SECTION 2 STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Whether you are appointed or elected to a board or commission; the key to success is having the right relationships and/or establishing the right relationships.

In this section we will look at ten keys to building strategic relationships. You should not assume because you know a lot of people, you have built relationship capital needed to move into this area of community engagement work. As we have seen in past training, one has to be impactful, influential, and intentional around relationship formation, this is key.

ability and want to undergird your success within a board or commission and they also have the influence to help get you seated.

Strategic relationship building is an important part of the leadership learning and development process. It's about being resourceful. It's about learning from others and knowing how to connect with people. It's about knowing how to ask for things that you need and having a mentor to guide you.

Being a leader when it comes to building strategic relationships goes way beyond simply “making contacts” or “networking.” Those phrases represent a transactional relationship.

Look at your network like a set of circles, and you are in the center. In our connected world, we have almost instant contact with as many people as we want, and we have access to broad networks of people. Practically speaking, not everyone in our networks have the same level of access. The key is to be mindful about who we choose to build lasting connections with, and those who may be more social, informal, or distant connections; this is why we call this method strategic.

Strategic relationships are not with people in your family and friends circle; these are people with whom you have a targeted goal or outcome as the center of your relationship. In the case of board and commissions those strategic relationships have an interest to support and/or see you elected or placed on a board or commission. They see value in what you bring to the work, have trust in your

Strategic relationships are always of mutual benefit. Leaders recognize that it takes a two-way street to create the best value and the best outcomes in your strategic relationships. And while our talent is our greatest asset; talent without relationship and adequate training will not yield the results you want. Developing strategic relationships as a foundation for personal growth and success is crucial. This will undoubtedly transfer to overall success for your business and organizations as well.

Developing strategic relationships is a full course curriculum in and of itself, we are only scratching the surface in the document to offer some guide points in the following section. We encourage you to do some additional reading, personal and leadership development to really build your strategic relationship circle.