Promotion Shock

I was excited the first time I got behind the wheel of a car. I had watched my three older brothers learn to drive, and now, finally, it was my turn. Armed with a driver's license, I could get an after-school job and buy a car of my own. I could quit riding the bus and drive myself to school. I could play my music as loud as I wanted. I could go out with my friends. I could date. Driving was freedom and power!

But it wasn't just excitement that had my heart beating like a jackhammer in my chest. It was also terror.

As my sweaty hands gripped that steering wheel at ten and two, I realized for the first time just how much responsibility I had taken on. Magnum P.I. made driving look easy and fun on TV, but in the real world, I felt overwhelmed. Staring at the controls and gauges of that old powder-blue Honda Civic Hatchback, I might as well have been behind the console of a commercial airliner. And what if I just couldn't do it? What if I screwed up? Making a mistake while driving wasn't like failing an Algebra test--it meant I could kill myself or other people!

If you've just been promoted to a management position for the first time, you know exactly how I was feeling that day. You're excited, of course. After watching colleagues get their promotions and move up the ranks, it's finally your turn. This is a huge step in your career and the potential seems almost limitless.

At the same time, you're terrified. You're quickly realizing that being the boss is a lot harder than it looks from the outside. You're overwhelmed with your new responsibilities. And the stakes just got a lot higher. It's not just your career on the line anymore. You're responsible for other people and your mistakes could bring them disaster.

I call this combination of excitement and terror promotion shock, and it hits just about everyone at first. Even the most confident, put-together senior leader you admire was once exactly where you are, with their sweaty palms on the wheel for the first time, wondering if they really had what it takes.

We rarely take about promotion shock or even admit that we experience it because of fear. What if I'm the only one who feels this way? What if my terror means that I'm really not capable of doing this? What if other people find out what a mess I am and realize they've made a huge mistake by promoting me in the first place?

The good news is that promotion shock is almost always temporary. Just as your fear of driving gradually faded away as you gained new skill behind the wheel, your promotion shock will eventually die down as you gain confidence in your ability to manage. (If you get promoted to an executive role down the road, promotion shock will come back with a vengeance, but you'll recognize it for what it is by then.)

The other good news is that your fear can actually be useful. Just as your recognition of the responsibility of driving motivated you to learn to become a good driver, your promotion shock can motivate you to learn how to become a good manager.

Ready? Hands on the wheel. Ten and two. Let's go.

This is part of a series of articles for new managers. If you enjoyed this post, check out the other articles in the series: Promotion Shock, The Boring Truth About Wardrobe, The Near Mentor, Listen to Everything, Promise Nothing, Your First Day, Don't Mention It, Ask And You Shall Receive, What Got You Here Blah, Blah Blah, You are Not the Yardstick, The Most Important Meeting, You're on the Air, Your People Come First, Your First One-On-Ones, and Perspective-Taking: An Overlooked Skill for New Managers.