💥 The most important thing for career progress - issue 6

Hello! 

I've met several senior leaders for 1-1 career advisory sessions this week. And one theme of advice has run through all of my discussions - the vital importance of sponsorship. A senior who has your back.

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The ultimate career accelerator.

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that performance alone is what determines progress. But as the old saying goes, "it's not what you know, but who you know".

When I interview CEOs for my guest speaker video library, and if I cast my mind back to the in-person CEO fireside chat events that I host for this community, there's 1 thing all CEOs point to as having been instrumental in helping them reach the top.

The support & guidance of a CEO.

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Be clear about your ambitions.  

Building mentor-style relationships with seniors (and this applies to everyone, not just aspiring CEOs) is the single best investment of your time, if you aspire to rapid progress. 

Don't be transactional.

These relationships take time to build. They need to be authentic. And you need to be performing too.

But when you've laid the foundations, do enlist their support.

Now, I'm not suggesting anything like a formal contract! Just agree on how they can help you and how you could keep checking in together on your progress - a 6-monthly dinner is a simple and enjoyable way to do that.

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They succeed when you succeed.

What you'll find over time is that they take huge pride and pleasure in your career. They are invested. Your success goes hand in hand with their success. 

Don't forget that you'll be able to - and should look to - help them too. These relationships are always a 2 way street, and you'll be surprised how much value you can add, even to someone vastly more experienced than you.

And it's not just within your organisation that a senior can support you. Senior industry leaders typically have influential external networks and can make game-changing introductions for you. Plus, you can build mentor relationships with seniors outside of your company and maintain relationships when people leave or retire. 

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So ask yourself this question? Do I have a senior sponsor who's got my back? And if not, who could that be, and how am I going to start building that relationship?

You might just find that when it comes to reaching your full career potential, they're the most important questions you'll ever answer. 

I hope you enjoyed this edition of my newsletter. If you have any burning career questions or would like to explore my career guidance, feel free to reply and let me know.

Have a great weekend ahead.

Best wishes,

Rich