Getting promoted isn't the end goal; it’s the start!
“Congratulations on the promotion!”
You’ve achieved the promotion you’ve been working for, preparing for, and hoping for. It may have happened quickly, or it may have taken some time to achieve; either way – wooohoooooooooo!!
There is a lot to feel proud of, whether it’s within your current organisation or moving to a new one. You’ve done it, and now it’s time to get started.
But wait…what are you feeling?
Excitement and pride…yes
Fear, nerves and quick…hand me the floatation aid!!!
The picture is of me on holiday six months into my promotion from HR Business Partner to Associate Director. I was offered the role on an interim basis. I was initially disappointed not to get it permanently, but hey, I chose to look at this as an opportunity to test out working at a more senior level. If I didn’t like it, I could walk away. Then I reminded myself, this was also a test of me. If I wanted to be made permanent, I needed to prove I was up to the challenge.
It was a great role where I would be forming a new department, bringing together new and existing teams, and leading a team responsible for some strategically important goals. There was a people strategy to develop, and I would be working for an HR Director who I knew would support me. This was going to be fun!
Where the challenges begin
There is something reassuring about an internal promotion. You know who your boss is going to be (most of the time), you have an idea of the type of work you’ll be doing, and you should hopefully already have great relationships developed with the team.
These are all positive points to start from and something you rarely get when starting a promotion in a new organisation.
The challenges can come when you might be juggling moving from one role to another, whilst they backfill your previous role or you might be dealing with the realities of having been up against colleagues for the promotion (some may now be reporting to you too!). There may be people who don’t know you very well and have formed opinions of you, and you may now be in a place where you will be changing things for them.
These are things to be mindful of as you take on your promotion. Be kind to yourself and be thoughtful and aware of how others may feel about it. This isn’t just a change or challenge for you, it will be for others too.
Increased responsibility of a leadership role
When I stepped up to my new role, I already had some experience in leading people and teams, but these had been much smaller teams of up to four and were mainly all direct reports due to the team size.
In these first roles, I was already learning about building connections and making work meaningful. I was learning about setting goals, delegating, giving feedback, and creating an environment of care and support.
I undertook some coaching training, and although I’d used a coaching style in my HR role, this was an opportunity to learn a lot more about coaching as a leader. This type of development stretched me and gave me more confidence in leading teams.
I was now going to be taking on a much larger team, around twenty colleagues with six direct reports; this was a completely different task and something I wasn’t wholly prepared for.
I needed development and support
I was an experienced HR partner with nearly 20 years of practice coaching other leaders on how to lead their teams – so I should’ve known what I’m doing, right?
The reality is, no matter how much you think you know about leading a team until you are doing it yourself – there is no comparison.
Theory and learning are critical to pointing you in the right direction and setting you on the path to being a brilliant leader, but it is not the same as doing it. The growth and understanding only really happen when you are doing the job.
Let me explain…
I now had a department to lead, and I was incredibly lucky to be working with this wonderful and capable team, but in some capacity, they all needed my time, my guidance, my support, and my direction. This meant I needed to learn how to balance their needs and mine.
This first year was so important for building the team’s trust and confidence in me as their leader. How I acted and behaved in these first 12 months would set the foundations for our connection and success.
However, when you take on a more senior leadership role you have even more to handle than learning how to lead a department. I now also had to balance this new experience with the wider internal activity of the HR team, and getting to grips with the organisational agenda.
In short, I had much more decision-making to lead and much more focus on strategically important objectives. This was whilst balancing a budget and finding my own leadership style.
I had great support from my line manager and a peer who was promoted at the same time as me, but what I know now is that I needed more.
The turning point I needed
When I started my new role, I was going off instincts and previous experiences. I was doing my own learning, but I found it hard, and certainly was questioning what I was doing and whether I was good enough.
I’m not entirely sure I recognised the development and support I really needed to become the capable and effective leader I wanted to be.
I must have been doing something right as my interim position became permanent. Then the chance came, the opportunity to participate in a fantastic leadership development experience created by my wonderful colleagues. I was proud of what they had created and excited to be starting the programme to see it for myself.
As I’ve mentioned, I wasn’t wholly aware of my need for development, and I was dubious as to whether I would get anything from it. After all, I knew what they would be sharing, and I’d started settling into my role. I wondered if it was worth me doing it or if I should step back and let another new leader take my place. I was wrong; I needed it.
Yes, I did know a lot of the content, but undertaking this development meant more than just completing the course. It made me feel better, more comfortable, and more confident. It gave me more direction and, with some coaching and mentoring, it helped me take ownership of my leadership role – it inspired me to love leading.
Time to reflect
Getting promoted was fantastic and a moment I felt my career was indeed where I wanted it to be, but it wasn’t easy.
There was a lot to navigate and a lot of learning to do, especially when you take on a new and much bigger leadership role.
You must pay attention to the change you are experiencing and look for development to ensure you have the skills and mindsets to be a brilliant leader.
If you don’t develop those skills, behaviours, and the capacity to lead, your promotion will be more challenging, especially if you want to be remembered as a brilliant boss.
If you want your new team to value you, respect you, trust you, and be engaged in delivering the team goals - you have to earn it.
The best way to make it is to learn it, practice it and refine it. To do this you need development and support, the time to reflect and to keep learning about who you are and how you are leading.
Getting promoted isn’t the end goal; it’s the start. It’s about truly earning the promotion by becoming a capable and effective leader, who is constantly evolving and known by the team as their leader.
My experience of being promoted is why I created Boost. I knew the theory, but I needed to explore the theory for myself, through my own feelings and experiences. I needed new ideas and focused attention on my own leadership development.
I’d had some coaching to support my development, but I would have benefitted from much more of it, especially during my first year in the role. Coaching would have given me a safe space to share how I was feeling and explore the areas I was succeeding in so that I could understand it and build on it. This is why alongside personalised 1:1 learning sessions, Leadership Coaching is such an important part of Boost.
The leaders you sign up to Boost will have someone who understands their experience and can support them with active mentoring. They’ll get a personalised experience that combines leadership learning, coaching, and mentoring to meet their needs.
What’s your experience?
What was your experience of getting promoted? How did it feel? What would have helped you progress more easily?
If you are in the process of being promoted, congratulations! What do you think would accelerate your success in your new role?
Here’s an interesting read from Forbes on the good news associated with being promoted internally: ‘Managers Promoted From Within Receive More Respect And Money, New Study Finds’ - Link