Every person in the working world needs two specific kinds of connections: allies and advisors.
Every celebrity and professional titan has their entourage—a group of people who help support their career journey from beginning to end. Each of these team members plays a specific role and makes that celebrity or business leader a more well-rounded individual.
Regardless of your career stage or aspirations, you can still benefit from a professional team of your very own. I believe that every person in the working world needs two specific kinds of connections: allies and advisors.
If you’re counting on your manager to act as your ally and advisor, you might want to think again! A manager is not likely to have the time necessary to guide and support you at every turn, especially if they have other reports to invest in. That means that it’s up to you to find the allies and advisors that will help get you where you want to go.
Here’s what you need to know about the role that an ally should play in your career:
1. Seek allies inside and outside of your current organization.
Since you’ll find that your best allies are people who are at a similar point in their career as you are or who work in similar positions, you may need to look beyond the company that employs you at the moment. After all, there are probably only so many individuals who match that description in any one organization at any given time.
Look for allies among your former classmates, as part of professional networking communities or using social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn. Mixing up your pool of professional allies will offer you helpful perspective and learning opportunities beyond the walls of your own company.
2. An ally relationship is a reciprocal one.
You may have heard the old saying that in order to have a friend, you first need to be a friend. The same principle works among professional allies. After you’ve identified a potential career ally, be sure you’re offering them the same kind of support that you hope to get in return. Since you should be chatting with your allies frequently (certainly more than you do with your advisors), there are plenty of moments for that give and take.
3. Allies make great sounding boards.
Whether it’s because you’re feeling frustrated about something at work or because you have something to celebrate, it’s helpful to have at least one person who you know is available and willing to discuss what you’re managing on the job. Your allies can offer you honest feedback, advise you based on their own real-time experience and coach you through tough decisions and pivotal moments. Remember: you should be prepared to be a sounding board for them too.
4. Your allies should be your go-to supporters.
Is your manager getting you down? Are you struggling to feel heard at the office? Find allies who you’d be comfortable approaching in those situations. A good ally is a good listener, a strong encourager and knows how to help you reset your expectations.
5. Find allies who are cheerleaders!
You and your allies should be excited about the chance to support one another and shine a spotlight on each other’s accomplishments. Professional allies who work at your current company can be especially helpful in this function, since they can have a front-row seat to what you do on a daily basis… even if those things could go unnoticed by others.
Next, let’s consider advisors and the way they can function in your professional support system:
1. Your relationship with your advisors should be managed differently than your relationship with your allies.
While you and your allies will likely connect more on day-to-day professional matters, advisors should serve as higher-level, more strategic coaches. As experts in the field, their role is to offer wisdom and perspective based on their own working experience, even if they don’t necessarily understand the details of your role.
As a result, you should communicate with your advisors less frequently. They will be senior to you, which means their time for you is more limited. Be mindful of the time you ask for from them and be strategic about when you reach out.
2. Whether within or outside of your company, an advisor makes a great connector.
When you’ve taken the time to establish relationships with advisors at your current organization, your last workplace or in your broader industry, you’ll find yourself with an even larger network of potential professional contacts. These individuals can help introduce you to others who might assist you with major decisions and career development. They might even become advisors themselves!
3. Advisors can also make great friends.
Yes, a professional advisor is someone who is senior to you in your industry — but if you’re lucky, you may also form a more personal bond with them. If you are intentional about building a mindful, respectful relationship with an advisor, that relationship might just stand the test of time. Advisors with whom you share a friendship will grow to understand you as a person so that they can remind you of your goals and values when you need that reminder the most.
