New Job = New Challenges

When we come across the term ‘promotion’ at work, we often think about the glorious fat paycheque or the fabulous new job title. Although they are indeed some of the perks associated with a new position, we must not fool ourselves to believe this change in level does not come with new challenges. Following my latest promotion, I felt compelled to share some of the key lessons I’ve learned so far in this role. I've experienced a variety of emotions and thought my lessons learned (so far) may be of use to you:

BABY STEPS
The irony of a promotion is to that on the exterior you’ve elevated but internally you know you’ve somewhat mentally regressed and have a new road of learning ahead of you. I recently left a Quality Management position where I was respected as somewhat of an ‘expert’ in my field to venture into the new world of Data Privacy where (though I have developed the key skills require) I will have to learn all over again in order to once again become an expert. I understand that this will require a lot of effort on my part. I will have to venture into new project and challenges and make mistakes along the way in order to ultimately develop and learn. I will also have to work very closely with those who lead and manage me, and once again become a sponge - soaking up all the knowledge and wisdom around me.

THE CHALLENGES
Once I digested the excitement of getting the promotion, a very familiar terror began to brew inside...fear of change i.e being uncomfortable. Most successful people are ambitious - they constantly seek opportunities for development and challenge their capabilities.  This ultimately involves being uncomfortable i.e stepping out of your comfort zone. This is by no means an easy task - in fact it's something I still find myself trying to come to terms with.

Stepping out of your comfort zone means admitting you don't know everything - this can especially feel daunting if you’re promoted to a position where you’re expected to know it all. However the simple remedy to lack of knowledge is an appetite to learn. Not only will (should!) your organisation support you in development, we have the glorious vault of information called the world wide web. Every week I make an effort to block out an hour or two to focus strictly of my development - this includes watching online webinars and taking notes from useful posts/forums.

Another aspect of a promotion to anticipate is challenges/difficulties - both with colleagues/stakeholder and also with completing various tasks. A job promotion often means changing teams, which would involve working with a new/different set of people. Our colleagues play a major part in our overall work experience. Therefore moving forward will require an effort to understand the new people surrounding you - this means to establish your allies and also understand who the more difficult ones are. No project goes through smoothly without at least the smallest challenge. I find that it's very important to always remember the skillsets you have developed in previous roles and utilise it to the best of your abilities.

ADAPTING
Somehow as you continue to overcome the challenges in your new role and develop resilience, over time you realise you are now an expert. Colleagues come to you for help/advice and you seem to always have the answer. You provide very useful feedback for new developments. You constantly seek areas for improvement and work towards driving the function of your role forward. You may even find that after everything, you eventually grow bored! At this stage we usually find ourselves ready for a new challenge which usually leads to the job search, which ultimately leads back to the first stage (again!)

I believe for the ambitious, this is an ongoing process - almost like a hamster wheel. So long as we wish to advance and improve, we will have to keep learning and developing and ultimately increase our capacity for greatness. I can understand why entrepreneurs always advise us to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Once we admit to ourselves that we do not know everything, and strive to make the efforts required to learn, we are surely on the right track for excellence.

I hope this post was of use to you. I myself have just realised yet another thing I will have to learn in this role. I’m hoping to be positive and determined about this in order to overcome and move forward.

Love & Peace

Jen Noir