When we get promoted to a senior level position, we don’t always know what it means at first. We have not gained any new skills overnight and we may not even get a new office. In many respects, we feel the same today as we did yesterday.
The immediate transformation happens externally at first – when others look at us differently, talk to us differently and even feel more uncertain around us for the first time. In some ways, our peers adapt to our promotion before we do. And it’s hard to divine what others want, what they expect and how they perceive our shift in responsibility.
So when do our identities feel unified with our newest upgrade? Ideally the real work begins the moment we’ve accepted our new role and start to delegate past work to move on to what’s next. With a new title, it’s easy to get mired down with worry about impostor syndrome, and try to continue to comply while trying to lead.
Before we worry about what anyone else is feeling, we need to square it with ourselves first and let go of our comfort zone. This starts with a can-do attitude while constantly working on the reason for the saboteurs bringing us down – inside and out. The more we can reckon with our fear and overcome negativity to lead, the easier we come into our own as a leader and by extension, inspire others to lead. Time to level up our game as a leader, by working on it from inside out.
The more we can reckon with our fear and overcome negativity to lead, the easier we come into our own as a leader and by extension, inspire others to lead. Time to level up our game as a leader, by working on it from inside out.
As a newly minted leader, be it a senior level manager or C-level executive, we have to own it from day one. We have to believe in our ability to lead and feel confident in our commitment to where the company is headed. A new title is our personal catalyst to look ahead and understand that we hold the future of the company in our hands, AND it’s not ours to hold alone. It’s time to step into the role of a leader who inspires others to feel that same ownership and energizes them to lead at every level.