From a Past President
Transitions for Working People
ERNIE O . CECILIA , DPM PMAP President , 1999
Ernie is in the American Chamber of Commerce ( AMCHAM ), Employers Confederation of the Philippines ( ECOP ) and the People Management Association of the Philippines ( PMAP ) and other professional organizations . In 2011 , he was given recognition as Diplomate in People Management ( DPM ) and voted “ Best Newspaper Columnist of the Year ” by PMAP in 2011 and 2012 . He was Executive Director of PMAP HRM Foundation , Inc . He is the President and CEO of EC Business Solutions and Career Center , Email : ernie _ cecilia @ yahoo . com
14 PEOPLE MANAGER I January 2013
The year 2012 ends with both good and bad news . First the bad news ! The Mayan calendar ended on December 21 , 2012 , and many thought the world would end . The Mayans ’ Tortuguero monument number 6 predicted an extraordinary galactic alignment happening on December 21 that precludes catastrophic events , marking the end of the Fifth Age which backdates to August 13 , 3114 B . C . The good news is that the bad news is not true !
If you think that the only transition happening soon is from 2012 to 2013 , look again . The yearend also marks many other transitions in the life of working people . Happy transitions include a new job , a promotion , salary increase , wedding , birth or baptism of a child , etc . Sometimes , there are also unhappy transitions – termination , downsizing , “ end of contract ”, death and funeral in the family , etc . Incidentally , we bid farewell to PMAP stalwart Atty . Bienvenido P . Burgos who recently joined his Creator .
Guidelines
To some people , transitions come as a surprise . Keen observers can sense that something good or bad is coming . To people who think that childbirth is an emergency , transitions will always come as a big surprise .
Here are a few guidelines for happy transitions , particularly in promotions :
• Remain humble . If you get promoted , you perhaps convinced your boss that you have the potential to assume positions of greater responsibility . Your performance in your present job must have indicated that you have what it takes to do bigger jobs . Promotion is not a reward for doing your present job well . Don ’ t get it wrong , and stop doing your old job !
• Enjoy the moment . Celebrate , but not for too long . Don ’ t bask too much in your glory . Promotion carries with it a responsibility to prove your boss right . Don ’ t fail him in your new job . If he has the authority to promote you , he can also demote you . Worse , he can fire you for gross neglect of your duty .
• Be nice to subordinates and friends . Continue to be nice with the people you worked with before your promotion . Some may hate you for passing them on your way up . Be gracious and humble . The people you meet on your way up could be the same people you ’ ll meet on your way down . Trample on them when going up , and they ’ ll beat you to kingdom come on your way down .
• Look at the bigger picture . As you move up , learn to see the forest , not just the trees . People at the higher echelons are expected to have broad perspective to see not only their jobs but the rest of the company . But don ’ t forget the tiniest detail of your own job . Looking at the big picture is not an excuse for neglecting to see what ’ s under your nose .
Typical Mistakes
While we see many people move up in their career smoothly , there are those who could not manage their successes well . Here are a few typical mistakes connected with happy transitions :
• Success gets into one ’ s head . I ’ ve seen a rank and file employee change entirely after being promoted as a Supervisor . He forgot that he used to be one of the boys before his promotion . His subordinates resented his bossy attitude . He was simply doing what he saw in his bosses , but that ’ s not a good excuse .
• Still “ just one of the boys .” The extreme reverse could be bad for the career of a newly promoted Supervisor . A supervisory position is part of management . When rank and file employees get promoted as Supervisors , they often could not let