Just got Promoted? Here’s what to do next

Getting a promotion at work is a reason to celebrate! It represents the conclusion of a lot of hard work, focus, often shutting out things you love doing outside of work, working on yourself to improve your own capabilities, and much more. This is an occasion to sit back – at least for a little while – and revel in the occasion.

However, after this euphoria, it is time to sit down and plan ahead. Promotion is great news at any stage in an HR career; it also means that expectations are now higher and work could be more challenging, with higher responsibilities on the person promoted. There are a few things to keep in mind on how to proceed further.

Set boundaries with colleagues

A promotion often means that from working with some people as peers, you will now be managing them. From friends to subordinates could be a challenging change in equations to manage. The following could be steps to take at this stage in your HR career:

• Conduct one-on-one meetings with the team: For an HR professional, this is an essential step to outline your vision and plans for the team. It also helps to understand the objectives and plans of your team members, and it makes people take the newly-promoted team member more seriously than otherwise, which is a wise approach.
• Assert your position when needed: This may become important when, for instance, a friend who is now a subordinate might crack an inappropriate joke or undermine you in the presence of the team. It is important to not offer any preferential treatment and also to not be seen as being preferential.

Set goals on the basis of new priorities

The reflection and assessment of the new position will also lead to the need to set new goals for your HR career. One goal has been achieved, and different ones will follow. A good framework to consider is SMART i.e. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. This will help to plan what needs to be done immediately to add value quickly, and what needs more strategic planning as a long-term target.

A common problem for HR professionals is the tendency to want to micromanage i.e. to closely look into tasks handles prior to the promotion. This is natural, as these tasks are familiar and you are good at them. However, there are more and higher-order tasks to be handled now, which cannot be done alongside the old tasks. Assign these suitably to subordinates, and focus on managing and mentoring them from now on.

Do not dive in headfirst

Yes – a promotion means that expectations are now higher. You may feel the need to justify your new position by changing some things and doing work differently. Also, there is the belief that due to familiarity with the organization and the way of doing things, you need to ramp up your capabilities really fast, and hit the ground running.

Bear in mind, though, that the initial days are for learning and moving into the new role. There is a learning curve, and a time period you will need to understand what needs to be done and adapt your thinking and work style accordingly. This is the time to be more observant of how the team behaves and works, what the dynamics are, and other aspects. You could meet with your supervisors and other learned people who could guide and mentor you suitably.

Get certified

At any stage of a career in HR, it is a good choice to become a certified HR professional. And when one gets promoted, picking one of the best HR certifications is a great way to upskill yourself and demonstrate your readiness to take on new responsibilities and be updated with industry requirements.