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Your Next Move: The Leader’s Guide to Navigating Major Career Transitions
Watkins asserts that career transitions are challenging and difficult:
- 87% of Senior HR professionals agree, “Transitions into significant new roles are the most challenging times in the professional lives of managers”
- 70% agree that “success or failure during the transition period is a strong predictor of overall success or failure on the job”
- Watkins’ studies have shown that on average, moves between units in the same company are rated to be 70% as difficult as joining a new company due to their very different subcultures
Elements of Successful Transition
1. Organize to Learn
Figure out what you most need to learn, from whom, and how you can best learn it. Focus on a mix of technical, cultural, and political learning. Devote as much energy to figuring out how to do things as you do in understanding what should be done.
A key component to learning and preparation is identifying the cultural norms of the organization—the ways that people in an organization communicate, think, and act. Ask some key questions:
- How do people get support for critical initiatives?
- When it comes time to get things done, which matters more: a deep understanding of processes, or knowing the right people?
- Can people talk openly about difficult issues without fear of retribution?
- Does the company promote “stars,” rewarding those who very visibly and vocally drive business initiatives? Or does it encourage team players, rewarding those who lead authoritatively but quietly and collaboratively?
- Are there any restrictions on how you achieve results? Does the organization have a well-defined, well-communicated set of values that is reinforced through positive and negative incentives?
2. Create Supportive Alliances
Have you identified how the organization really works and who has influence? Do you understand who needs to co-champion your success? If so, you’re ready to create the key alliances to support your initiatives.
For leaders who have been individual contributors or who have led in an area of technical expertise, it’s sometimes difficult to move to positions where getting things done depends more on influence rather than authority. If this is the case with your transition, you’ll need to learn how to practice corporate diplomacy—effectively leveraging organizational alliances, networks, and other business relationships to get things done.
Additionally, you should build an advice-and counsel network that will help you to maintain perspective and exercise sound judgment.
3. Align expectations up, down, and sideways
There is a natural but dangerous tendency for onboarding leaders to focus too much on building vertical relationships early in their tenures—looking up to their bosses, down to their teams. As a result, the transitioning executives often neglect the lateral relationships they should be building and strengthening with peers, customers, and other outside constituencies.
Are you embracing the idea of the 360 Degree Leader? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Boss(es): Do you understand their key expectations? What can you do to help them get some wins?
- Direct Reports: Which of your new direct reports has historically wielded the most influence on important decisions (it may vary from issue to issue) and why? Who is likely to support, oppose, or be indifferent to your proposed direction and initiatives?
- Peers (Others on the Leadership Team): Who most and least needs your help to realize their goals? Who most and least affects your ability to realize your goals?
- Other Employees, Customers, and Stakeholders: Who wields the most informal influence in your organization, and why?
4. Secure Early Wins
Now that you understand the organization culture, have some supportive relationships, and know expectations, it is critical that you build personal credibility…and there’s no better way to do that than to get some early successes. Establish your “A-list priorities”: a few vital goals that you pursue relentlessly.
With some early wins and supportive alliances, you’re sure to make a good first impression. But your work has only begun. You’ll need to capitalize on the momentum to take the organization—and your leadership—to the next level.
May Your Next Move—whatever that turns out to be—serve you well, as you shoot for the stars!