit.

To all who succumb to the occasional sin of looking down our nose smugly at other cultures whose norms and institutions may at times appear super-righteous or simply peculiar we need to simply look in the mirror.