You're Promoted! But, Watch Out for These 4 Common Mistakes…
You've just been promoted - congratulations! Your dedication and hard work are paying off. Before you do anything else, take a moment to celebrate your success! Soon enough, you will have a new set of expectations and responsibilities. Adjusting to a new role following a promotion tends to overwhelm even the most prepared professional, often leading to several common mistakes that can delay or even halt further growth and development. To excel in your new role, consider these predictable post-promotion mistakes:
1. Making too many changes too quickly
Many newly promoted leaders want to jump in and make a difference as soon as possible. Determined to make a splash, hasty leaders sometimes change things up as quickly as possible. Instead, understand that not everything can or should change overnight. It may take a while before you can significantly impact your new role or until you experience a difference in your day-to-day work. Remember that the managers that promoted you understand that it’ll take a little time to become an expert in your new role. Use that time to meet your new team, explore training options newly available to you through your workplace, or reach out to experts who can help you make the most out of your promotion.
Being patient in your approach will make you appear thoughtful and deliberate to your team. It will allow time for others to voice their opinion about the current state of operations and ideas they may have for the future. As a bonus, any improvements you implement will go over more smoothly if your team has a chance to share their thoughts beforehand.
2. Not asking for help
Asking for help is one of the hardest things to do. However, not asking for help is a grave mistake in your new role! This is because your company is a collection of people with varying experiences and skill sets; use your new position to learn from the people around you to help you improve. A ten-minute conversation with a veteran team member who is an expert at their job can spark new ideas or guide you in your next move as a new leader. Try to have specific questions in hand when approaching people to show that you value and respect their time.
Furthermore, in many industries, it is impossible to write down every nuance that leaders must keep in mind to be successful; therefore, having conversations with more experienced leaders who have been in your position before is invaluable.
3. Not avoiding lifestyle creep
Lifestyle creep occurs when your standards of living increase along with your salary. Like its namesake, lifestyle creep happens slowly and tends to be an unpleasant surprise when reviewing bank or credit card statements. If left unchecked, lifestyle creep can eat up bonuses, and pay raises, even savings.
Often, promotions also mean an increase in salary or a significant bonus; if this applies to you, go ahead and reward yourself to celebrate! But, try to staunch the increased flow of money there. Yes, you've earned the increase, and you deserve every penny, but being financially responsible as soon as possible will pay far more than financial dividends. Avoiding financial stress allows you to focus more on your work and will help you maintain a vital work-life balance. Setting aside as much as is comfortable will allow you to plan for your future and set a budget with which you can comfortably live.
4. Stop seeking growth opportunities
After a promotion, it can be natural to think that you won't be moving on for a while and that you should really dig in with your new role. While this can be true for a time, you do not have to sacrifice your momentum or stop your steady progress. Having plans and goals for the short, medium, and long term in your new position will help you avoid growing stagnant.
Seeking growth and development opportunities keeps you up to date on your industry, expands and fortifies your network, and keeps you engaged with like-minded professionals. Once you have settled into your new role, seek networking opportunities, reach out to mentors, and maybe even consider becoming a mentor yourself once you’ve garnered more experience. Even if your promotion landed you your dream job, your professional development can be the start of a new phase of your professional career. Contact Leadership Delta to discuss how we can help keep you learning and growing. Bonus! You can bring what you learn back to your team to foster a shared language and a culture everyone is proud to be a part of.