What do you do if your chances of promotion rely on building strong relationships with key decision-makers?

1 Identify your goals

Before you start networking, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. What are your short-term and long-term career aspirations? What skills and competencies do you need to develop or showcase? What kind of feedback or support are you looking for? Having specific and realistic goals will help you focus your efforts and communicate your value proposition to the decision-makers.

2 Research your targets

Once you have your goals in mind, you need to identify who are the key decision-makers in your organization and what are their roles, responsibilities, interests, and challenges. You can use various sources of information, such as the company website, social media, newsletters, reports, or internal contacts, to learn more about them. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to find common ground and tailor your message.

4 Build rapport and trust

When you interact with the decision-makers, you need to establish rapport and trust. You can do this by being friendly, attentive, curious, and respectful. You can also use techniques such as active listening, mirroring, and storytelling to create a connection and show empathy. You want to demonstrate that you understand their needs and perspectives, and that you share their vision and values.

5 Follow up and maintain contact

After you have made a positive impression, you need to follow up and maintain contact with the decision-makers. You can do this by sending a thank-you note, providing updates, asking for feedback, offering help, or sharing useful resources. You want to show that you are reliable, consistent, and interested. You also want to look for opportunities to add value and deepen the relationship.

6 Evaluate and adjust

Finally, you need to evaluate and adjust your strategy based on the results. You can do this by tracking your progress, measuring your outcomes, and soliciting feedback. You want to see if you are achieving your goals, meeting the expectations of the decision-makers, and overcoming any challenges or obstacles. You also want to identify what works well and what needs improvement, and make the necessary changes.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?