The Un-Promotion Promotion

You’ve been promoted!  The words you’ve waited to hear.  Your hard work has paid off!  There are outward trappings of the promotion – the official announcement and congratulations from colleagues, perhaps a new office, a new title on new business cards, attendance at different meetings.  All of those are signs and symbols, a sort of rite of passage that usher one into the next level.  It’s typical to take stock at these times – what does this new title really mean?  How does a VP act?   What new expectations will people have of me?  We often coach people as they are preparing for and adjusting to life with a bigger title.  When one’s role changes, there are a host of leadership needs to consider to be successful at the next level.

But what happens when the “promotion” isn’t really a promotion, but rather when the organization grows around you?  No dinner was held in your honor, but one day you wake up and realize your job is much different than it was a year ago.  Perhaps a new round of funding means that your team of 20 people in product development has suddenly become a team of 35.  A new key account that doubled the size of the company also means there are more people to talk with, influence, and keep in the loop on decisions.  Or the new strategic partnership now means you have three offices in three different time zones.  Your title hasn’t changed.  You still sit in the same old office, yet suddenly your job seems much more complex than it used to be.  You’ve gotten the “un-promotion” promotion!

The most crucial element to successfully navigating the un-promotion is recognizing the change, and approaching it as you would if you were formally promoted.  It may have snuck up on you, but now that you’re here, take a step back and take stock of what’s different.  This is no time to stay on “auto-pilot”, assuming what you’ve done up until now will lead you to success in a new operating mode.  What should you consider adjusting?

1. Vision: Becoming crystal clear on your vision will likely become more important in a more complex organization.  Having a clear message that you communicate regularly, compellingly, and consistently is necessary to keep everyone aimed in the direction you intend.
2. Communication strategies —Consider how you may need to communicate differently.  For example one-on-one drop-by conversations may now need to be formal meetings with different departments represented.  You may be called upon to share your vision with larger audiences, requiring a new set of presentation skills.
3. Managing more senior people — If your team has grown substantially, you may need to implement a new layer of management.  Consider what is different about managing managers or managing leaders of functions.  How you delegate and what you hold them accountable for is likely going to need to shift.
4. Listening — In smaller organizations, you may just know what’s going on across the company rather organically.  As an organization grows, you may need to learn to “listen” to what’s going on more intentionally by checking in with key people, asking more questions, becoming more accessible, and learning to read between the lines.
5. Consider your Ripple Effect — As you find yourself multiple layers from front-line staff, recognize that the perception of you has likely changed.  You may feel like “little old you”, but others may see you as the “big boss” when there are other managers in between.  Be aware that your actions, energy and decisions will be more closely scrutinized and will have a larger ripple effect throughout the organization.

If you find yourself leading greater complexity, take a moment to take stock of what’s different about your job right now, and how you may need to lead differently because of it.  Doing so will ensure that you make the most of that un-promotion.