Whatever lip service the typical American company pays to caring for its people, each employee is viewed, to some degree, as a commodity, one of several if not countless individuals who could handle the job reasonably well, given time and training.

That does not mean you are powerless to earn the pay, promotions, time off, and other perks you want. Far from it.

Especially in today’s tight labor market, amid the Big Quit, where businesses struggle to fill job openings, the best employees have more power than they might realize. Good companies and smart bosses always want talented, engaged, self-motivated, empowered employees who like their jobs and will stick around for the long haul, helping the company avoid the considerable costs and uncertainties of hiring and training replacements. Now, with more people choosing not to work or being more selective about their job choices, all while inflation is cutting into the real value of paychecks, U.S. analysts expect a period of outsized wage and salary hikes. This year could see the largest overall pay increases since 2008.

Some workers will get bigger pieces of that larger pay pie. So how can you position yourself to benefit from this opportunity?

From my 30-plus years of experience as a manager and executive in private, non-union companies, I’ve gained considerable insight into the minds of the muckety-mucks who determine your fate and how to get what you want out of them.

But it’s not easy.

Women, in particular, face unique challenges when negotiating for a raise, promotion or other compensation, says Kathryn Valentine, founder of Worthmore Strategies, which helps women navigate their negotiations. Whereas men may negotiate aggressively on their own behalf, a similar approach by women can generate a backlash rooted in the discomfort and fear felt by their male boss, Valentine says in an insightful interview published on Protocol. She suggests women take a negotiation training course, noting that LeanIn.org offers free options.

I agree. And that in mind, what follows aims to acknowledge the many challenges of advocating for yourself while recognizing that there are good bosses and awful bosses, and you’ll need to consider your individual situation when managing your boss.

Be indispensable

It all starts with this. In hiring hundreds of people over the years and working hard to retain them, the №1 trait I valued was not mere skill or hard work but a broad mix of qualities that makes one person indispensable, another replaceable. There’s no recipe for this, but here are the ingredients:

• Work hard and enjoy what you do.
• Relish responsibility and jump in to help whenever needed.
• Know your job and stay educated about changes in the field.
• Aim to be the best you can be, of course, but be humble about it.
• Be a positive, productive team member and help your colleagues succeed.
• Communicate well up, down and across the chain.

If you’re not sure how you rank on each of these necessary traits, ask your boss. Neither of you should be afraid of an honest, constructive discussion about your strengths and weaknesses. We all have a bunch of them.

Take on the mundane tasks

If ever an employee wanted to raise my ire, the quickest way was to groan overdoing the simple, sometimes boring tasks that are often foundational to a business — stuff they view as beneath them. I’ll take respectful dedication over ego every single time.

When I was a newspaper graphics editor and manager back in the 1990s, we were the pride of the paper, cranking out informative, colorful infographics that only well-trained visual journalists could produce. We were proud of the value we created for the paper and our role in informing the public. None of us wanted to do the tedious and uncreative locator maps that were needed daily. So we all shared that duty on an informal rotational basis — even my boss, who headed up the entire art and design team and could have justified not getting his hands dirty, did his share.

Whether you’ve just been hired or you’ve been with a company for years, jump at the chance to take out the trash or clean the dishes in the break room or train a newbie. And don’t look for a blue ribbon or a gold star. Just do the work. It’ll be noticed.

Speak up and be honest

You don’t want your boss to lie to you or withhold information that would help you do your job. Likewise, if you know something that would help you get work done more efficiently or otherwise benefit the company, say so.

The more frustrating thing for me as a boss was to uncover a problem or opportunity months after someone else spotted it but was reluctant to speak up. You were hired not just to perform a set of routine tasks but also to think, provide input, and speak the truth.

If you don’t think your boss wants to hear your ideas, ask yourself if you’ve really tried, and if you’ve been insistent.

From middle management on up, bosses spend a lot of time pretending they know what they’re doing so that everyone else will perceive them as competent. In reality, a boss might be good at some things, not so good at others — just like you and me. Never does anyone boss have all the good ideas. Always should a good boss want to hear good ideas, wherever they come from.

Complain considerately

You’ve heard it before: “Don’t come to me with a problem, come with a solution.” That’s rarely easy, often not even the best advice, as it can leave serious problems buried for no good reason. But give the notion some thought before you spout your complaint. If you can’t come up with a solution, try to frame the issue as “a challenge I need help solving” instead of “this big dumbass nightmare that has my blood boiling.”

Good bosses welcome considerate questions, courteous suggestions and constructive criticisms. Consistent pissing and moaning leads to bosses and also colleagues dismissing you, rendering your voice moot.

However, it can be hard for each of us to know if our approach to problem solving and communication leans positive or negative. Our sense of self doesn’t always match what others perceive. Ask a spouse or sibling or trusted long-time work colleague if you generally approach problem-solving in a constructive or annoying manner. They’ll know.

Don’t go around your boss (unless you have to)

Bosses expect their employees to work with them, not go around them, a course of action that can quickly sour relationships all around. It’s not just about the formal hierarchy but about interpersonal relationships and trust. A good boss will listen to your ideas and suggestions, your challenges and grievances, and help you develop the good or work through the bad, or at least be honest and explain why something isn’t likely to happen.

Expect this support. When you don’t get it, confront said boss, privately and respectfully, and make sure communication is ample and clear in both directions. Make your case not just from a personal perspective but in terms of how it matters to your boss, to the team, to the entire company. If you still feel stymied, see what your co-workers say about the situation. Maybe you are the obstacle. Put on your thick skin and seek some constructive criticism — you’ll grow.

But if the boss is a jerk and you’re mad as hell and just can’t take it anymore, then, by all means, take the issue to a higher authority.

Put yourself in their shoes

You might think your managers or the bosses above them are cold-hearted, calculating, unemotional. Could be. But they are human, too.

You don’t have to fully understand the higher-ups’ jobs or personal lives to appreciate that they are under pressure to perform, meet goals and demands often set by the next person up the chain or the board members or investors. Just like you, most of them have incomplete skill sets, want to do a good job and enjoy their work, hope to head out at a reasonable hour and take an occasional day off, maybe find some joy in life. If you fail to consider this reality, your engagements with management will suffer, as will your standing in the company.

Empathy and understanding run both ways: The more you give, the more you’ll get.

Don’t apologize unless you mean it

Some people never say they’re sorry. Others apologize habitually, at any hint of criticism, constructive or otherwise. Neither approach is healthy in the workplace.

One of my most dedicated employees used to say “sorry” regularly, several times a day. It came off as a lack of self-confidence, and I felt it was holding them back in the company. So I pointed it out, and they were grateful — didn’t even realize they were doing it.

If you fuck up royally, apologize. But if a project turns out less than perfect, and you’re doing your best (or the blame belongs elsewhere), just acknowledge the issue, then fix it if you can, or move on if you can’t. Rather than say you’re sorry, express some modest gratitude and forward-thinking optimism, as in, “Thanks, I’ll fix that” or “Good point. We can do better next time.”.