The challenge of dealing with a promotion at work is almost as stressful as getting divorced, a survey has recently revealed.

A poll of 600 managers found over half had not been able to cope with stepping up from a junior post.

One said ‘It is more difficult to change how you work if you were successful in the previous career than not. Ironically, the promotion comes only if you are successful.’

It’s a familiar story. You work hard to get that promotion and you’re excited about your new role. Then suddenly, reality hits home: you are on your own, unsure of what is expected of you, missing aspects of your previous role that you had finally mastered, without your trusted network of colleagues, and politics rife amongst your new peer group whom you struggle to engage with.

Yet despite the familiarity of this story, the scale of personal change required is rarely acknowledge, let alone adequately supported, leading to ‘transition anxiety’.

One of the first things you should do is keep your boss happy and manage their expectations.

Ask them:

• What does your boss want from you?
• What does your boss love?
• What does your boss hate?
• What are their interests/hobbies?
  

I once worked for a boss who had a reputation for being ‘hard, demanding, fearful, and unapproachable’. The first time we met, I asked him the above questions. He:

• wanted me to deliver the planned projects as agreed (i.e. budget/time/benefits)
• wanted me to keep him informed of progress – the truth – exactly how it is
• loved projects to be jointly agreed and met
• hated surprises. If the project dates were going to be missed, he wanted me to let him know as soon as I knew and especially not at the progress meeting in front of other staff
• liked watching football and participated in marathons

This Manager turned out to be the best manager I have ever had the privilege of working for. He and I built a rapport straight away. We were open, honest and worked really well together. If things were not going well we would sit down and work things out. The reputation and perception were just totally wrong.

4 simple questions ensured rapport was built and I knew exactly how to manage my boss.

It’s simple but powerful.

What questions have you found to help your relationship with your boss?

Article source: http://www.greatmanagement.org/blogs/3/Promotion-almost-as-stressful-as-divorce.html