Page 19 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

4 Just Promoted!

bent, recognizing what he was seeing, suggested that “we can discuss more on
Wednesday” and gently ended the meeting fifteen minutes early. Reality does
have a way of setting in quickly when you realize that you have moved from
being a what-if candidate for the role to which you aspired to that of the actual
designee or brand-new incumbent.
This early phase of your leadership transition can be quite sobering and
eye-opening. But, in its own way, this period can also help you establish your
personal hopes and aspirations for building a truly winning organization. In
fact, great excitement and a sense of pride are the dominant reactions by lead-
ers once they know that they are moving up and have been asked to take on a
new role and new responsibilities. They express a readiness to “bring it on.”
The many leaders we have taught and coached have provided the inspira-
tion for two caricatures that depict the range of thoughts, feelings, and reac-
tions that are typical of newly promoted leaders in the days and weeks
following their promotion. This is the first of the caricatures:

Just Promoted!