Search Counselor
Login
Current Issue
| What Have I Gotten Myself Into? Being Promoted From Within |
 |
 |
| Columns - Clinical Supervision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by David J. Powell, PhD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 30 March 2011 09:03 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
You are a counselor with a Master’s Degree and three years experience. You’ve recently been promoted to the position of clinical supervisor. You’ve worked with the other counselors for three years as peers. Margaret, a non-degreed counselor, has been at the agency for 20 years and believes she (not you) should have been promoted. Ted is the program director who promoted you into the role of supervisor. His instructions to you are to assume the role as supervisor as soon as possible, as there is a state inspection due in three months and there are several areas which Ted is concerned the agency might get “pinged” on in the inspection. Staff hears of your promotion and there is considerable grumbling about this from Margaret. Ted, not known for being an effective communicator, leaked the news of the promotion before anything is said formally to all staff. You are concerned about how to meet Ted’s expectations for prompt action before the inspection and wonder how the promotion will affect your relationship with staff. In the lunchroom you hear Margaret bad-mouthing you as “undeserving of the promotion.” She says she should have gotten the job, not you. What do you do? How do you react? How do you assume your new role and meet Ted’s expectations. This is a common scenario for many who get promoted from within into the role of clinical supervisor, perhaps leaping over peers or even former supervisors into the position. Often, there are others who feel they should have gotten the job over you. Sometimes you might assume the position after a beloved former supervisor left and are expected to be “just like her.” Or conversely, a dreaded supervisor left and you’re expected to make changes to instantly repair the damages left in the wake of your predecessor. In either case, being promoted from within into a supervisor’s role can be challenging, to say the least. Here are some pointers should this ever happen to you – steps you can take to ease your way into this new position.1. Ask for a “honeymoon.” If at all possible, ask for a “breaking” in period” when people do not expect you to make drastic changes immediately. Often there is the sense or fear that the “new broom will sweep clean,” solving all of the problems of the past overnight, or changing all of the policies instantly. If possible, let people know you hope to ease into the position, learn about policies and procedures and over time, make the necessary changes. In the scenario above, with an inspection due in three months, you might not be able to have a “honeymoon” period and may need to make changes before the inspection. But, as best able, ease into the new role. 2. Get training fast. There are a lot of policies, procedures, human resources issues, etc., which someone else worried about before, which you now need to learn, fast. It is helpful to speak as early as possible with the human resources staff and key decision makers to learn quickly what you need to learn. 3. Find a mentor, a coach, someone who is neutral to help you navigate the new waters as a supervisor. In the above scenario, Ted might not be the best mentor, although you’ll need his involvement and support. Often it is helpful to find a mentor outside the chain of command, perhaps outside of your agency, who can coach you through your new role. 4. Get Ted to “lay hands on you” and publically support you, clearly announcing that you have been promoted into this position and you have his full support. Ted’s informal announcement of your promotion is not acceptable and leaves too many opportunities for grumbling, such as with Margaret. You need Ted’s support, fast. 5. Be clear what Ted’s expectations are. Some of the problems you might encounter may have been long-standing and not repairable in time for the inspection. You don’t want to be “thrown under the bus” by Ted, blamed for problems that were not of your making nor repairable in time. It is important to sit with Ted, have a conversation about the key issues he is concerned might be highlighted in the inspection. 6. Grieve. You might wake up one morning and ask yourself, “What was I thinking? Why did I accept this position in the first place? I find I am working longer hours with far more responsibilities and actually getting paid less per hour.” You may have to grieve changes in your relationships with co-workers. You might have to give up part of your caseload for your added responsibilities. For most of us, patient care is the reason we came into this field. As you get promoted up the ladder, you might find yourself getting further and further away from patients. Be kind to yourself; take time to grieve these losses.7. “Pull down the curtain” on your former relationships. As a supervisor, you need to change the nature of those relationships. You can no longer be “one of the boys or the girls.” This is hard as you might have grown up together at the agency. But, if you show favoritism to one supervisee, you will be criticized by others. So, allow time for those relationships to be friendly but not necessarily friends any longer. 8. Find your new voice. When you get promoted into a new position, people might expect you to be just like your predecessor, or much better. Over time, you need to find what kind of supervisor you will be, with what voice you will speak. I recall that happening to me about three months after I assumed a major promotion, awakening one morning and saying to myself, “You’re in change now. What kind of boss will you be?” Find your own voice. In sum, it is an honor and challenge to be promoted from within into the role of supervisor, a common occurrence in our field. Move gently, wisely and over time and enjoy this new opportunity. David J. Powll, PhD, President, International Center for Health Concerns, Inc., is an internationally recognized lecturer, trainer and author. David has played a significant role in the development and operations of the Oya Bahadir Yuksel Rehabilitation Center.
Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26
3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||