Workplace Doctor: Don’t be daunted by your promotion

I've been promoted in the company but I feel under-equipped for the role. I suddenly have 25 staff to manage and am not up to speed on all aspects of the job. I'm winging it for now, but how do I make up for the gaps in my expertise? JA, Dubai

Stepping up into a new role can be daunting, especially if you were in a relative level of stability in your previous position. Feeling competent both technically and managerially is always comforting, but when you are promoted and asked to do something very different, with greater responsibility, I can see why you may feel a little anxious. With a larger team it can also feel like all eyes are on you.

While you feel like you are winging it, you are not the first and won’t be the last. Many successful leaders have stepped up and taken on more senior positions even if they felt under-prepared. For me, this is a huge opportunity as our best work and greatest career success can come when we are in jobs that are daunting and uncomfortable.

Your immediate challenge is navigating the critical junction that many highly talented employees experience.

You have to make the shift from leading a single function to a full set of functions, or a wide range of people all with different backgrounds and experience. To succeed you must avoid the classic trap – over-managing the parts and people you know well and under-managing or ignoring the ones you don’t. Remember you don’t have to be an expert in every area any more, your expertise is now built on your capacity to get the best from others.

The first thing you must do is integrate effectively into your new part of the organisational culture. Even by staying in a new company you now fit within a new subculture, and even though everything looks and feels the same, the way you are expected to operate and the meaning behind these things are very different.

People will start looking at you very differently. Mixing effectively into this culture requires you to make some changes. Possibly giving slightly more distance from former peers, while building credibility with your new peer group and the higher management.

At the same time you still need to manage 25 people. To do so successfully, you don’t need to be up to speed on everything – that is what they are there for. People don’t want a new boss coming in shaking things up and telling them to do things fundamentally differently. They want someone to come in and ask good questions, explore what they do and make considered decisions.

There is nothing a direct report likes more than to have the opportunity to tell their boss about their role and all the great things they do. It can be easy to dive into execution but first get to know your people. This will empower your employees and give you good sight of the current context, allowing you to make better decisions and measured changes that don’t make people feel like you are asking them to drive on the other side of the road.

The other thing you must do while integrating into your new role is to access senior level support and guidance. This could be from your manager or other senior colleagues or through the support of an experienced coach or mentor who can help you navigate these transitions. Identify a strong sounding-board to help you reflect on your experiences.

Every manager can handle some degree of stretch, but most will snap without the right support.

The final challenge is that the heightened pressure that often accompanies a step up leads us to neglect ourselves, just when we need it most. You need to make sure you are in the best physical and psychological condition to take on this tall task, which includes maintaining your diet, sleep and exercise. It is critical now more than ever that your brain is working at 100 per cent so you can manage the change in circumstances and best support those around you.

Doctor’s prescription:

Opportunities to step up don’t come along every day. Stretching ourselves is usually followed by a feeling of discomfort, just like when we push ourselves physically. Yet success in these transitions requires preparation, flexibility to adapt and time to really get to know your new team.

Alex Davda is a business psychologist and client director at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, and is based in the Middle East. Email him at [e-mail] for advice on any work issues.

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