Promoted at work? Now what?
First, congratulations on getting a wonderful promotion! How exciting!
Getting a promotion is such a wonderful opportunity. Now that you have the new title and you’re settling into your new position, you’re likely wondering what’s next. What should you do to ensure you prove your commitment to your new role and responsibilities?
(1) Take on a positive and eager mindset.
Don’t let the idea of a new title and pay bump create anxiety. Before you let imposter syndrome set in, call the elephant in the room what it is: a dang elephant! Letting your fear of underperforming or not meeting expectations steal your joy is head trash.
Self-doubt can be such a gnarly opponent in your path toward a successful and long career. I recommend coming up with a mantra that you repeat to yourself whenever you’re feeling the self-doubt set in. Remember that you earned this promotion and this title change. You’ve already proven yourself worthy, now you need to embody your new role.
(2) Treat this new opportunity like a new job where you already know your co-workers.
Like your first day at a new job with a new employer, you should treat your first day in your promotion with the same professionalism and excitement. The only difference? You won’t be having to repeat your team members’ names over and over to remember who they are and what they do. Phew!
My recommendation is to treat this new opportunity as a new job, but where all your coworkers are familiar faces. Even so, it’s valuable to take the time to recommit to understanding the roles each of your teammates and colleagues play in the larger organization. Remember that every single person has a part to play, and its importance as a leader you understand their roles.
You were likely given a heads up that this promotion was coming and you may have even been the one gunning for it in the first place. Perhaps you put together a job description for the role in order to show you were ready for this opportunity. Alternatively, HR may have given you a job description when announcing this promotion. If either is the case, take a moment to go back and review your job description in greater detail.
(3) Go back to your new job description and make it actionable.
No new job description? No problem. Go ahead and list out your core duties and responsibilities in this new role and any goals you have for the role. This might require meeting with your manager to ensure you both are aligned in your expectations.
- To help you think about this new role more strategically, how about answering the following questions?
- How can you make each core duty in your job description actionable?
- Why does each core duty exist? How can you measure if you’re meeting the outlined purpose for each core duty?
- How do you know if you are meeting the relevant goals associated with each core duty?
- What daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly tasks do you or your team need to take on to support the goals associated with each core duty?
Here’s how I like to outline my core duties to make them actionable and executable:
- Core Duty 1:
- Action Statement
- Purpose
- Goals
- Tasks:
- Quarterly
- Monthly
- Weekly
- Daily
Note: This is a great opportunity for you to overhaul your entire Brag Book. Once you have a clear outline in place, you should start thinking about how you can track this key information for your Brag Book!
Going through the motions of identifying your core duties, the goals, and the projects you are responsible for, will help you map out a plan for tackling your new role with success.
(4) Assess the relationships you need to build to create a strong working dynamic.
I like to add to my plan a place for these important relationships, so I can always have a clear reminder of who needs to be updated, informed, and included in key conversations.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. And trust isn’t built in a day either. Trust takes time. It requires a manager who can be okay with their team sometimes making mistakes. This is how they learn. Your team will never be 100% perfect, but it can achieve progress over time. Thus, it’s okay to let perfection go in the name of your team’s ability to grow and develop over time.
Want to create your own diagram? Try MindMeister here!
(5) Get ready to listen more than you speak.
When you take on a new role it’s important to listen more than you speak. This is true of your first day at a new job, but especially true when you’ve been promoted. Why? Because office dynamics and politics can mean that you’re stepping up into a role where your former colleagues are now your direct reports or your former superiors are now you’re colleagues. This means that you may need to listen more keenly for what’s being said between the pauses of a conversation.
When Mary brings you into her office to discuss her major projects and how those might be affecting your team, she may be mentioning key information about how her team works. You’ll be privy to how she manages, makes decisions, and the expectations she has for her team members; which may also include some confidential information. You’ll want to be sure to capture down the subtleties, stressors, and pain points she mentions. This will help your team work better with hers and ensure you come into the environment ready for success.
Similarly, when you sit down with Jack to discuss how his duties now will roll up into your project, you want to be respectful of the fact that you both used to be peers. Be sure you’re acknowledging his work, his contributions, and the important information he may be sharing with you. Be professional and show appreciation for the work he does and be sure you’re acknowledging the shift in power dynamics appropriately without overdoing it.
(6) Be prepared to take things slow.
Remember that in your last role you were rocking it, but you didn’t walk in the first day and make sweeping changes? Did you? You likely took a moment to assess your surroundings before opening your mouth suggesting changes. In my experience, being patient and assessing the situation around you before proposing any changes can be a smart strategic idea. You want to be sure you know how politics work within your new role and team and this may take time.
Give yourself time to breathe in your new role, build rapport with your new colleagues and peers, and time to really understand what makes your new role tick. I guarantee taking this time to assess will give you time to build thoughtful and meaningful change over time.
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Hi, I’m Jessica
As an internationally recognized legal marketer and law firm executive, Jessica has spent her career helping attorneys pitch their services and their resumes to some of the largest global companies and CEOs in the world. Her specialty: Helping smart professionals be unforgettably hire-able. Whether you are seeking your first job or a career change, Jessica empowers you step-by-step. Execute simple, yet practical and actionable tasks to get your resume past the stack and into the hands of your next manager.
