What metrics do you use to justify a pay raise?

To justify a promotion you want to be able to show impact, followership and consistency. You want to be able to say 1. this is what I did 2. this is how I did it 3. I'm operating at this level consistently. 

1. Impact: show with numbers the impact that your initiatives had on the business, and point to your leadership / actions that enabled it. Quantifying your impact to the business, and leading these types of initiatives is key.

2. Followership: Build a strong followership of teammates and cross functional partners who would pound the table for your promotion. Operate in a way that you are an effective collaborator, make room for other people's ideas, and people enjoy working with you. 

3. Consistency: Show consistency (6-12 months) of operating at this high level, driving impact and building your followership. You must show that you have truly upleveled your skills across several initiatives vs. a one off big win.

When looking at performance evaluations regarding compensation adjustments there are two paths that I look at

1. Compensation adjustment no role change

2. Compensation adjustment w/ role change

If I am looking at a compensation adjustment without changing the role, this is more ensuring the employee is being properly compensated as it relates to the current pay band and able to see financial growth in the role even if not ready for the promotion. I tend to look at consistency in performance and meeting the needs of the role (but generally not demonstrating readiness for the next level).

Regarding promotions, I am typically looking at consistently exceeding performance and demonstrating the ability to meet the expectations of the responsibilities for the next-level role. In these situations, I have typically worked with the team member to set clear goals and metrics around what success looks like for this type of role adjustment (specific outcomes based on projects and deliverables) that would indicate readiness for the advancement in their career.