How to find and build relationships with your professional allies

As I have progressed in my career, I have realized that professional allies and advocates are a crucial part of my career journey. In our private lives, we understand the importance of building and maintaining very healthy relationships; the same principle should apply to our professional lives.

In this blog post, I will share the benefits of having professional allies and the best way to leverage them along your career journey.

Who are professional allies?
Allies are people who offer one another backing, assistance, advice, information, protection, and even friendship. Your professional allies could play different roles such as mentors, sponsors, technical advisors, career advisors.

What are the benefits of having professional allies?
Great allies support your career in various ways such as:

• Speak well about you and your work when you are not in the room
• Provide access to new opportunities, projects, or jobs
• Connect you to people in their network
• Be a sounding board for your ideas
• Provide objective advice, information, and recommendations when you face challenges

5 ways to build relationships with your professional allies

Find your allies and ensure they are from different backgrounds
Being intentional about seeking out and choosing your allies is essential. Many different people could be your professional allies such as your manager, teammate, senior leaders, experienced co-workers or people that report to you. It is crucial for you to continuously identify your professional allies.

Strategies to consider

• Think about the people in your professional life that can be your allies and reach out to them

Be clear on what the relationship is and what you want
As with every relationship, when you are clear about how you want your allies to support you, you will get the best results. You should be able to clearly map out how your professional allies can positively influence your career and help you accomplish your goals.

Strategies to consider

• Agree on the rules of engagement with your allies

Make sure they know your work
Your allies can talk more about your work when you share details with them. You do not work closely with your allies in some cases, but you want them to feel like they know what you do. You are the best person to share your professional accomplishments.

Strategies to consider

• Send your allies updates on your work quarterly or every six months

Meet with them regularly
In any good relationship, conversations and connections happen regularly. To stay top of mind for your professional allies, it is crucial to stay connected. You want to make sure you are not only reaching out when you have issues. Sharing good updates with them is also unbelievably valuable.

Strategies to consider

• Schedule time to connect with your allies at least once a quarter

Provide your professional allies value
As much as you receive support, you want to give the same. We all appreciate when people who we invest in also give back to us. You have something to offer your professional allies as well. We all have different perspectives and can enrich each other's lives when we share.

Strategies to consider

• Find out the value you can bring your allies and provide it to them

Final Thoughts
You do not have to feel lonely on your career journey. Surround yourself with amazing people who can help you thrive and enjoy your work.

Time for Reflection
What type of allies do you need to seek out?
Who are people around you who you want to convert to professional allies?
How are you going to build solid relationships with your allies?

Great Resources

• 7 Examples of What Being an Ally at Work Really Looks Like
• Finding Your Allies
• 5 do's and don'ts for creating career allies
• Six Kinds of Career Allies: Building a Personal Board of Directors
• 7 Ways To Create Beneficial Alliances At Work