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You are at your new position having been promoted, and the reality has settled in. What next? Your mind goes on a trip on the new expectations that your boss and company have placed on you. At the same time, you’re wondering how it will affect relationships with your former peers who have now become your juniors.
At first, the news of your promotion was very pleasurable to you because it was a long-held dream. The first thing that comes to mind when you get promoted is how it will impact your income positively.
After that, you decide to celebrate the milestone by treating yourself and also inviting a couple of close friends to rejoice with you. The promotion was well deserved because you had put in the work and managed to make an undeniable contribution to the growth of the department. Additionally, you have gone the extra mile to solve problems and even exemplify better ways of executing projects.
The new position pressures
A new position needs recalibration of professional relationships with everyone in your office. Those colleagues who were your seniors are now your peers. This new position will reset how they view and treat you.
You are also dealing with scrutiny from everyone, especially your former colleagues who want to see if this new authority will “change” you.
The workload is now different and bigger because of new responsibilities and you need to organize how you’ll go about it.
When you get promoted you also have to confront both internal and external pressure. The external pressure comes from your seniors and managers who expect you to prove that they made the right decision in promoting you. If that position was occupied by someone else who left, expect comparison.
For example, when Peter Ndegwa C.E.O of Safaricom Plc took the reins of power at the Telco giant, Bob Collymore’s shadow loomed over him from the beginning. Collymore was an outstanding corporate leader who took Safaricom to extraordinary levels of market dominance.
Now you have to figure out how to assert yourself as a unique leader who does things differently to achieve better results than their predecessor.
Internal pressure comes from self. You will have to deal with crippling thoughts of self-doubt, fear, and rapid second-guessing. According to the Harvard Business Review, you’ll also have to encounter former peers who won’t adjust to your new position and authority. It will be up to you to develop a thick skin to handle them with respect but also authority.
The tricky balance between humility and authority is a new hurdle that you’ll have to cross. Because on one hand you can’t allow the position to get in your head and you treat your juniors like subjects or slaves. On the other hand, Jen Su says on HBR that you risk being a pushover if you don’t set clear boundaries.
What to do about the dilemma
This good rose comes with thorns but there is something you can do about the thorns. Let’s look at things you can do in this new position and even for future promotions.
Be patient
The transition into a new position of authority will elicit different reactions from everyone. Positive alignments to your new role and position won’t happen overnight. You have to accept that opinions about you won’t change overnight.
People will respond differently. There is a category of people who will cooperate fully with you. You also have people who will take time to adjust but will finally come around. However, you also have a crop of people who Jen Su calls “tough cookies”. Tough cookies are those people who still treat you like an assistant or even ignore your instructions.
Su recommends that you cultivate patience such that these tough cookies won’t get under your skin. Don’t give in to their whims every time you’re provoked but also don’t agree to be pushed over. Find the balance.
Don’t make the transition too drastic
Take time to settle in your new position. Tread slowly and cautiously. Let the dust settle. Watch the transition take effect naturally and progressively. You might be excited to talk about the ideas you have for the team.
Experts advise that you temper your enthusiasm at the beginning.
Because it might be misconstrued by team members easily. Instead, you should listen and learn from them then over time you’ll learn how to assert yourself. And when you’re ready to share your vision for the team, focus on the interests of the company instead of taking the spotlight.
This way people will not easily misjudge your intentions.
Build bridges
It simply means cultivating deeper relationships with your colleagues intentionally. Reach out to your new peers and get to know them better. You can invite them for lunch or a snack and find out how they tackle their tasks.
Ask your new colleagues things you should know about the team and show them how you can support them as a partner and teammate. They can counsel you by sharing ideas on how you can go about different issues.
Fuzu courses and coaches
Fuzu has curated leadership courses that will help you navigate your new status. Secondly, the career coaches have been where you are and can guide you better on how to handle your promotion.
Courses
For first-time leaders, you can start with leadership courses. For example, Effective People Leadership. This course provides you with a map or blueprint which you can use to build a team.
Such a course helps you know how to enhance your team’s potential and inspire them to perform better at their job. You won’t be clueless even after being promoted. These leadership courses will give you the most common management styles and essential leadership skills.
There’s another free course entitled “Building great teams” that will help you manage teams that consist of different kinds of personalities. You’ll know how to coach a team and mentor them so that they accomplish above and beyond what’s expected of them.
Leverage coaching
Professional career coaches will help you grow into your new position by asking powerful questions. Since coaches are guided by ethics, they’ll keep the information you share discrete. That means that you can share your frustrations and disappointments freely. Fuzu’s career coaches help you unpack your emotions and give you personalized feedback.
That way you won’t have to figure things out on your own. You’ll also avoid common mistakes that many newbie seniors make.
Conclusion
According to Inc.com, 71% of managers believe that leadership is a skill, not a trait. That is why your managers promoted you because you have the skill to lead that department. You should therefore take advantage of the leadership courses and coaching programs to keep sharpening your leadership skills.