Nurture relationships to achieve your career goals

Recently, I’ve coached several strong performers who are struggling to achieve their career goals. Each one is bright, dedicated, and highly-skilled, but has been overlooked for career opportunities.

Many career-related factors are within our control, but we are at the mercy of imperfect decision-makers when it comes to whether we will be selected for a specific opportunity.

Most decision-makers attempt to fill positions with people who they believe will be successful. They look at credentials. Which candidates have the important experiences, degrees, certifications, or licenses? They conduct interviews and look at past performance for evidence that candidates have the capabilities needed to succeed.

The strong performers I’m coaching get stuck here. They believe they have credentials that qualify them for the opportunities they seek. They think their track records of performance speak for themselves. When they are overlooked for opportunities, they are shocked.

In addition to credentials and capabilities, relationships are also important to achieving career goals. The common denominator for these clients is that they have weak or poor relationships with the leaders who are making decisions about the career opportunities they want. Plagued with biases and limited information about candidates’ capabilities, decision-makers are greatly influenced by relationships. A leader is more likely to select someone they know well and trust. A strong recommendation from a friend or close colleague is almost as good.

Ultimately, to achieve their career goals, strong performers must come to peace with the need to pay attention to relationships. They must look for opportunities to expand their networks, collaborate with others, and build strong, trusting relationships with decision-makers.