Making the transition - JamaicaObserver.com

Saturday, November 21, 2009 7:57 AM

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Making the transition

Career & Education

Wayne Powell

Sunday, October 25, 2009

THERE are occasions when employees are promoted within the organisation and with that comes change regarding roles and responsibilities. Some of these persons, however, have great challenges making the transition and still continuing with business as usual.

Wayne Powell

Surely the accounting officer who has been promoted to the management position of financial controller must appreciate that with such an elevation comes higher expectations both in responsibilities as well as conduct. If prior to the promotion you were tardy in your attendance to work this would certainly have to change.

Let us look at some of the expectations attendant with the transition from non-management to management

1. You are expected to attend work regularly and to be on time. In your former life you could get away with walking in the office at 9:00 am and leave at 4:00 pm. In this new dispensation every move you make will be observed by other staff members and you will have no moral authority to speak with them about lateness when you are just as guilty.

2. You are expected to be available in the event you are required to attend a management meeting at 5:00 pm. This may be scheduled or impromptu. Whatever the format, you can't just run off as you did in former times. Make the necessary arrangements to have your child picked up at school and be in attendance at the meeting.

3. You are expected to be flexible with your lunch time. You might be told at 12:30 pm that there is a meeting with overseas visitors at 1:00 pm. You may have to postpone that visit you planned to make at the bank in your lunch time and literally gobble down your lunch in order to be present at the meeting at
1:00 pm.

4. You may be required to work overtime and not claim for overtime payments. This may even include Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. If your organisation is carrying out a project and you are either a team leader or team member, you are expected to make your personal/family arrangements and join the other members of the team who have also made the sacrifice to be at work.

5. You are expected display loyalty to your organisation. In former years you would have sat down in the canteen and lambasted the management for not caring about staff; now that you are part of management that behaviour will not be acceptable.

6. You are expected to establish professional boundaries. The days of idle chatter and fraternising are over. You must earn the respect of the staff and this can only happen if you behave and carry out your responsibilities with professionalism.

Memba, if yuh play wid puppy,puppy lick yuh mout.

Now, when to draw the line

1 You are expected to "walk with kings and queens but still maintain the common touch". In other words, even though you have an elevated status in the organisation, don't behave as if you have arrived and isolate yourself from the staff, continue to be personable. So that if you used to take home a junior staff member who lives in your area, continue doing so, it could mean however, that the topic for discussion especially if it concerns the organisation may be changed to something more general, like the weather.

2 You are expected to conduct yourself with decorum and dignity. The nasty outbursts you are known to make in the office will have to cease as this is not in keeping with your status.

3 Your out of office behaviour is also important whether it is on the football field, netball court or at the staff party. Remember, you wear your manager's hat wherever you go.

4 You are expected to dress the part. Look like a manager. It may mean rearranging your work wardrobe to facilitate the change in status

REMEMBER

The more monkey climb, the more him expose
To whom much is given, much is expected
Let professionalism be your hallmark

- Wayne A Powell is a human resource professional. He can be reached at crisscounsellor@yahoo.com or www.crisscounselloronline.com

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