Promoted employee now outranks former mentors

DEAR READERS: I have worked at the same company for 12 years now, and I was recently promoted into a role that places me above several people who have mentored me in my career. These are colleagues who trained me, advocated for me and helped shape my professional growth, so stepping into a position where I now oversee or outrank them feels weird. I’m proud of being promoted, but I also feel awkward.