As you move up the ranks from manager, through middle-management, and into the executive level, your work becomes less and less similar to that of your peers. It can be harder and harder to build strong peer relationships just by “talking shop.”
At the same time, strong peer relationships become increasingly important as you enter executive leadership. The more you know about the other leaders and their departments, the better decisions you can make for your team in supporting the organization, and the more influence you will have when you need their support.
But when you’re not directly collaborating on a specific project, how do you create the time to get to know each other and strengthen those professional relationships?
I’ll toss out a few suggestions, and then I’ll invite you to share your own.
1️⃣ Possibly the most obvious – and most businessy – way is to schedule deliberate 1:1 meetings. This approach works well when both of you recognize the strategic value of a joint professional relationship.
2️⃣ Consider regular out-of-office interaction over breakfast, lunch, golf, or other activities.
3️⃣ Try arriving early to regular executive meetings, and use that time for casual catching up.
I’m sure there are more clever ways, especially for those who work remotely from each other. What do you do to keep executive-level relationships strong? Post your ideas in the comments.
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