What You Should and Should Not Do After a Promotion  

Promotions are a natural part of building a career, and a person should work hard to achieve them and be proud of earning them. As we grow and learn in our current positions, we prepare ourselves for the next steps to come. However, sometimes when you attain a new position, the transition from your old job to the new one can be difficult. Take note of these five things you should and should not do following a promotion.

Start Planning Meetings
In your new position, you will most likely be managing one or more people. To keep the workflow running smoothly, set up regular meetings to assign projects, to check progress on current tasks, and to create a clear channel of communication for the team. A great starting point is to plan a weekly or bi-weekly meeting for the whole team and then plan check-in meetings as needed with team leaders to discuss progress, new initiatives, and any internal needs. Be careful not to overload on meetings as too many meetings can become counterproductive, but planning one regular meeting with the team will create the kind of workflow you will be expected to produce.

Stick to Your Schedule
Once you have planned team meetings, stick with this schedule each week. If other meetings or project deadlines overlap with your meeting times, reschedule them, but do not cancel them completely. Managers who do not adhere to the schedules they have laid out can cause the team to become disjointed, which can lead to a lack of direction, duplication of effort, and missed deadlines. Even if you have time in the week for only one quick touch-base meeting, make it happen. This will put you miles ahead of where you would be without any meeting at all.

Stop Doing Your Old Job
The tasks of your old job are not your responsibility anymore. They are now the responsibility of someone else to accomplish. Your job is to ensure this person does just that. It’s natural to want to continue to play things safe following a promotion and to keep working on the tasks you are used to and comfortable with from your previous position. However, your new position will come with a new set of tasks and responsibilities for you to master, so don’t let yourself get bogged down by trying to keep up with the work you used to do. Continuing to do your old job and not leaving the space for your other team members to fill those roles can be a quick way to show your superiors that you may not be ready for the new position.

Avoid Taking on Tasks Because “You Can Get it Done Faster”
While you likely can accomplish some tasks more quickly than others on your team, that doesn’t mean you should be putting their work back onto your plate “for the sake of time.” Your team members learn nothing that way, and you end up overloading yourself with both the tasks involved with your position and the tasks involved with your team’s positions. You’re supposed to be cultivating the talent on your team, not overshadowing it. While this habit can be difficult to break, you must break it in order to build a strong team that will learn to complete work more quickly and to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed and burned out.

Always Keep Your Door Open
You will be busier than you were before the promotion, but part of moving up in your career is learning to complete the work that is on your plate while also managing and guiding your team. Your door should always be open to them, and you should create an environment in which team members feel comfortable seeking you out. Not only do you want your team members to succeed at accomplishing their tasks, but you also want to help them move forward and earn their own promotions. This reflects positively on you and what you can do, catapulting you to the next level, the next promotion, and the next stage of your career.

Look to your superiors for guidance, as well. Take note of both their wins and losses to help yourself consistently move forward and up. Equip yourself with the tools and knowledge needed to lead well and be an asset to your industry. Keen management skills will not go unnoticed and will set the standard for your own progress and the progress of those you lead.