Establishing External Relations That Work

Leaders must actively find ways to link up with people that will advance their goals and act as sponsors to promote themselves or their purpose.

Advancers are key contacts in helping you advance or move towards your goals, either personally or professionally. You can analyse your advancer components in four dimensions also.
Advancers are your role models, mentors, sponsors and challengers – even opponents.

Everyone has role models, people we emulate consciously or unconsciously. People who are developing and growing have role models – persons who have qualities, abilities or styles they admire. Your role models may be people you know or know of. (Always be prepared for the question, “who are your role models?” in a job interview.) Role models give you a vision of what you want to strive for. Their views and values stimulate you as you move forward to your goals.

Studies show that, on average, successful people have three mentors during their careers. Mentors are people who teach, coach and advise you in certain areas.
It’s not just who you know, it’s who knows you. Sponsors are people who serve as your public relations persons. They are your “door openers". Sponsors wield power and influence in recommending you for opportunities. They say positive things about you to others.
Think about instances when you had opportunities presented to you. Who were the people who opened the doors for you and generated these opportunities? Who were the persons who spoke favourably about you in the past?

Challengers are like oysters. Their rubbing affects bring out the best in you. Challengers are “devil’s advocates". They force you to reconsider your ideas and attitudes. Usually this challenge is against your customary way of thinking. Challengers can sometimes “rub you the wrong way” because you don’t always see eye to eye. Challengers are valuable because they stimulate your thinking. They force you to come up with the best. Whom have you known in the past whose viewpoints frequently differed from yours but whose ideas you later appreciated?
Having challengers in your network hub requires an open mind and an accepting attitude, especially if they are different from you in race, gender, profession or social status.