What to do differently as you rise higher

A common mistake people make is that when they get promoted they expect to and indeed continue to do the work they were doing in their previous job but at a slightly higher level. This is a mistake. Contrary to general belief, you don’t get promoted necessarily because you are doing a fantastic job in a particular role. You get promoted because you demonstrated by your current performance that you have potential and capacity to do a much bigger job. This is what needs to be different when you move up.

HOW YOU THINK: When you move up, you gain more responsibility and most likely start to manage other people. You’re now being paid for your brains rather than the actual tasks you do; so show that you are thinking differently. You need to become a high performing contributor to the organisation in ways that extend beyond your job. You must figure out which priorities to drive forward, what new work you should be doing, and how to sharpen your reasoning and sense of judgment because making critical choices increase the higher up you go.

WHAT YOU DO: You can’t just do more of what you were previously doing. You have to optimise processes, understand how to maximise people’s strengths and to learn skills and access support that help you make better business decisions. Work on the right things and move away from the tactical detail. Know enough about what is going on and in particular what your team is working on so that you can provide the oversight needed to achieve the right results. Shape your job focus so that you can lead, perform the managerial duties such as delegating and do what you should.

WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT: You show you care at a higher level by figuring out how to do it better and developing any individuals under your charge to do so too. You need to understand what being good at your job takes; look for opportunities to further the impact of your work and to build support for the work that you are doing. You need to build your personal and professional credibility with several people not just the person you report too.

THE VALUES YOU DEMONSTRATE: As you rise being a role model becomes part of your remit. Values expected of you include; excellence, fairness, dependability and accountability, integrity and forward thinking and ability to take risks and chart a way forward. Treat people with dignity, earn and share leadership. Handle yourself with maturity; communicate clearly what you stand for. Be above board in everything you do.

WHAT YOU MEASURE: The higher you go the more it becomes about your effectiveness rather than just doing a job. It’s no longer about how hard or even smart you work but the outcomes you deliver, how well you perform and how you enable others to do the same. So invest your energy in the right things that you should be focussing on and delegate other things in a timely manner. There will always be grey areas to work through but don’t get stuck there. Ask for help and make progress rather than leaving things unresolved.

Now take action: What values should you demonstrate more?