The Stress of Success
Tegan Jones


A promotion can be both a blessing and a curse. Although the tasks and responsibilities that come with a new job are often interesting and rewarding, adapting to a new role can be exceptionally challenging. For this reason, even coveted advancements are presumed to cause a certain amount of stress.

A recent study conducted by Development Dimensions International (DDI), however, showed these transitions create more anxiety than one might expect. In this survey, 400 global leaders and 385 U.S. leaders were asked to rate life's challenges in order of difficulty. Surprisingly, more leaders ranked being promoted (19 percent) as life's most challenging event over coping with bereavement (14.8 percent) or dealing with divorce (11.4 percent).

Matt Paese, DDI vice president of executive solutions, said this assessment is partially caused by the loss of control and security many experience when they move into a new leadership position. An increasingly politicized landscape, a more complicated job role and a greater reliance on others for success are some of the main causes of stress, he said. People who are used to getting ahead by the strength of their own skills often can find it nerve-racking to rely on their ability to motivate others, he said.

"Being promoted is an exercise in losing control," Pease said. "High performers have to shed the routines and habits that have made them successful and learn to be successful in entirely new ways, and that's a very unusual and scary thing for people to have to go through."

Another major source of stress in these transitions is that most people don't know exactly what to expect. When newly promoted leaders find themselves in a position in which their traditional skill set isn't applicable, they become uncertain about their success. To achieve in their new roles, leaders need to be honest with themselves about their own capabilities and solicit feedback from their team members, peer and supervisors, Paese said.

"To just look in the rearview mirror and see your prior successes as sufficient to suggest that you'll be successful in the future is not enough," he said. "You have to look forward, take an honest look at your capabilities and your vulnerabilities and be your own risk manager."

Although leaders have the responsibility to play an active role in their own development, companies also need to provide them with adequate support, Paese said. Most leaders, however, feel their organization does not provide enough support during leadership transitions — a majority of respondents (52 percent) said clear performance expectations would have helped them when moving into their new job roles.

To provide new leaders with the support they require, organizations should paint a clear picture of what it will take for them to succeed, Paese explained. They also should train leaders on the new skills they will need and teach senior leaders how to help junior managers through these transitions.

"Leaders are being put into situations where they don't understand how to succeed," he said. "Organizations can do better to provide more development but, as well, make sure they clarify the accountabilities of senior leaders so they know part of their role is helping people through leadership transitions."

As the baby boomers continue to leave the workforce in large numbers, businesses are going to have to address this issue if they want to compete, Paese said. With less-experienced leaders having to fill more important roles, proper transitioning and support will become critical to business success, he explained.

"It's more than a problem for individual business — this is a problem for our economy," Paese said. "If, as an economy, we're going to be successful at sustaining our vitality, we're going to need to find ways to help the people who are stepping up to learn more, or we will stress ourselves right out of economic success. We have to get better as managers and leaders at clarifying what success is going to look like. That's a tough job, but it's not an impossible job, and if you work at it, it does make a difference."
Tegan Jones is an associate editor for Talent Management magazine.

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