Gaining a promotion ranks among the best news any employee can receive. But there is also a downside. The adjustment is second only to getting a divorce, claims a recent survey of upwardly mobile managers.
HR consultancy DDI reports that six out of 10 managers bemoan the challenges associated with securing a career transition – challenges that only intensify with age, they warn. That’s because companies often provide little or no training for newly promoted workers so they can better understand and adjust to their new roles.
One problem is that organisations typically focus on developing the “hard” skills of their leaders, while it’s often the “softer” skills that individuals find most perplexing. They include such things as emotional intelligence, thinking differently about issues, and building networks with new sets of colleagues. DDI calls it “transition anxiety.”
“It's a familiar story,” says Steve Newhall, managing director of DDI. “You work really hard to get that promotion and you’re excited about your new role. Then suddenly reality hits home. You are on your own, unsure of what is really expected of you, missing aspects of your previous role that you had finally mastered, without your trusted network of colleagues and politics rife amongst your new peer group whom you struggle to engage with.”