You’ve been anticipating a successful promotion, for quite some time. Your line manager has openly discussed leaving, and you’re the next logical choice to succeed him or her. You know that you’ve put in the hard work, dedicating endless hours each week, and you possess all the necessary qualities.
So, it comes as a surprise when you learn that the position will be filled by one of your peers from a different organisation! Not only do you feel upset and angry, and perhaps a little worthless too. Adding to this, you also doubt whether you would effectively back the new person coming in. So, you begin updating your resume and actively contacting recruiters.
As an executive recruiter, I have seen this happen so many times, and I understand the state of mind immediately after it happens.
In addition, your team knows; and they’re watching you. They’re looking to see ‘what you do next’! Therefore, it’s essential to pause and consciously choose your next steps in order to bounce back from this hiccup.
‘What to do now?’
When you experience a perceived beating, it’s easy for your emotions to get the better of you. Take a little time out to genuinely feel, and to acknowledge the emotions you are going through. Make notes of the specific emotions you are feeling, to help facilitate the processing. Don’t suppress your feelings about the situation. Get yourself away from your workplace to prevent any possible occurrences of conflict or biased-actions. Don’t dwell on this too long; feel, recognise, work through it, get over it and move on.
After allowing yourself some time to process, the next step is to regain your perspective and view the situation objectively.
- What advice would you give to someone else?
- What recommendations would you give them?
- How can you recover from this situation?
- How would you coach someone else to behave in this situation?
Upon resuming your work at the office, chat with your former boss to identify any behaviours that might hinder your progress within the organisation. Be sure to openly discuss, in an honest conversation, how you feel about the overall situation. Request their feedback on your performance and areas for potential growth, identifying a true skills gap. Be sure to let him or her know of your continued dedication to the organisation and offer your support in their leadership.
Your team is observing your actions and awaiting your next move. Will you become an angry colleague? Will you support the new boss? Will you create division within the team? Briefly express your disappointment about not getting the role but swiftly shift the focus away from yourself and onto the tasks ahead. Make it known that will support the new boss to ensure he or she succeeds as a leader too.
Moving Forward
To help you move on, answer the following questions:
- What did you learn?
- Was any of your boss’ feedback surprising?
- What feedback takes-away can you act on?
- Can you formulate a skills-gap plan to recovery?
- Do the company’s priorities align with what is most important to you? If not, what will?
If you find that compromise is not possible, perhaps it’s time to consider a new job. Recognise what is vitally important to you in the long term and regain control of your career trajectory.
By taking the above steps, removes you from a position of victim. You my also find that you and the role were never destined to succeed or could succeed with some pain points.
Call Helen Cramp on 0413 198073 for confidential career chat.
(Photo credit: Brooke Lark)
