Page 89 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

74 Just Promoted!

changes of any consequence for at least one to three months, and that your
completed diagnosis is going to precede any big decisions. Even though you
negotiated those conditions with your boss when you were hired, you need
continually to provide updates on that plan, with reminders that you are stick-
ing to it.
Review what stage of the plan you are at. Review your progress and the
steps you have taken, and indicate your next steps. Be sure your boss is fully
briefed and has the chance to voice and work through any reservations or
concerns about your progress. Don’t assume that just because your boss has
not said anything, he or she is not interested or worried. Keep your boss
informed and up to date. Your boss’s silence is often an expression of con-
cern. Suffered quietly, this can explode on you with surprising force. Be aware
that your boss is under pressure, just as you are. Your boss’s leader, and other
influential stakeholders, expect that when your boss hired you, he or she hired
the right person.
Other sources of expectations can also make you doubt yourself. Those
who work for you will have their own expectations that you will be decisive,
“hands on” or “hands off,” innovative, experimental, cautious, or participa-
tory. Some will feel that they know what the organization needs, and in both
subtle and direct ways they will make these needs known to you. You’ll feel
the pressure.
You may feel expectations from many other stakeholders, including upper
management, your peers in other departments, the department’s informal
leadership, customers, consultants and contractors with whom you have con-
tracts, friends, and even your spouse. All their expectations will affect how
you approach the job and the pace of the transition. If your spouse is anxious
about your success, you could begin to resent the trip home to face the same
inquiries, the same disappointment, the same impatient (or exasperated) tone
of voice, and the same advice about being more decisive. You may have the
same feelings from friends. You will feel people’s expectations and pressure
from many directions at once.
That is why you need a transitional plan. When you are secure in the
knowledge that you are on schedule, moving ahead, and the goal is in sight,
you will be able to parry the pressures by placing expectations in context. You
will feel more secure knowing that at the appropriate time, expectations,
including your own, will be met.