Page 92 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

Entering Your Boss’s World 77

■ The success with which you delegate and manage the problem-solving
process, implement changes, and maintain the things that do not
need fixing
■ The effectiveness with which you communicate the process and your
decisions with your bosses and the effectiveness with which you com-
municate decisions to your peers in functions and teams affected by
any changes

The bottom line is the effect of the decisions you make and implement on
organizational productivity and effectiveness—in short, the real results. The
bottom line depends on your specific situation and may include goals such as
increased profitability, product launches, targeted increases in sales, improve-
ments in six sigma quality measures, higher engagement scores among those
asked to participate in decisions, better work flow as bottlenecks and ineffi-
ciencies are eliminated, and/or better quality or service as suggestions are
implemented. It may be a change in the financial picture, a measure of pro-
ductivity, a measure of staff morale or stability, or a change in the way work
gets done.
Define the bottom line with your boss or bosses. How will he or she meas-
ure your success, and do you all agree on these metrics? Put it in writing, or
at least talk through your agreements in explicit terms if this is your boss’s
style. Make sure you know and have both agreed on these goals as well as the
expectations of how you are going to work together.
You should tailor the use of Your Appointment Charter to the commu-
nication style of your boss or bosses. The most common approach would be
for you and your boss to fill out the information separately and then discuss
it together. Just as effective would be the two of you using Your Appointment
Charter as the focus of a discussion without having written the charter sep-
arately ahead of time. Either together or sequentially, these same kinds of
discussions should occur with others with whom you have a reporting rela-
tionship. These discussions serve as a great way for you to receive excellent
coaching that you might not otherwise receive as you move into your role.
You may modify the elements of Your Appointment Charter in any way that
fits your situation. The fourth Just Promoted Leader Tool that follows is
based on a template that has been used in one successful organization.