Page 41 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

26 Just Promoted!

■ Learning your job
■ Becoming an organizational advocate
■ Raising expectations, hopes, and personal empowerment
■ Empowering relationships using a self-concept approach to man-
aging people

There are many ways that people become leaders. Some have planned to
take on increased managerial and leadership roles for years, and the opportu-
nity finally presents itself. For others, increased leadership opportunities arise
suddenly and with no preparation or warning. There is usually a precipitating
event that creates an open leadership position within the organization such as
a promotion, resignation, termination, reorganization, or expansion of a busi-
ness. Whatever the circumstances, a key opening needs to be filled.
Some people feel honored but decline the opportunity to move up into
managerial and higher leadership positions. They are happy in their present
job; they prefer to remain specialists in their chosen profession, such as
research, law, finance, sales, or marketing. Bless these people; leaders need
people who love doing the work they have trained themselves to do. Without
a fair share of them, every leader would fail. But others compete feverishly for
promotions, for the chance to show their ability to lead people and an organ-
ization. This is where we begin the process of moving up. You have just been
promoted into your new leadership position, and you need to figure out how
to begin and where to go from here.
Starting your job and entering the organization can be a treacherous time
for a newly promoted leader. It’s when the marbles are rolled out and the tap
dancing begins. You will try to stay on a steady course, but it will not be easy.
Whether in an old or a newly formed organization, you’ll frequently run into
expectations, resentments, and confusion. In almost all cases, change and
management transitions intensify people’s feelings. In this chapter we will look
at six steps for effectively entering your new job and organization:

1. Personally connect with your new staff and meet with staff members
one-on-one.
2. Confirm your must-do priorities for your first 3, 6, 9, and 12 months,
and reconfirm the full scope of your responsibilities, available resources,