Page 272 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

Creating Your New Life Integration 257

Bob had not fully anticipated that this job change was, in fact, a
major career switch from that of being a strong scientist with some man-
agement responsibility to that of being a research executive with consid-
erable divisional and corporate administrative responsibilities. Because
he lacked the experience of leading a larger organization, Bob underesti-
mated how his time would be spent. He lacked good models that would
allow him to creatively attack management problems with the skill and
fervor that he had previously applied to scientific challenges.
The myriad problems that had plagued the division for years were
now his. His game plan was rather scattershot, riddled with gaps and
inconsistencies. Within two months after starting, Bob began to ques-
tion the wisdom of his decision to have accepted his new role. Pres-
sures built at work and were compounded by the difficulties of
establishing roots in a new community. In a matter of less than a year,
the Doyles’ fulfilling and tidy world was coming undone.