You’ve pulled together your most impressive selling points, practiced your pitch until it’s perfect, and confidently illustrated to your boss why you deserve a promotion. All that hard work has paid off, and you just got the good news: the promotion is yours!
After some brief internal screaming and well-deserved celebration, now what? You’ve been given an opportunity for additional responsibility and leadership, so it’s time to consider how to begin to make an impact.
Question and Clarify
Your new boss is likely as excited as you are about your new role, and it’s the perfect time to sit down with her to get a good understanding of what is expected of the new position. There’s a possibility you both may have different visions of the job description, so it’s best to get a clear picture now before it becomes more difficult to switch gears. Once you have a good grasp of the duties, you can set defined goals to set you up for success.
Listen and Learn
It might be appealing to start your new role with a list of things you think should change or can be improved. Resist the temptation to push these ideas onto your new colleagues. Instead, try meeting with them one on one to get to know them and share ideas. Pay close attention to the dynamics of the group. Observe how the team operates, how they communicate, who listens to whom, and where the hot-button issues are. Don’t stay in learning mode too long; you’re here to contribute, not watch from the sidelines.
Build and Grow
With a new position comes a new team. While there may be some apprehension and growing pains, it’s imperative that everyone knows you share the same goals. Building relationships with your new coworkers helps keep common objectives front of mind and can prevent conflict along the way. And while you shouldn’t always be looking for the next big step, don’t neglect your own personal and professional growth. Take advantage of opportunities and make new connections.
The excitement of a new promotion can also bring along with it stress and possibly a little imposter syndrome. While it’s a good thing to want to prove yourself, make sure you set realistic expectations and cultivate a support system that benefits everyone. When a team and a company are set up for success, your next promotion could be right around the corner!