Congratulations! Your hard work and dedication have finally paid off and you’ve received the promotion you thoroughly deserve. Now the real work begins!
Receiving a promotion is an exciting time in any career but it’s important to realise that with each promotion comes added responsibilities and the need to adapt. A promotion brings with it fresh opportunities…and fresh challenges. There will be days of frustration but understanding that this is part of the path to personal growth will see you embrace these challenges knowing you will come out of them a better person.
It’s important to approach the new position in the right way in order to help set expectations for yourself and others. Here’s our 7 best tips for settling into your new role.
- Determine your leadership style. If this is your first management position it’s important to set a style that is consistent for your staff to follow. Are you someone who likes to delegate? Do you prefer to have the final say and if so at what level? Unless your position is newly established then existing staff will have expectations based on your predecessor. This should be taken into account so the transition is as smooth as possible for all concerned.
- Get to Know the Position…then make changes. It’s tempting, when first being promoted to a new position, to want to make your mark on the role. Often introducing some new initiatives can help you stamp your authority but as tempting as this is it can be wiser to listen and observe. Unless you’ve been sent in to trouble shoot it may be best to understand how your new area of responsibility operates. Make notes on areas you feel could be changed but observe first, then even discuss your conclusions with fellow managers and department staff before implementing change, so all are onboard.
- Get to know your employees. Management is all about leadership and communication and developing a rapport with your staff is a clear step to doing this. It’s important to sit down and have a one on one meeting with each person where practical. This helps build respect which is the cornerstone of any effective manager’s role.
- Choose a mentor. One of the most important things that any aspiring manager can do is build a relationship with someone who has already achieved the results they want. A mentor has been critical to the success of many business leaders. If you don’t already have a mentor then make this a priority. You might feel reluctant to ask but most experienced managers and business leaders would be happy to help you, after all they’ve been in your shoes before and know the benefits that a sounding board can provide. Look around your organisation…who do you respect and admire? Which managers further up the chain of command would make a good role model for you to follow?
- Don’t be a friend. This is one area where many managers can ultimately lose the respect of their staff. It is tempting to become a “buddy” and “one of the gang” and in the short term this may provide benefits but longer term it can be difficult to make tough decisions from this position, and you run the risk of ultimately alienating your staff. By all means get to know something of their personal life but draw the line at being involved in their personal dramas. This can be difficult if you’ve been promoted from within the ranks and your friends become your subordinates but it is part and parcel of the work environment and needs to be dealt with.
- Be yourself. It’s important you don’t let your new position go to your head. There will be those who might be jealous of your new role, especially if they had hoped to get it themselves. Don’t let this worry you. You’ve earned the right to be where you are. Savior it, but don’t use it as an opportunity to laud over others. You’ve been promoted for the qualities you possess so don’t feel you now have to be someone different.
- Communication. The biggest frustration for staff in any organisation is not knowing. Any issues of morale that affect a company comes back more often than not, to a failure by management to communicate effectively. Keep your staff informed about the things they need to know. If you don’t have regular meetings collectively and individually then you are failing in one of the most important areas of your job.
A promotion can be daunting, especially if it’s your first time in management, but don’t let it unsettle you. Follow these tips and you’ll be well on the road to success!
