Want an increment? Shake up your boss's confidence

LONDON: Want a raise but afraid to talk to your boss?
  
Catch him while having lunch, playing golf or working out, where he is unlikely to feel the power of his position. But if you do have to talk in the boss's office, try to say something that shakes his or her confidence. Chances are that you might get an increment more than you ever expected.
  
According to new research, the best way to get leaders to consider new ideas is to put them in a situation where they don't feel as powerful.
  
Powerful people have confidence in their thinking and it is hard to change their notion about something, lead author Pablo Brinol said.
  
The study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggested that results mattered when people were feeling powerful before or after they received a persuasive message. If the message came right after their power was made relevant to them, then powerful people would be difficult to persuade because they were confident in their existing opinions. 
  
However, if people could be made to feel powerful right after a strong persuasive message, attitude change was more likely because powerful individuals would feel confident in the positive thoughts they generate to the message.