Amii Barnard-Bahn, partner at Kaplan & Walker and the CEO of Barnard-Bahn Coaching & Consulting, wrote an excellent piece for the Harvard Business Review, titled, “Promotions aren’t just about your skills — They’re about your relationships.”

Of course, there were some people who just read the title and started making wrong assumptions about the article and making comments about popularity or politics as a means to gain promotion.

I know that in the United States, we have a problem with making uninformed assumptions and then starting public debates without knowing the facts. This article triggered that reaction in some people, and it was comical.

Anyway, I thought the article was excellent. In my view, the piece was about teamwork, collaboration, sharing what you know with others, and definitely having people skills to work with everyone in your team, not just the people you like.

The author is trying to help young professionals as they maneuver through their careers. Sometimes, young professionals feel that they are not getting promoted fast enough and get discouraged.

In her article, she provided five actions that young professionals can take to build work relationships and set themselves on the path to a promotion. Below are those five actions, along with some commentary. You can read her full article here.

1) Know what makes you great at your job — and share your gift with others.

This, in my view, is incredibly important. Bosses continuously assess an employee’s ability to collaborate, work with others, and share knowledge with the team. If a person operates solely as an individual instead of as part of a team, it will be noticed, and their chances of promotion will be slim.

It’s difficult to be a manager or supervisor if your focus is solely on yourself and making more money, rather than on creating a cohesive team and supporting a common purpose.

2) Understand how others see you — and shift your perspective from “me” to “we.”

This one is related to number one. As you continue to gain experience, getting feedback from others is very helpful. This is one of the reasons I’m a firm believer in 360-degree assessments. Knowing what your boss, peers, and subordinates think about your performance and how you interact with others is extremely important. I take these assessments very seriously and turn feedback from others into actionable items. I set timelines to improve those areas and then ask for feedback to see if I’m improving. This is a very effective tool that can help you improve performance and your ability to work with others.

3) Mentor others to develop your leadership skills.

As you grow in your profession, there will be people who start approaching you with job-related questions and ask for advice. This is the perfect time to begin your journey as a mentor. Doing so will help you hone your leadership skills so you can assist others in their growth. It’s important to remember that one of your responsibilities as a leader is to help others advance in their professional careers.

In her article, she recommends,

“Reach out to a person outside your business unit who would welcome your help and commit to spending an hour with them once a month for a year to work on an issue they raise.”

This is definitely a good technique if you want to be a formal mentor, but I believe unstructured or informal mentorship works better. As you build relationships, members of your team will approach you when needed. So, be available and help them with their questions or issues. I still receive emails and text messages from former team members asking me for advice, career paths, educational goals, and letters of recommendation. I love engaging with them, and they know that I’m always available even after retirement.

4) Learn how to work productively with personalities you find difficult.

Now, this one is very difficult and requires training. The key is to understand your role in the organization or company and to realize that your main objective is to achieve organizational goals and meet their objectives. You need to develop people skills if you want to be effective working in a team or if you want to become a manager one day.

You need to understand that people have different communication styles and preferences. Sometimes, as a leader, you need to adjust your approach. You are probably going to have a lot of problems if you are approaching your teammates in the same way.

5) Set healthy boundaries in your work relationships.

What she said in the article is spot on.

“It can be easy to fall into the trap of believing that extra hours will get you that promotion. However, to advance and take on more responsibility, it’s really not about saying yes to everything. Rather, know which things to say no to. Be judicious and diplomatic, and learn to delegate. Some things you should say yes to: Volunteering for cross-functional task forces and other opportunities to broaden your network, learn new skills outside your comfort zone, and earn the support of other executives outside your direct reporting line.”

Maintaining a balance between when to say “Yes” and when to say “No” will save you in the long run. Avoid overcommitting or working too many hours.

This quote says it all,

“You are totally replaceable at work. You’re not replaceable at home. Home is your real life. Keep that perspective. Always.”

Over time, these five actions will help young professionals, and I would argue, seasoned professionals, to build the environment and set the conditions for a promotion. Of course, you need to have the technical skills and training to support your performance, but learning soft skills will accelerate your chances.

• Leadership