b'THE HR HANDBOOKLeadership TransitionsIts EmotionalHOPEFULLY, IN YOURcareer you will experienceresistance, denialeven anger. They may be more many promotions and opportunities for new challengesnuanced and show up as doubt, confusion and frustra-at work. For those growing in people management,tion. These emotions are necessary for healthy deci-there is none as important as the first transition fromsion-making but spending too much time there impacts individual contributor to the first management role.the ability to get off to a good start in a new role. Sometimes the decision to take this step is self- We are pulled through these negative emotions by induced. More often, an individual is asked to take a newa compelling vision and small, successful actions.role. Sometimes they are given development opportuni- Be prepared. If this transition is in your future, ties to prepare for the role change; sometimes they arenow is the time to start getting ready. Perhaps most thrown in head-first. Even if the decision is self-derived,important is to actually learn what your own manager JONATHAN SHAVEReven if there is preparation, the moment of decision todoes and appreciate why what they do matters to is the president andaccept the new role comes with some hesitation.you and your teammates, and to the company. With owner of EnvisionI have had the opportunity to partner as a leader- this perspective, you can begin to imagine yourself Partners LLC.ship coach with hundreds of high potential leaders asdoing that role, or one like it. Slowly, then you begin to they make career transitions at multiple levels. Theyintegrate their activities into a new narrative as to how are all significant, but no career transition is as big ofyou could use the role of people manager to have an a change or as important as the first one to both theeven greater impact on the bigger purpose that your individual and the organization. Like most changes, itcurrent work serves. Building and articulating a positive is not actually the ability to do the job that is the firstvision for the future is one of the primary means to limitation, it is the emotional resistance that we mustencourage change in others and in ourselves.overcome. Whether we chose the leadership role orStart building people management skills now. It is it was chosen for us, the first barrier is insideitshard to go from being the best to being totally under-emotional.skilled. Having some experience and some skills will Consider the journey to your current role. You likelyhelp you make the transition with a little more confi-spent significant time building the skills to becomedence. Take some classes; go to seminars; read a book; perhaps the best in class at what you do (and likelyget a mentor or coach. The best way to build skills is a reason why you were tapped for promotion). Itoften as a technical/project/team lead (whatever it is took a lot of dedication, and it is what you have beencalled in your company). In this role you lead people but rewarded for doing. When you share your personalthey dont report to you. Often it is split with your indi-narrative, you imagine how you will continue to usevidual contribution role, which has its own challenges. your fine-tuned skills to continue to make a differenceHave a succession plan. Nothing prevents forward in the world around you. You understand your role andprogress like a vacuum behind you. Make sure that you contribution in a bigger purpose. are preparing people to take your place and take it at Then seemingly out of nowhere, this request toalmost a moments notice. No one will replace you per-completely upsets the balance. Do I want to movefectly, but have a plan in place so that you can move from being the best at what I do to a role where I willon and feel good that your past work will continue in face completely new challenges? Am I giving up yearsgood hands. You will be less tempted to stay involved of hard work to radically change direction? What aboutand not focus on the new role. all those projects Ive been working on? Who can doIf you lead others who will go through this transi-this as well as I do? How does being a people managertion, now is the time for you to support them. Share serve the larger good? What does a people managerthe importance of being a people manager; give them actually do, anyway?learning opportunities, and help build a succession These questions reflect the typical emotional transi- plan. And this same message applies to you as you tion that happens with all change. Those emotions arelook to the next promotion or leadership challenge. SW70/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2022'