亲爱的安妮：我刚刚获得意外升职，成为我们部门的主管。我想，这是个好消息。而坏消息是，前任主管被公司要求离职，因为他不能完成高管层下达的总是在变的生产和销售目标——部分原因是缺乏必要的资源，其中包括2008年以来员工已被裁掉了约三分之一。

    能有机会扭转颓势，让我很兴奋，不过坦率地说，我担心自己是否真能做到。我们部门的负责人告诉我，我应该立刻“驱车上路”，但我更愿意花上几周时间，重新思考一下我们目前的一些做法。我这么想是错的吗？您还有您的读者们能否给些建议，让我知道如何避免重蹈前任的覆辙呢？

    ——明尼苏达州，喜忧参半的人

    亲爱的喜忧参半：首先，恭喜你升职了，毕竟目前要升职比以前要难得多。根据人力资源调研集团WorldatWork的一项调研结果，2010年，只有约7%的美国员工在其公司内部获得提升。这比经济衰退前8.1%的数字有所下降。

    与此同时，其他情况表明，你的担忧是有道理的。比如，国际人才管理公司Development Dimensions International[其客户包括众多《财富》美国500强公司，如雅芳（Avon）和威瑞森（Verizon）等]近期在调查了1,130名刚获得提升的经理后发现，多数人都不得不“自己去闯”：其中只有十分之一的人接受过一些领导力方面的培训或辅导。

    约60%的人表示，他们是通过试错的方式来了解自己的工作的，另有42%的人表示，不清楚自己所肩负的期望，也不了解怎样才算是自己在新岗位上获得成功。

    结果，有三分之一的被调查者表示，他们希望自己没有被升职，并将自己“新官上任”的第一年描绘为“压力之大，难以承受”。DDI的高级副总裁斯科特•厄尔克表示：“在支持极其有限的情况下，驾驭一个复杂职位的压力会严重地挫伤士气。”

    因为你提到自己的升职出乎意料，所以我敢肯定，你也属于那90%没有受过培训的大多数，为此我询问了好几位培训师，对你此时该怎么做给出建议。我头一个问题就是，如何最好地做到“驱车上路”。

    艾伦•摩尔表示，“在新职位上的头100天”无疑“至关重要”。他是位于旧金山的PDI Ninth House公司的战略管理集团高级顾问。该公司已为3M、迪士尼（Disney）、惠普（Hewlett-Packard）、默克（Merck）及其他众多公司培训过经理人员。

    摩尔描述了所有“新官”必须掌握的微妙的平衡技巧。他说：“你需要一开始就创造一些‘胜绩’，但又不能走得太快。要有决断力，但也要花些时间，确保你明白各种事情为何是现在这种做法。”

    确认一些你能立刻实施的积极改变。随后，与向你汇报的员工开各种会议，了解他们的看法：要想达成那些不断变化的目标，还能做些什么。

    摩尔表示：“我曾培训过一些新任领导者，他们把上任伊始的头100天几乎全部用来和员工、供应商、销售商和客户开会，收集对可能的改进措施的建议。”他敦促你一定要“避免凡事亲力亲为的想法。作为经理，你的目标是建立整个组织的能力。”因此，请让组织上下各方都来帮你。

    同时，一定要请自己的上级主管阐明你应达成的目标。“别以为你知道公司对你的期望是什么，”莎伦•丹尼尔斯说。她是位于坦帕市的培训和职业发展公司AchieveGlobal的首席执行官。

    她进一步表示：“你必须确切了解自己的首要任务应该是哪些。随后，在推进过程中，向上级提交进程报告，并要求其确认你的工作方向是正确的。”

    丹尼尔斯的建议是，从一开始就开展这种对话，以便任何模糊的指示或潜在的冲突能尽早获得识别。知道自己应该做什么听起来可能是显而易见的事，但DDI的调研发现，很多新任经理人“对于如何才能成功一无所知”。这可不是什么好事。

    艾伦•摩尔还提醒到：照顾好自己。他说：“一大危险是精疲力竭。当你初次接手一个更高职位时，要做的事数不胜数，而与过去相比，组织更精简，资源更有限了——更别提快如闪电，全天无休的技术——人们发现自己现在一天工作时间长达20个小时。”

    切莫如此。摩尔说：“这是一场马拉松比赛，不是百米冲刺。所以要调整好自己的步伐。”

    祝你好运。

    反馈：如果你最近升职了，是什么帮你获得成功的？你希望自己在接手更高职位前获得哪些忠告？请在下面留下宝贵意见。

    译者：清远

    Dear Annie: I just got an unexpected promotion to head of my department. That's the good news (I think). The bad news is, the previous boss was asked to leave the company, because he just couldn't meet the always-changing production and sales targets that top management handed down -- partly due to a lack of resources, including a staff reduced by about one-third since 2008.

    I'm excited about the opportunity to turn things around, but frankly I wonder if I can. The head of my division told me I'm supposed to "hit the ground running," but I'd like to take at least a couple of weeks to rethink some of what we're doing now. Would that be a mistake? Do you or your readers have any suggestions on how to avoid my predecessor's fate? —Mixed Blessing in Minnesota

    Dear MBM: First, congratulations on getting promoted, which is even tougher these days than it used to be. Only about 7% of U.S. employees moved up in their organizations in 2010, according to a survey by human resources research group WorldatWork. That's a decrease from 8.1% in the years before the recession.

    At the same time, other evidence suggests that your worries are well-founded. For instance, global talent management firm Development Dimensions International (DDI), whose clients include dozens of Fortune 500 companies from Avon (AVP) to Verizon (VZ), recently polled 1,130 newly promoted managers and found that most were obliged to "sink or swim": Only one in 10 had gotten any leadership training or coaching.

    About 60% said they were learning their jobs through trial and error, and 42% said they had no clear idea of what was expected of them, or what success in their new position would look like.

    As a result, a third of those surveyed said that they wish they hadn't been promoted, describing their first year on the job as "overwhelming." Notes Scott Erker, a senior vice president at DDI, "The stress of having to navigate a complex role with little support takes a toll on morale."

    Since you mention that your promotion was unexpected, I'm betting you're among the 90% majority who received no training, so I asked a couple of coaches what they'd advise you to do now, starting with the question of how best to "hit the ground running."

    There's no doubt that "your first 100 days in this job are critical," says Allen Moore, an executive consultant in the strategic management group at PDI Ninth House in San Francisco who has coached managers at 3M (MMM), Disney (DIS), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Merck (MRK), and many other companies.

    Moore describes a tricky balancing act that all new bosses must pull off. "You need to score some early 'wins,' but without moving too fast," he says. "Be decisive, but also take a bit of time to make sure you understand why things are done the way they are now."

    Identify a couple of positive changes you could make immediately. Then hold a series of meetings with the people who report to you and get their ideas on what else could be done to improve their chances of meeting those ever-changing targets.

    "I've coached some new leaders who spent almost their whole first 100 days meeting with employees, suppliers, vendors, and customers, gathering ideas for possible improvements," says Moore. He urges you to "avoid the temptation to try and do everything yourself. As a manager, your goal is to build the capabilities of the whole organization." So let the whole organization help you.

    At the same time, ask the people above you to spell out what goals you should be shooting for. "Don't assume you know what's expected of you," says Sharon Daniels, CEO of Tampa-based training and development firm AchieveGlobal.

    "You need to understand exactly what your priorities should be. Then give higher-ups progress reports as you go along, and ask for confirmation that you're heading in the right direction," she adds.

    Get this dialogue going right from the start, Daniels suggests, so that any mixed signals or potential conflicts can be sorted out early. Knowing what you're supposed to be doing may sound obvious, but the DDI survey found that many new managers are "in the dark about what it takes to be successful." That can't be good.

    One further tip from Allen Moore: Take care of yourself. "One danger is burnout," he observes. "When you first step into a bigger job, there's so much to do, and with leaner organizations and fewer resources than in the past -- not to mention lightning-fast, 24/7 technology -- people find themselves working 20 hours a day."

    Don't. "This is a marathon, not a sprint," says Moore. "So pace yourself."

    Good luck.

    Talkback: If you've been promoted recently, what has helped you succeed? What do you wish someone had told you before you took the bigger job? Leave a comment below.