This is not about sucking-up or brown-nosing, this involves making shrewd choices about where you invest your time and energy building relationships. Powerful people are always on the lookout for talented people who may be able to help them.
Early in your career, these people may be beyond reach, or may appear too intimidating to approach. That is natural and something that you need to work on. This requires assurance, and, as you progress, your confidence will grow, especially if you focus on building your confidence.
Even though a powerful person may be difficult to access, that doesn’t mean you idle. Instead, get creative and find others who may be able to bridge the gap. Find people who report to powerful executives and build a relationship with them first. In time, they may introduce you, put in a good word, or in some other way bring you to the attention of your target.
Identification and Action
- Think about the most important people in your company, organisation or division.
- Who are the people that everyone keeps talking about, who seem to be able to get things done?
- Include those who can have a negative, as well as a positive impact.
- Rank them in order of the potential impact on your objective, from positive to negative. Your objective could be a project you are working on, your career, or anything else you are hoping to achieve at work.
- For each individual, jot down some thoughts about what their impact could be.
- Decide who are the most important for you to begin building a relationship with.
- Brainstorm ideas about how you can build a relationship with them.
- Make a decision about the actions you will take now for each person.
And remember, if this seems like a manipulative way to behave, you might want to rethink that attitude. Relationships are the key way that power and influence works. It is rarely about merit alone. This is the way it is, the way it always has been, and likely, the way it always will be.
The Gautrey Influence Blog
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