Every month on our site, Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc., will answer your career and leadership questions. Please send your question to advice@anitaborg.org and it may be answered in an upcoming column

Question:

I sit near our senior leadership and have had difficulty establishing connections with them unless I’m actually working on an assignment for them. Any suggestions for showing them my future potential?

Answer:

Sitting near your leaders is a great opportunity to make yourself visible. Try to seize every opportunity you can to work with them on projects, present in meetings, attend social gatherings, and interact in the hallway. Have some intelligent talking points always prepared, so if they ask how you are doing you can say “I am doing great, I am about to complete project xyz”.

Or ask to schedule a 20-minute 1-on-1 for some mentoring advice, as that is a great way to get to know what is important to them and allow them to get to know you. You need to take as much initiative as you can to make yourself visible to them. Not just to help yourself but to help them too. They need to know what a valuable resource they have in you, so they can better utilize your talents.

The McKinsey Leadership Project is a study that sought to understand “what drives and sustains successful female leaders”. One of the five characteristics identified through their research was connecting, or “identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships, and increasing your sense of belonging”.

Most women understand the value of networking, and have developed good relationships within their circle of peers (and if they are lucky a good working relationship with their boss). But most of us lack sponsors, those senior-level leaders who can help us grow, not only through mentoring, but also through their power to connect us to opportunities for recognition and advancement.

Cultivating relationships with senior-level leaders is challenging and can be scary, but McKinsey outlines three high-value payoffs. “People with strong networks and good mentors enjoy more promotions, higher pay, and greater career satisfaction.”

Would you really prefer not to have more promotions, pay, and satisfaction?

From your company’s org chart, identify leaders you would like to make yourself known to. Plan to connect with each in coming months. Some places to start:

• Request a 20-minute informational meeting
• Present an update on your work in a meeting, and invite a senior leader to attend.
• Volunteer for your company’s charity or special event if it means working closely with a key leader
• Volunteer to serve on a committee or task force that reports to a leader.

Jo Miller is CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. which offers women’s leadership seminars, webinars and coaching programs. To read more of her career advice, visit the Ask Jo archives.

Copyright 2010, Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc.