One of the big contributors to what I call “promotion remorse” is a vague and surprising sense of loss mixed in with everything you gain in a new management role.
A short-lived celebration over a bigger title and possibly greater compensation is overshadowed by a longer-term realization. You’re losing measurable individual output that comes from personal technical expertise. You’re losing the “equal peer” relationship you once had with your team members. You’re losing rapid feedback on how well you’re doing.
Any one of these can be non-trivial. Combine them, and they can feel like a significant loss – sometimes even turning into genuine grief.
This can be especially true when you were really good at your individual contributor job, and when it was something you really enjoyed. So this sense of loss is not a sign of failure. It’s not necessarily evidence that you made a mistake. It’s simply a natural result of exiting one role and moving on to another.
Acknowledging that the loss is real – and normal – is a big part of avoiding or overcoming promotion remorse. Another big part is recognizing the new meaning that comes from your new identity in your new position. And that goes far beyond simply a bigger title and greater compensation.
You are now in a position of broader impact and stewardship. By supporting, encouraging, and developing your team you can multiply far beyond your individual capacity. You can take the lessons you learned from your years as an individual contributor and use them to strengthen your foundation as a manager.
Maybe the feeling of loss came as a surprise to you as it does to many. If you’d like to process your thoughts on your own situation out loud, let’s talk. Visit stevedwire.com/talk to start the conversation.
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