Here's how you can connect and establish relationships with senior executives.

To build relationships with senior executives stay informed about industry trends, competitive landscape, and emerging challenges. This knowledge will allow you to have informed conversations that resonate with their priorities. Ask insightful questions about their vision for the company, current challenges, and future opportunities. Take interest in what matters to them. Once you are in their good books, nourish the relationship with active discussions, insights and plans.

To build a relationship with senior executives, it's crucial to understand your goals and value those goals highly. In my experience, the key to relating to anyone effectively lies in conducting thorough background research on the relationship, understanding what I can contribute, and identifying what I can learn. This knowledge helps me craft my message and approach with clarity and confidence. Additionally, leveraging my existing network and ensuring proper follow-up are essential steps. A strong relationship is established when there is an alignment of goals and values.

When desiring to connect with your senior leaders with an ask, it's important to begin with the outcome in mind. Creating well formed outcomes will not only help you to understand very clearly what you are asking for, but it will help you to be able to articulate what it looks like when you achieve it. The more specificity you have when setting your goals the easier it will be to communicate them. It is always wise to start with SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Actionable/Achievable, Responsible, and Time oriented.

When reaching out through LinkedIn or cold email, introduce yourself clearly and succinctly. Start by stating your name and current position or field of expertise. Highlight your strengths and clearly articulate the purpose of your message, whether it's seeking a referral, job opportunity, or professional advice. If you're asking for a referral, explain how you can be an asset to their organization. Mention specific aspects of their leadership or company achievements that inspire you, and express your desire to work and learn from them. This personalized approach shows genuine interest and respect for their work, which can make your message stand out.

Find similarities or ways to connect, this also helps a lot breaking the ice during your first conversation. You've both studied at the same uni or are specialized in the a similar topic, great topics to start with. Prepare some questions in regards to that person's experience aligning with your goals, be specific and show that you already informed yourself beforehand. Be also ready to share things about yourself, even better if you can put them into context with something you learned or researched about that person, for example: "I was working on a research project last year about XX, I saw you also worked on this topic during your first job, what are your thoughts on this now/your main takeaways /etc."

Researching is important for knowing about what's important to your senior leader, however, researching is just the first step. Connecting and building the relationship is the most effective way to build long term rapport with people. As an example, perhaps you may see your senior leader at work functions or group meetings. Take the time to speak, connect and get to know them without an agenda. It often surprises people how easy it is to find common ground when they facilitate simple conversation.

The more you communicate and connect with your senior leader, the more you will understand what they value and their communication style. This is very helpful in crafting a message that not only clearly and concisely communicates your need and desire, but also lands in a way that the leader can hear you and is happy to learn more and discuss. While your message should be professional and well put together, perfection is unnecessary when you have taken the time to build and authentic relationship with that leader.

Sometimes it is difficult to make that initial connection with the leader. When you are unable to directly connect and build those relationships, the next best thing is to leverage the networks that have those lines of communication. Nurturing those adjacent relationships will make it more likely that you will be happily given that line of communication when the time is right.

If it is important for you to connect with a senior be aware of the contexts where both of you meet. If you have teambuilding activities together it can help grasping a proximity, your conversations if you share a lunch time are different than the ones in the office or you can use a 1:1 opportunity to present yourself on a more corporate level.

There's a bit of give and take in every relationship, and senior executives are no different! Naturally, senior executives can offer opportunities, advice, and guidance, but don't forget that junior executives bring other valuable assets to the relationship, including fresh, new perspectives and contemporary skills. The key to making the relationship grow is to build it on trust, mutual respect, and a safe environment where both parties feel they can benefit from each other.

One of the reasons building relationships is so important is that it builds trust and creates the opportunity for mutuality. When someone knows that you have their interests in mind as well as yours they are more likely to expand their generosities to you than if they believe you are only moving out of self interest. Make sure that you communicate the value that you can bring them to create mutual benefit and interest with your leader.

Most executives love to share their experiences with people who look up to them. Seek out a few executives you admire and whose positions are part of your future aspirations. Tell them you'd love to learn from them and ask them to be your mentors. All may not agree to your request but usually more than half of those you approach would. Ask if they're open to meeting with you for about 10-15 minutes every month or every quarter for you to pick their brains. Prioritize this time and come to the meeting with good, probing questions. You should also be ready to respond to whatever they may ask you, especially about your work, contributions to the organization, and your career aspirations.