It was one of my greatest leadership triumphs, and I wasn’t even in the room when it happened.
One of my direct reports (who we’ll call Alice) was fantastic and deserved promotion, but her good work wasn’t well known. This mattered a lot because all the managers on the leadership team had to approve any promotion.
I hatched a plan.
I assigned Alice to a project with one of my manager peers so they could see her work first-hand. I ensured that her strengths were noted when the leadership team discussed talent. At the same time I was aware of the other managers’ points of view and actively supported their positions whenever I could.
The effort paid off Alice’s promotion was approved in a meeting that I couldn’t even attend. This was possible because my colleagues knew my wishes, had evidence to support them, and were favorably inclined to help me. They were my allies.
Let’s unpack this.
As you move from an expert-focused role to a leadership role, there are more and more people to build strong relationships with: your manager, senior leaders, direct reports, and so on.
With all the time and effort required, it’s easy to overlook the other relationships that are essential to making an impact and getting stuff done as a leader: your allies, who (in the definition I’m using here) are colleagues you align with to achieve an outcome.
Here are some ways to build and strengthen these eminently useful connections.
Step 1: Identify potential allies
Take a piece of paper and put yourself at the center. Fill in your manager and direct reports somewhere around the perimeter. Then, add your colleagues. Focus on those without direct responsibility for you, including:
– Your manager’s other direct reports
-Your manager’s peers and their direct reports (kind of like work cousins 🙂)
-Others outside of your group with a vested interest in your work
Step 2: Cultivate them
The goal is to get to know them before you need it (as I discussed last time).
-Speak to them about a topic they care about
-Support others in meetings. Second someone’s point, e.g., “Like Jane said…”
-Share your perspective – don’t be so careful that people are unaware of your point of view.
Some of you might initially see these approaches as playing “office politics.” If so, I encourage you to reframe and think of it as a new way of collaborating across organizational boundaries.
And, you’re probably doing some of this relationship building work already – why not name it and do it more intentionally?
By creating allies, you’ve broadened your role and increased your impact. Well done. Please share your questions and your triumphs.
