It’s ALL about Relationships

By Linda Taliaferro

You finally landed that job, the one you have been dreaming of. The job you believe is the answer to your career desires. Therefore, you keep your head down, moving through each day focused and working hard at hitting those home runs every day. You are convinced this is your stepping stone to a high-profile opportunity and a promotion. The real deal is that working hard and producing good work product is the price of entry! It is expected, it's why they hired you in the first place. Everyone knows you are good at what you do, but the question is - do they know who you are?

 Are you liked?

 Now that doesn’t mean you are sharing your deepest secrets, looking for a best friend, or someone to hangout with every weekend. That's not what it means to 'being liked'. Ask yourself these 5 questions:

·        Do people go the other way when they see you coming down the hall?

·        Are they seeking you out to be on their team or part of projects or initiatives?

·        Do you know who the key individuals are in your organization and have you taken the time to have conversations with them?

·        Have you shared general interests, such as a love for dogs, or maybe you noticed the UCLA banner and you're a Trojan?

·        Do you go out to lunch with the team instead of always saying no because you are too busy?

Being liked is about being open and receptive to the process and allowing people at various levels of the organization to get to know you. Most actions that take place within a company, whether it is the success of an initiative, the development of a strategy, meeting targets, or deciding who gets to sit in that open seat is developed through the effort of teams, and/or discussions among a group. You want to be the person people are talking about when you are not in the room!

 Remember the difference between the people who are working hard, keeping their head down, avoiding engagement and stuck in their career compared to the person getting the hot assignments and claiming their seat at the table is… THEY ARE LIKED!

 Linda Taliaferro is a career advisor specializing in helping individuals get unstuck and strengthen their interpersonal skill to gain upward mobility in corporate America. Linda is also the Vice President to Global Quality at Meritor. She has led Meritor's Global Quality organization since 2014 and Linda has more than 20 years in leadership positions. www.theteellc.com