Getting a promotion is always exciting, particularly more so if it’s your first promotion. After months or even years of hard work, your dedication has been acknowledged and you have finally moved to a higher position.
A promotion brings with it a range of questions and new situations. How much is your pay rise? What are your new responsibilities? Who is on your team and who will you be reporting to?
It can feel like there’s a lot to learn and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The key is to get a clear understanding of what’s expected of you so those around you feel like the right choice was made. Here’s what you can do to successfully transition into your promotion.
Don’t abuse your new position
A promotion typically means new responsibilities and potentially the ability to have a greater impact on the way things work. It’s important however, to avoid the temptation of changing everything you can.
You might not have a lot of experience with some of your new responsibilities and it’s likely that the current methods are working well enough. Instead of trying to own your role by making everything yours, seek to learn as much as you can. This might mean asking team members how they feel about current processes or taking an online course in leadership and management before you transition into your new role. The Shaping Change Inner Circle provides the perfect solution for business professionals looking to improve their leadership skills, while organisations like Upskilled provide courses that help you up-level your professional training, such as this course, which offers a diploma of leadership and management.
If you can, surround yourself with others in similar positions and take notes on how they run their team and implement changes. Many people struggle with change, especially when it’s coming from someone new who they may not trust yet. Focus on building relationships with your team and finding ways everyone can work together effectively.
Secure some quick wins
Your first few weeks are very important to the overall success of your new role. Those who promoted you will want to see that they have made the right decision and your colleagues will be deciding if you’re a leader they can trust. If you can quickly gain some momentum, you set the pace and expectations of how you hope to proceed with your new team.
Conduct meetings with team members and superiors and find out what matters to them. Look for areas that you can quickly and easily improve. Team members might have pain-points that they have to deal with on a daily basis, and if you can provide solutions to these problems, people will begin to believe your worth.
Develop goals straight away
Getting a promotion can be intense. You will need to learn new things, deal with new people, get used to a new routine — all while completing work and fixing issues left behind by the previous employee. Having goals from the start can help you focus your energy on what you feel matters.
As soon as you get the promotion, learn as much as you can about the new role, your new responsibilities, and what will need to be dealt with as soon as you start. Create short term and long term goals that can help you make a meaningful impact and handle the chaos of moving into a new position.
Deal out respect
Getting a promotion is a big deal and while you should feel accomplished, it’s important to stay humble. You should approach every connection as though you can learn something from the person, no matter what position they are in. There’s no point burning bridges as you never know where that “bridge” might take you in the future. Listen to your team, get feedback and take on criticisms as a way to become a better leader.
Be respectful and try to remain positive even when people are negative or create conflict.
A promotion might mean a lot of things and it can be easy to lose sight of doing what actually matters. If it’s your first promotion, it might be a launching block to many more promotions. For this to work, you must approach your new position the right way.
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About the Contributor:
Upskilled is a leading Registered Training Organisation (RTO) that allows working professionals, job seekers and school graduates to gain qualifications with over 300 online education courses. Upskilled brings innovation to education, giving its users flexible study options and dedicated support teams. As one of the largest RTOs in Australia, Upskilled is partners with businesses and career-minded individuals to secure superior measurable outcomes.