Moving up the corporate ladder is always exciting but somewhere along you also experience a tinge of nervousness as you step into a new role. These mixed feelings are only natural because a new role implies new responsibilities, new expectations and requires you to prove your mettle once again.
Not just upcoming professionals but even seasoned executives find it hared to take on new roles and need time to settle down. More than technical and managerial expertise you need change management skills to help you transit smoothly into the new role. Your ability to effectively manage the changes that accompany your ascent to the next level defines your future success.
A palpable pressure to garner some quick success no doubt exists, but you must understand that there are no short cuts to success in a new role except to learn on the job. Among other things your new appointment brings about changes in your network comprising of your superiors, peers and direct reports. Enlisting the support of this new network is crucial for your success. When you step in as the new manager, your team too goes through a phase of transition. Understanding their apprehensions is an integral part of change management. Here are some insights that help you as well as your team to cope with changes:
Seek cooperation: Focus on pulling everyone together during the settling in period. Real success can be achieved only through collective effort. In your attempts to succeed in the new role seek active cooperation and endorsement of the team and not just passive compliance. Build constructive relationships with your team by practicing empathy.
Address their concerns promptly to win their trust. Instead of pursuing your own personal success agenda, develop goals with common interest in mind.
Communicate these goals with clarity. Let everyone understand what is in it for him or her. When everybody in the team works towards these goals with complete involvement, success rate is bound to be high. Ready to learn: Approach a new role with confidence but never get carried away by past success. Demonstrate a willingness to learn the finer aspects of the new job on hand. Seek inputs and guidance from the team while formulating targets to post an early win. Being well informed helps you take sound decisions.
You also give a boost to the team morale by showing respect to their capabilities.
Study team dynamic: Before you set goals for your team study the dynamics of your group. Understand their strengths, weaknesses and also find out what motivates them.
This knowledge will certainly help you to overcome initial hiccups and lead in a better way. Get feedback: As you start working on your new assignment actively seek feedback from your superiors, colleagues as well as subordinates.
Learn to take criticism in the right spirit. It will help you to improve in areas of relative weakness. By listening to feedback and paying attention to warning signs you can easily avert failures. Though you must prove yourself in a new role to enhance your credibility you must not be in hurry to do so. In spite of an excellent track record in the past. People fail to excel in a new role because of associated changes. Instead of jumping to hasty conclusions you must devote the initial days to assess the team dynamics, understand the project subtleties and analyse the opportunities and threats that are likely to impact your success in future.
Change management alone holds the key to success in a new role. Good change management skills help you avoid hidden pitfalls in the transition process and assist you in gaining command over the new assignment. Focus on change management whenever you embark on new terrains. Add change management skills to your tool kit and you can be sure of extending your winning streak to all your new endeavors.
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