A promotion is something you probably want. You make your case. You see that your boss is noticing that you’re doing good work. Maybe you asked about specific things they are looking for and worked on those traits and capabilities.
Then you receive the promotion. It feels great. You feel accomplished. Your paycheck is probably getting larger.
But a promotion could also result in some loss of confidence. Now you’re doing a different job, usually. Even if just part of the job is a little different it can lead to some loss of confidence. You were good, and probably great, at your last job.
Will you be great at the new job?
Here are some suggestions for maintaining confidence after a promotion.
1. Determine The Requirements
You probably have a good understanding of what your new job will entail. You’ve probably spoken with the person that promoted you into the new position about the requirements. But even if this is the case you probably still have some details to figure out.
Some of this understanding will come with time. But you can speak with others that are at the same level as you. Talk to them about what the previous person in your position did well and maybe lacked. Also see if you can speak with colleagues at other organizations to see what a person in your position does on a regular basis.
The more you know about what’s expected of you the more you can work on the things that matter most and with that comes confidence.
2. Determine Strengths And Weaknesses
Once you have a fuller picture of what’s expected of you in your new job take time to determine how you fit into the new role. You probably have a lot of strengths for the new position. After all, you were promoted into it for a reason.
But you probably have some weaknesses as well. Not necessarily areas that you can’t become really great at, but areas that you’ve haven’t needed to focus on until now. It’s good to know these areas so you’re able to improve.
3. Figure Out Where You Can Improve
One tricky thing with your new job might be that you really have one or two areas that you’re not likely to improve drastically at. Trying to do these things over and over can lead to a loss in confidence.
For example, you may be a bit of an introvert. But your new job as a manager requires that you’re in a lot of meetings and having a lot of discussions with people. You might not be able to become highly proficient in this particular aspect of the job.
See if you can figure out how much you can improve. Set your expectations there. See if there is a way for you to fulfill the requirements of the job in another way. Maybe instead of large meetings you can do more one-on-one meetings where you’re more comfortable.
4. Work Harder On What You’re Not Great At
Mark Broadie understood statistics. He liked golf. He thought that golf statistics were lacking. They didn’t lead to the kind of insight that helped people improve their games. So he came up with new statistics. In less than a decade, those statistics have led to all kinds of changes for many golfers. Both professionals and weekend golfers.
Broadie wrote a great article in 2015 about how to improve as a golfer. With a couple caveats, improving your weaknesses leads to the biggest improvement in whatever you’re doing. That includes your job. And by turning your weaknesses into pretty good skills or even great skills can lead to giant confidence boosts.
What are the caveats? You have to focus a bit on what the job requires. In golf, Broadie found that approach shots are the most critical skill for a golfer. If your weakness happens to be approach shots and you’re able to greatly improve it, you can really see a huge difference in your performance.
Try to identify what is most important for your job. If you’re weak in one of the top areas, put effort into improving there first.
5. Have Patience
You’re just starting this new job. You may have been preparing for several months or even years. But even with that preparation there will still be things that you need to do on the job. It will take time to repeat them over and over to the point where you feel very confident in your ability.
So try to have patience. Tell yourself that you have the ability to become great in this new role.
Final Thoughts
Confidence is a tricky thing. It can be very fickle. One failure in a new role after a promotion can really hamper your confidence. And that can lead to a downfall or even an unwillingness to grow into your role. Hopefully the insights here can help you get through the transition.