Page 42 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

Entering the Organization 27

levels of decision-making authority, and ways in which your perform-
ance will be measured. You will also want to learn how to best commu-
nicate with your boss as well as negotiate his or her support.
3. Begin to actively learn the essence of your role very quickly. Learn your
job and the organization’s work from your predecessor, your boss, and
organizational sources of information and power.
4. Become an organizational advocate.
5. Begin to empower your organization and your people to achieve their
hopes, goals, and objectives for the organization.
6. Build strong internal and external stakeholder partnerships and
relationships.
Manage these steps well, and you’ll be off to a good start in your new job.

PERSONALLY CONNECT WITH YOUR NEW STAFF,

AND MEET WITH STAFF MEMBERS ONE-ON-ONE
The First Meetings with Your Staff

Because rumors will develop quickly once you have been selected, the public
announcement of your selection should be made as quickly as possible. A
delayed announcement hurts the organization in two ways. First, those in the
running may continue expending energy in speculation and political maneu-
vering, affecting their own and others’ productivity. Second, the people in the
department will be concerned with the impending change, their own futures,
what changes you will make—all of which affect productivity. Moreover, per-
formance often decreases in departments with lame-duck leadership. People
may tend to let up; certainly they will be reluctant to make commitments that
may not be supported later. A timely announcement will help lessen negative
effects of the change.
You can predict many of the reactions to the announcement, so plan for
them. If the search was competitive, competitors’ reactions will range from
disappointment to anger. If you were hired from the outside and are not
known, there will be many questions about you and your agenda. If you were
promoted from within, staff reactions will range from disbelief that you were
named (or someone else wasn’t) to mild interest to genuine satisfaction that
you were the best choice. Be aware and sensitive to these reactions, but never
defend or feel that you must defend the decision to select you.