By : Samuel Hui
Just like a garden, your career needs nurturing and care. And like any thriving backyard jungle, sometimes your career needs fertilizer (outside support that can help it flourish).
Growing your career can be a case of building the right relationships at the right time. Everyone has access to personal contacts who can help them achieve their goals and aspirations, but these individuals will not do so unless they are invited to.
Here are five relationships that can help you grow your career, what to expect from these relationships and how you can get the most out of them.
1- Workplace mentor from a related department
A good workplace mentor should be more senior and experienced than you are, and you should feel comfortable interacting and opening yourself up to him. Obviously, the more senior the better, so aim as high as the president or VP of the company.
If you are looking to get a lot out of the relationship, it is also helpful to have your mentor come from a related department, one with which you have a lot of dealings with. For example, if you are in an internal consulting role, but frequently deal with the marketing department, the VP of Marketing would likely make a good mentor.
To get the most out of a mentoring relationship:
Go to him for advice: Your mentor should be able to point out how you can improve in your current role and perhaps outline what you need to do to get that promotion. Do not be afraid to ask him for his counsel.
Share your accomplishments: In a big corporation, it is sometimes hard to get noticed or gather credit for your work. Let your mentor know what you have accomplished and do not be surprised to see him pass it on.
Find departmental synergies: Through your interactions with your mentor and his department, you might notice ways in which your two departments can work together more effectively. Suggest your idea, ask your mentor to champion it, and then take a big part in leading the push. This will help your work get noticed by leaders in both departments.
2- President of a professional association
The best professional associations to join are those that are most similar to your field of practice; if this isn't possible, you may want to try a general chamber of commerce. The president of these associations will usually be a well-respected and highly-noted individual with broad influence.
From teaching in-house to learning from other companies, more relationships that will keep you on the fast track
Through the president, you can gain an understanding of the types of individuals who attend the association's functions and -- more importantly -- use them as a springboard to meet others.
To get the most out of a professional association:
Do your homework: Study which associations relate to your interests or would be helpful to your career. Go through the membership directory to see if there is anyone you would like to meet.
Devise a plan: If your goal is to learn new skills, decide which courses or events to attend and when. If your goal is to meet people in the field, think about how you can accomplish this (how to get a meeting with them, etc).
Make the president privy to your plan: By making the president a confidante, you will have solicited the help of someone who is well connected and knows the organization inside out. He will likely be able to suggest ideas and even set up introductions.
3- A peer or employee you are training
It may seem counterintuitive, but teaching a peer or fellow employee actually helps you learn. Teaching others forces you to examine your personal knowledge and experience in more detail, and allows you to approach work in a manner that you would not have done on your own.
It is perhaps most effective, though, when you are teaching your own staff or team. This sharing of ideas can help nurture the team spirit, make those you work with more effective and make you a more valuable contributor to the firm.
To create a framework for learning:
Set a regular schedule: Make learning and teaching a regular part of your work routine. Without a proper schedule, procrastination may set in and the program may slowly lose interest.
Invite others to share their skills: Allow others to teach. In fact, offer this opportunity to coworkers and subordinates so that you can take part in the lessons as well. You will find that there is a lot of knowledge and information that you can learn from others.
Actively promote participation: The larger the program, the more people you have the opportunity to learn from.
4- An employee from a different department in your firm
Outside of your workplace mentor, you can also learn from a number of departments in your firm -- whether they are related to your job function or not. The best people to mingle with are those who have been with the company for a long time, as they can give you better insight into the culture and work practices of their respective departments.
A clique mentality often causes people to cluster in groups that fall along the same job function. But sometimes it is good to study how people in other departments are functioning, how they are performing their job and what they are doing to be successful.
You should seek to:
Learn how others view your department: What do other people think about how your department operates? This should give you a lot of feedback as to how you can ensure more efficient cooperation between departments.
Discover which systems or initiatives are successful in other departments: Perhaps you can find structures of reporting or organizing work that would better suit your department. Do not be afraid to raid other departments for ideas.
Improve your general understanding of the firm: Successful managers and directors have a more comprehensive understanding of how the firm works. It is never too early to prepare yourself for these roles.
5- Industry professionals from other companies
To start off, I would like to warn you that this should be done with the utmost care and not with any direct competitors. One way to quickly throw a wrench in your career progression is to appear disloyal.
The best companies to interact with are those with which your own firm has an amicable relationship; perhaps because they are partners in a joint venture or if they are targeting a different segment of the market.
In these firms, you will want to strike up a relationship with senior executives and with those in a similar role to yours. You can generally meet these people in committees for industry-wide initiatives, lobby groups or conferences.
Through these relationships, you should seek to:
Build industry awareness: What are the problems that other firms in the industry are facing and how are they dealing with them? Ask questions to determine whether there is a general issue in the industry and what works in dealing with it.
Leverage what you learn: Always look to capitalize on what you have learned and use it to prepare for any market trends that may affect your own firm. And if you have encountered a problem that you have never seen in your own company, exchange ideas with individuals in similar roles.
Find out who is "good" and stay in touch: Really good people are hard to find. As you progress, you will realize that there are those who can promote your own advancement if your fortune is somehow tied to theirs and vice versa.
successful business relationships
Building professional relationships is a social exercise that can pay dividends in spades. But be careful to remember that every relationship involves give and take and that favors may not be a one-way street. So keep your most valuable allies happy and be on the lookout for others that can help your career grow.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
Just like a garden, your career needs nurturing and care. And like any thriving backyard jungle, sometimes your career needs fertilizer (outside support that can help it flourish).
Growing your career can be a case of building the right relationships at the right time. Everyone has access to personal contacts who can help them achieve their goals and aspirations, but these individuals will not do so unless they are invited to.
Here are five relationships that can help you grow your career, what to expect from these relationships and how you can get the most out of them.
1- Workplace mentor from a related department
A good workplace mentor should be more senior and experienced than you are, and you should feel comfortable interacting and opening yourself up to him. Obviously, the more senior the better, so aim as high as the president or VP of the company.
If you are looking to get a lot out of the relationship, it is also helpful to have your mentor come from a related department, one with which you have a lot of dealings with. For example, if you are in an internal consulting role, but frequently deal with the marketing department, the VP of Marketing would likely make a good mentor.
To get the most out of a mentoring relationship:
Go to him for advice: Your mentor should be able to point out how you can improve in your current role and perhaps outline what you need to do to get that promotion. Do not be afraid to ask him for his counsel.
Share your accomplishments: In a big corporation, it is sometimes hard to get noticed or gather credit for your work. Let your mentor know what you have accomplished and do not be surprised to see him pass it on.
Find departmental synergies: Through your interactions with your mentor and his department, you might notice ways in which your two departments can work together more effectively. Suggest your idea, ask your mentor to champion it, and then take a big part in leading the push. This will help your work get noticed by leaders in both departments.
2- President of a professional association
The best professional associations to join are those that are most similar to your field of practice; if this isn't possible, you may want to try a general chamber of commerce. The president of these associations will usually be a well-respected and highly-noted individual with broad influence.
From teaching in-house to learning from other companies, more relationships that will keep you on the fast track
Through the president, you can gain an understanding of the types of individuals who attend the association's functions and -- more importantly -- use them as a springboard to meet others.
To get the most out of a professional association:
Do your homework: Study which associations relate to your interests or would be helpful to your career. Go through the membership directory to see if there is anyone you would like to meet.
Devise a plan: If your goal is to learn new skills, decide which courses or events to attend and when. If your goal is to meet people in the field, think about how you can accomplish this (how to get a meeting with them, etc).
Make the president privy to your plan: By making the president a confidante, you will have solicited the help of someone who is well connected and knows the organization inside out. He will likely be able to suggest ideas and even set up introductions.
3- A peer or employee you are training
It may seem counterintuitive, but teaching a peer or fellow employee actually helps you learn. Teaching others forces you to examine your personal knowledge and experience in more detail, and allows you to approach work in a manner that you would not have done on your own.
It is perhaps most effective, though, when you are teaching your own staff or team. This sharing of ideas can help nurture the team spirit, make those you work with more effective and make you a more valuable contributor to the firm.
To create a framework for learning:
Set a regular schedule: Make learning and teaching a regular part of your work routine. Without a proper schedule, procrastination may set in and the program may slowly lose interest.
Invite others to share their skills: Allow others to teach. In fact, offer this opportunity to coworkers and subordinates so that you can take part in the lessons as well. You will find that there is a lot of knowledge and information that you can learn from others.
Actively promote participation: The larger the program, the more people you have the opportunity to learn from.
4- An employee from a different department in your firm
Outside of your workplace mentor, you can also learn from a number of departments in your firm -- whether they are related to your job function or not. The best people to mingle with are those who have been with the company for a long time, as they can give you better insight into the culture and work practices of their respective departments.
A clique mentality often causes people to cluster in groups that fall along the same job function. But sometimes it is good to study how people in other departments are functioning, how they are performing their job and what they are doing to be successful.
You should seek to:
Learn how others view your department: What do other people think about how your department operates? This should give you a lot of feedback as to how you can ensure more efficient cooperation between departments.
Discover which systems or initiatives are successful in other departments: Perhaps you can find structures of reporting or organizing work that would better suit your department. Do not be afraid to raid other departments for ideas.
Improve your general understanding of the firm: Successful managers and directors have a more comprehensive understanding of how the firm works. It is never too early to prepare yourself for these roles.
5- Industry professionals from other companies
To start off, I would like to warn you that this should be done with the utmost care and not with any direct competitors. One way to quickly throw a wrench in your career progression is to appear disloyal.
The best companies to interact with are those with which your own firm has an amicable relationship; perhaps because they are partners in a joint venture or if they are targeting a different segment of the market.
In these firms, you will want to strike up a relationship with senior executives and with those in a similar role to yours. You can generally meet these people in committees for industry-wide initiatives, lobby groups or conferences.
Through these relationships, you should seek to:
Build industry awareness: What are the problems that other firms in the industry are facing and how are they dealing with them? Ask questions to determine whether there is a general issue in the industry and what works in dealing with it.
Leverage what you learn: Always look to capitalize on what you have learned and use it to prepare for any market trends that may affect your own firm. And if you have encountered a problem that you have never seen in your own company, exchange ideas with individuals in similar roles.
Find out who is "good" and stay in touch: Really good people are hard to find. As you progress, you will realize that there are those who can promote your own advancement if your fortune is somehow tied to theirs and vice versa.
successful business relationships
Building professional relationships is a social exercise that can pay dividends in spades. But be careful to remember that every relationship involves give and take and that favors may not be a one-way street. So keep your most valuable allies happy and be on the lookout for others that can help your career grow.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
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