You finally got that promotion you’d been working so hard for! Celebrate, pat yourself on the back, and soak in your accomplishments. Then, after you’ve had a bit of fun, be on the lookout for these 5 common post promotion traps. Becuase they could derail your career success or lead you down the wrong path.

1. Spend it All:

Did your awesome promotion come with a salary bump? You may be tempted to spend it all! And, you should be able to reward yourself with a little something. But don’t forget to also reward your future self. That promotion and raise should come with a raised savings or 401k allocation as well so you don’t spend it all on lifestyle inflation.

2. Everything Will Change Overnight:

Sure, you got the promotion you wanted, but don’t expect to stop doing all of the work you used to do overnight. Unless you were moved to a completely different department, you’ll probably need to finish up a few projects and train whoever is stepping into your old shoes. Everything won’t change overnight but soon you’ll be transitioned into your new role completely!

3. Focusing On Your Success Over Your Team’s Success:

Letting a promotion get to your head and inflate your ego could be a major career mistake. If you’re in a collaborative environment and you start focusing on your own success over your team’s success, expecting applause at every turn, you’ll only be met with resistance and resentment. Instead, stay humble, curious, and willing to listen and learn. Focus on how to lift your whole team up and not just you and you’ll find your job more rewarding and your coworkers more accepting.

4. Letting the New Workload Overwhelm You:

Sometimes promotions mean adding on additional tasks to the things you were already doing. Other times, they mean a completely different workload. Either way, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with your new workload. If you suddenly feel swamped or backlogged, focus on improving your productivity and give yourself some time to adjust to the new workload. It may mean a few extra hours until you get used to your new day-to-day.

5. Jumping Ship at First Sight of Challenge:

Promotions often come with additional responsibilities, which means you could be tasked with several responsibilities that feel completely out of your wheelhouse. Don’t panic and take this as a sign you’ll fail. Don’t jump ship at the first sight of a challenge. Take a deep breath and embrace the learning process! No one expects you to be perfect right away, just do your best, apologize and learn from errors along the way, and ask for help when or if you need it.

Promotions come with a few common promotion traps that are easy to fall into. But, with this guide, you can successfully avoid those 5 common traps and navigate your climb up the career ladder more easily than ever before.

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