Prepare for your promotion like a pro

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You’ve landed the promotion of your dreams and you’re walking on air (or at least you should be). What next? Well, even if you don’t take on your new role for several months, this is no time to sit back – this is the time to focus on you and prepare like a pro for your new role. After all, while getting a promotion is exciting, no one ever said it wasn’t challenging. Management coach and Getting Ready For Your New Role – Focusing on You webinar speaker, Sara Parsons, says, ‘Now’s the time to take some time out to focus on you and work out how you’re going to prepare for the new job. It’s not enough to just be ready.’ With businesses expanding all the time, even more companies are offering talented staff internal and in-team promotions – which can come with their own sets of challenges. ‘I carried out a management workshop recently and eight out of 14 people in it had been promoted within their team, meaning they were soon going to be managing colleagues they’d previously been on the same level as,’ says Parsons. Working on and preparing a smooth transition is essential. ‘Sometimes when people go from being a ‘colleague’ to a ‘manager’ they can find it awkward. Often, however, that becomes your issue rather than your teammates’ issue. Self-confidence and insecurities can hold us back when you should be relishing your new role,’ says Parsons. In fact, almost 60% of webinar attendees who’d been in a similar position admitted that it took them a while to get stuck in to their new role. So how can you avoid this situation, boost your confidence, give yourself the credit you deserve and make a true success of your big move? Read on… OWN YOUR PROMOTION First things first, give yourself a huge pat on the back and celebrate your achievement. This is the time to forget modesty and tell yourself you deserve it. ‘You really need to OWN it,’ says Sara. ‘Be your biggest cheerleader.’ Remind yourself of all the hard work you put into getting this role and be proud of yourself. Whatever you do, don’t shrug off your achievements, like Parsons once did. She explains, ‘It was at the beginning of my career and I was made project manager on a big job in France. I was the youngest and newest member on the team and rather than pat myself on the back, I told myself that I’d only been promoted because I spoke French – I undermined myself from the beginning. The thing is, I was good and I’d spent a year working hard on a similar project. I deserved it, but I derailed myself. The team picked up on my vulnerability and walked over me a little bit.’ Once you’ve celebrated, it’s time to unwind from the process of getting your new job – the energy and time spent on preparing for interviews and performing during interviews is not to be underestimated. Treat yourself to a weekend of doing nothing/a day out on the bike/a night out on the tiles/a spa session/whatever floats your boat. MANAGE THE TRANSITION It’s essential to firm up your timings. Ask when the person you’re replacing is going and get a proper timetable in plan for your new role. ‘It’s hard when timings are ambiguous to grab hold of the role, so make it a priority,’ says Sara. This leads on to managing the transition. Make yourself accountable for this part of the process; it’s an exciting time and there’s lots going on but it’s up to you to make the move from your old role into your new a success. Make a plan so one role doesn’t blur into the next, particularly if you feel you’re doing bits of your old while taking on bits of your new job. How do you get around this? A great way is to mark the transition and your promotion is to make a physical change to your working environment. Perhaps you move desks, change things round, add a meeting table, and use a new meeting room. Even better, put it to your team first and ask what changes they’d like to see when you take over. This helps everyone and earns you respect. Another great tip is to address the ‘low-hanging fruit’ as Sara describes it. What were the little things you talked about in your team before you were leading that team? Did you and your former team mates moan about the chipped mugs in the office kitchen, perhaps you all wanted access to each other’s work diaries, a better holiday scheduling system – but it never happened. Make it happen now and it’s an easy win; people will respect you for it. Remember, if you don’t mark the transition your team might not either. MANAGE YOUR MESSAGE Don’t miss the opportunity to manage the communication about your promotion – both internally and externally. Often the announcement of news roles is an afterthought – but, crucially, it’s also often the first impression many people inside and outside of the business get of you. It makes sense to make the most of this, so make it personal; tailor your announcement. Firstly ask yourself: who should be told internally and externally? Maybe you want to tell some people before others, those who were involved in the process, perhaps – maybe even those who went up for the same promotion? Decide who should be told in terms of suppliers and clients, too. After all, you don’t people to find about your success from your email footer. Include in your messaging how many years you’ve been with the business, your experience in the industry and anything else you think may be important. Speak to your boss or HR consultant and ask if you can write the announcement with them. This not only shows you’re in charge of yourself but also helps establish you in your new role before you even begin. REMEMBER THE HONEYMOON PERIOD IS SHORT Okay, here’s the thing – this period of preparation will fly by. Hopefully you should have a few months to play with before taking on your role but if not, don’t fret. You’ll just need to get as much of the above done as possible beforehand and the rest during your first weeks. This is a time for reflection, too, so sit down and ask yourself: am I able to hit ground running? Who should I be speaking to for advice? What about the other person who thought they deserved this role? In the latter case, why not be the person to suggest a coffee and a chat – keep your promotion ‘rival’ updated on engaged. If, for instance, your old role is not being filled then you’ll also need to talk to the people who promoted you about who fills in. Contemplate what you’d like to achieve in your first three months in the role, concentrating on what’s not working well at the moment. Are there any relationships that need to be worked? Are there certain team members you need to have more urgent one-on-ones with? The things that are working well can be put aside for six months. Now’s also the time to speak your boss and mentors and fill your personal development ‘gaps’ – perhaps you want to be sent on a leadership course, obtain more operational knowledge for the next level up, develop your influencing skills, find out how to tap into senior management; perhaps you want to find a mentor, attend certain conferences or expand your network ahead of your new role – after all, you’ll now be working and networking with people from the ‘next level up’. Remember, the people who gave you the promotion probably aren’t thinking thinking beyond, ‘She’s great and will do a good job’ right now – but show initiative and they should be more than happy to help you in your personal development plan. (If you don’t ask, you don’t get!) On a personal front, you should also use this time to contemplate what got you promoted in the first place. It’s good to remind yourself, especially as people will ask. So, firstly, make a list of your accomplishments in the last year in your business. Was it getting new clients on board? Building a new process? Speaking at a conference? Now, make a note of the direct effect it had on the business, whether that was bringing in 10% more profit or boosting team morale. Finally, take a good look at you. What do you bring to the table, personally? Are you a great team player; are you brilliant at motivating others? If you don’t know, ask the people who made the decision – you’ll soon be building your own personal self-confidence compendium! Be proactive about your promotion and when it comes to stepping up, you’ll ace it.

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