How to Win at Negotiating Your Pay & Contract by Bethany Williams

3 Days to a Raise Interview with Misti Potter, EVP of the Boys & Girls Club

“Failure isn’t something to be afraid of, giving up is.” – Misti Potter It is hard to imagine that the well-presented executive before us was raised in a little cowpoke town in West Texas. It is even harder to visualize that this woman lost her mom at a young age, and had to work tirelessly to get a basketball scholarship so that she could attend college. It is not hard to imagine, though, why she has been so successful at her chosen occupation of leading non-profit organizations that benefit the children of the community, or why she has so much passion to do so. In her interview with Bethany Williams on the 3 Days to a Raise episode “How to Win at Negotiating Your Pay and Contract”, she highlights her first negotiation right out of college for an annual salary of $15,000 with no benefits and, laughing, attests to the fact that she has learned a little about negotiating since then. The wisdom she has learned she freely shares in the interview. “The point is, you have to build up to where you want to be. You have to be willing to put in the expertise and the work if you want to get to where you want to go.” – Misti Potter Misti recently accepted an EVP position for the Boys & Girls Club of Austin, Texas. This new position is the successor to the CEO. Leaving a position of CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County, just outside of Dallas has not been easy. She has been at the Boys & Girls Club for 17 years. She decided to move up and determined that this is an amazing opportunity for her to do just that. She joins an organization in Austin that is comprised of 22 clubs. Led by an impressive board of directors, they intend to greatly grow their presence and service offerings to the community with Misti on the team. “I chose to go in this direction because I wanted the challenge. I want to push myself. I want to get to the next level of who I want to be. I sat down and realized what a great fit Austin, Texas would be. It is a bigger market and, it affords me an ability to follow my political aspirations, and an ability to move to a national platform in the non-profit sector or remain at a local level. Regardless of where the next 7-10 years takes me, I am willing to put in the time, gain the experience and acquire the skills I will need to be able to negotiate effectively. I have learned that it is very important to know my values and value and not compromise either one. Set the plan. If you succeed, learn from it. If you fail, learn from it. It is OK if you fail. If you want it, go get it. Set up for where you want to be by preparing for it. That is what I’m doing.” – Misti Potter I can’t wait to see what’s next for you Misti Potter. Go get ‘em! We are following you on the journey and rooting for you all the way. Bethany will interview other exciting guests weekly as she works to bring knowledge and information your way. You can find her weekly shows at: 3 Days to a Raise