Читать книгу Misunderstood Millennial Talent - Joan Snyder Kuhl - Страница 16

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Rewarding Professional Relationships

While growing up in New York, Veronica* had always imagined a future for herself in local government. Her parents both worked for the city, and she planned to follow in their footsteps. “Everyone thought I was crazy for limiting myself,” she says, recalling her friends’ reactions when, upon graduating from Lafayette College in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in economics, she made the unpopular decision to apply for a position at the mayor’s office. It turned out to be a great move: when the global recession hit in 2008, Veronica held onto her job. She spent the next four years working for various agencies in city government before pursuing a master’s degree in urban policy. Upon graduation, she was offered a prestigious internship at a federal agency.

It seemed like a dream come true. “It was one of the most intellectually stimulating environments I’d ever had the opportunity to work in,” she remembers. “I was focused on economic policy, an area I’m passionate about. I was on the front lines, getting this insider’s view of our legislative system.” But something was missing.

“The big problem was that I didn’t connect with the people,” Veronica explains. The workplace culture was competitive, rather than team-oriented. Coworkers were jockeying for visibility since, as is typical with bureaucracies, the only way to leapfrog the hierarchy was to cultivate a leader’s advocacy and protection.

Today, Veronica works for a global financial services firm at which she intends to stay precisely because its culture provides the relationships that she both hungered for and knows will prove critical to her advancement.

“I was very straightforward about what I was looking for,” she says, recalling her first interview with the firm. “I wanted to continue working with local governments and policy; I wanted a career where I could grow and advance; and, most importantly, I wanted to be able to build close relationships with senior leaders and coworkers,” Veronica explains. And the firm has more than delivered on that promise: Veronica says she can count on her current manager to help her access the development opportunities she needs to grow in her career. “If I want to try something different, to build new skills, I bring my case directly to her,” she reflects. “She’s in my corner, because she knows I deliver.”

What Makes Relationships Matter

Few would question Veronica’s priorities. Relationships are critical to our satisfaction and engagement at work, and also to our success. We look to coworkers for friendship, but also support in getting our work done. We look to superiors to inspire and motivate us, but also to provide guidance as we navigate the organization. On some level, we realize our journey upward will be that much easier if we can win the backing of someone powerful, someone who believes in our potential and is willing to go out on a limb to help us stretch and grow into positions of leadership.