Aight, so boom. Picture this, you've worked your ass off all 2017 through 2019 and you returned to work in 2020 to learn that you FINALLY are getting the promotion you've been dreaming about.
It's a very exciting time in your life because maybe you've haven't been feeling challenged at work because you've surpassed your job knowledge, or maybe some things in your life have shifted causing you to need more financial support from your company. No matter what it is, that promotion that you just received is right on time, and you're ecstatic because now you're becoming the boss woman you've always known you could be.
However, just like the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility." Your new promotion and its benefits will bring about a lot of change and new commitments, so it's critical that you are prepared mentally and professionally for what's to come.
I remember when I got my first big promotion at my last company. I spent the weekends (and some Turn Up Tuesdays and Thirsty Thursdays) leading up to my first new day turning up with celebratory toasts with my girls. As you can tell, I was completely proud and excited for my promotion and increased salary, but oblivious to what I was in store for at my job.
Before you start down that path of having constant celebrations because of your promotion, get into the tips below for some ways you can get your mind right for your new big role.
1. Get your personal life in order.
It doesn't matter if you've been at your company for X amount of years, or a couple of months, getting promoted yields new responsibilities - many of which you may underestimate. These new responsibilities and commitments can possibly disrupt your normal, everyday routine outside of work if you aren't prepared. Before you start your new role, go ahead and get your gym schedule down, place time on your personal calendar for journaling, reading, meditating, or whatever you do that keeps you centered, and schedule time to chill with friends for brunch dates or happy hours so that it's already planned. New job roles can cause stress so it's crucial that you are proactively planning out time to do things to de-stress.
2. Review your money goals.
Shutterstock
If your promotion comes with an increased salary, this is the perfect time to review your budget, and make revisions where necessary. With your new pay, you'll have more money to allocate towards savings, and to put towards other areas in your financial plan. I recommend revising your budget before your new role starts so that you already have plans for what you'll do with the money before you get distracted by those extra dollars on your check.
3. Learn more about your role.
Although you're already well-versed on your new role and what it entails, I recommend to take extra time out to talk to your supervisor or if possible, the person that was in the role before you, to get even more details on what to expect. Ask in-depth questions to figure out what the typical day looks like, the challenges that the person before you experienced, and your new boss' expectations for you for your first 30, 60, and 90 days.
4. Learn about your team.
Shutterstock
If you're leading a team in your new position, talk to the person in the role before you or to your new supervisor to get the scoop on your new direct reports. Ask clear questions to learn what their strengths, weaknesses, learning style, and communication styles are so that you can know what to expect.
5. Plan team outings.
Some people may think it's silly to plan a team outing or team interactions for employees that you haven't met or worked with yet, but it's not. Once you get in your new role, you'll be bombarded with learning your new job, managing expectations, and leading a team. The last thing that'll be on your mind will be nurturing your relationship with your new direct reports, but it's actually the most important thing. Early on as their new manager, it's critical that you are taking time out to get to know your team and blocking out dates for one-on-ones so that you can provide feedback on their progress. As their new boss, it's important that your new team is at the forefront of your mind and goals, and that you are intentionally making the effort to grow this relationship.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
Leadership Skills Every Great Leader Should Master
How To Cultivate Strong Work Relationships
6 Business Rules For Alpha Women
This Career Coach Gave Up A $103K Salary To Live In Her Purpose
Featured image by Shutterstock
- How to Prepare Your High-Potential Employees for Promotion ›
- 7 Ways to Prepare to Ask for a Promotion | CollegeXpress ›
- Tips to Successfully Interview for a Job Promotion ›
- How to Prepare for the New Gmail Promotions Grid-View Format ... ›
- You're “Not Ready” for a Promotion? Take it Anyway | ChronicleVitae ›
- How to Prepare for a Promotion Interview | Indeed.com ›
- 13 Ways to Show Your Boss You're Ready for the Big Promotion ›
- 6 Ways to Prepare for Your Promotion Now - The Muse ›
Brittani Hunter is a proud PVAMU alumni and the founder of The Mogul Millennial, a business and career platform for Black Millennials. Meet Brittani on Twitter and on the Gram at @BrittaniLHunter and @mogulmillennial.
Exclusive: Melanie Fiona On Making High-Vibrational Music & Saying Yes To Partnership
Melanie Fiona is back! After taking a little more than a decade-long hiatus, she has officially made her return to music and blessed us with two singles, “Say Yes” and “I Choose You.” While both singles are very different from each other, they both reflect who she is today and the type of music she wants to make. In our conversation, the mom of two expressed what she learned during her time away.
“It's interesting, even when I said it is like coming back, I don't ever feel like I really left because I was always still performing. I've still been public. It's not like I went into being this recluse person or version of myself, but the thing that I really learned in this process is that I think things take time,” Melanie says in a xoNecole exclusive.
“I think often we're so caught up in it, being on the timing of demand or popularity, or, like, striking while the iron is hot and the thing that I've learned is that everything is on God's time. That's it. Every time I thought I would have been ready, or, like, things were taking too long, I had to reship some things, personally, professionally, in my life. I also gave myself permission to make a living, not just make a living, but make a life for myself.”
Making a life for herself included getting married to Grammy-nominated songwriter Jared Cotter, starting a family, and embracing new landscapes, such as podcasting as a co-host of The Mama’s Den podcast. She also began doing more spiritual work and self-care practices like meditation, sound healing, Reiki, acupuncture, and boundary setting, which allowed her to get in touch with her inner voice.
“I wasn't putting out music, and I wasn't experiencing a number one record, but I was being a number one mom,” she says.
“I was experiencing things that were allowing me to heal and get in touch with myself so that I could make new music from a space of joy and freedom, and excitement again because I definitely feel like I did lose some excitement because of just politics and industry and what it can do to your mental health and even your physical health. So giving myself the space to really just say, ‘Hey, it's okay. Everything's right on time.’”
The joy and excitement are felt in one of two new singles, “I Choose You,” which is more of a lovers rock vibe, a tribute to Melanie’s Caribbean roots. While the Grammy award-winner is known for ballads like “It Kills Me” and “Fool For You,” she is becoming more intentional about the music she makes, calling it high-vibrational music. She says her music is a “reflection of my life,” as it captures every facet, from hanging out with friends to riding around in her car.
“Say Yes” has the classic R&B vibe Melanie is known for. However, both songs are inspired by her relationship. Melanie and Jared got married in December 2020, and the Toronto-bred artist dished on their relationship. Fun fact: he is featured in the “Say Yes” music video.
“When we first started dating, I had come into that relationship post a lot of self-work. I had gotten out of a long-term relationship, I had a year and a half to date and be by myself and do a lot of work on myself alone. And when we met, I remember feeling like this has to be my person because I feel it,” she says.
“And so when we went into that relationship, and we started dating, I was very clear. I was like, I know what I want. I'm very clear on what I need, and I'm not going to withhold my truth about myself in this process because of pride or fear of rejection. I know you love me, but I'm coming with my heart in my hand to let you know that if we're gonna get there, we have to put fear aside and say yes. So that was kind of like my open letter to him, which is why the video is us having a conversation.”
Melanie also shares that saying yes to her partner has empowered her in many ways, including motherhood and showing up for herself. Her new EP, also titled Say Yes, will be available at the top of 2025.
Check out the full interview below.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Franco Zulueta
Almost two weeks later, Wicked is still on everyone's lips. The high-grossing film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, as their characters, tell a story about race and acceptance. However, what has captured audiences on and off the screen are Cynthia's and Ariana's looks as they play on their characters' styles.
Ariana, like her character Glinda, is often dressed in pink, and Cynthia, much like Elphaba, is covered in green. But what also has many people talking is the British actress' nails. Her nails are often long, blingy, and, of course, green. Many TikTok girlies are even doing their own versions of Elphaba's nails. But there's one person to thank for the green nail mania: Shea Osei.
The London-based nail artist has been working with the Wicked actress since she was 16 and shared all the tea on her epic nail styles with Unbothered UK.
Here what she said.
Shea On Elphaba's Nails Being The First Thing We See Before Seeing The Character
I was ecstatic. I was happy. It was just great to see my craft, my artistry just out there, not just nationally but globally.
Shea On Elphaba's Nails Representing Her Character Development
When we started with the first [nail] look, we chose nice, subtle green ombre nails that show who she is but a calm, chilled-out version of Elphaba. As she grew into herself, became more confident, and found herself, she was more like, yes, this is me, I’m Elphaba, I am who I am, and her nails became more daring. In the salon scene, when she had a transformation, her nails were, one, longer and two, they were more daring. There are many close-ups of Elphaba’s hands in the film, where you see her nails, and you see the difference in what they were [at the start of the film], so I feel like that helps to tell the story.
Shea On Elphaba's Nails Representing Black Womanhood
Yes, it was 100%. And I feel like, yes, the nails represented Black womanhood but also just being yourself. I just feel like the nails represented Cynthia as if to say, ‘I'm Black and I can be a Black witch’. This is who I am. And also, I can have braids and they can be done in any kind of way and can still be styled however is needed. I think we saw, if I'm correct, three or four different braid styles in the movie. Sim Camps, who styled the braids, did an amazing job — there would be mornings when she would be making sure the braids were intact and looked amazing on camera. So, yeah, definitely the braids were an ode to Black culture and the nails were 100% like, yes, we're doing it.
Shea On Seeing The Fan Recreation On TikTok
Yes, I have! If you are going to the salon and you want to recreate Elphaba's nails and let's say, you're going for the nails after the salon scene, where she just gets a fresh set, I would say ask for a plain black base and then ask if they have green foils to stick it on top to give that green effect. Then apply a shiny top coat. And it looks insane! The green ombre is more complicated with colours mixed to give it a green earthy colour.
Shea On The Importance Of Expressing Yourself Through Nail Art, Despite Some Criticism
We love it and don't want anyone to change. Let's look at athletes such as Flo-Jo, remember her nails? Now we have ShaCarri Richardson and her nails are always long and she's always got nice designs [on them]. It’s also Black people, not only Black women — because if you look at athletes that are men that make sure they get their nails painted as well. A$AP Rocky gets his nails painted. It's just so good to see that our culture is so colourful and also so inviting. It’s not only Black people that can have these kinds of nails, anyone can have them. I’m glad we can be the inspiration to everybody and they can draw bits of our culture and add it to theirs.
I like the fact that Cynthia is able to go out of there into the world and still be authentically herself. She hasn't changed for anything or anyone. This is how I am. I like my nails like this, my nail techs love doing my nails like this.
I'm over the moon that Cynthia can go out and still have her nails how she wants to. [Cynthia’s nails] has been a topic this entire Wicked press tour. Everyone will ask Cynthia about her nails in every interview and I love that. I love it because that's who she is. And if you see her you'll see that she's always got her nails done and she’s always got some banging heels on. Even on her down days, she’s always dressed. That's just how she is.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Jeff Spicer/ Getty Images