Your professional advancement will be faster if you invest intentionally in leaders up your chain, people outside your core team, and a network beyond your company. When people of influence know you, they can advocate for you, offer you high-profile projects, and support your career goals. Here’s where to focus your energy:

• Managing higher: Meet your skip-level manager. You can review your most recent projects, learn their priorities, or explain what customers are saying on the ground. If you’re new to the company, you could also share your “fresh-eyes” perspective. If you build a good relationship with them, at minimum, they might think of you when a new opportunity arises. At maximum, they might promote you or give you a raise.
• Manage diagonally: Build a relationship with your manager’s peers who are “up and sideways” — or diagonal —  from you on an organizational chart. Typically, it’s not just your manager who makes decisions that impact your future at work. At larger companies, a committee often decides promotion and performance scores, so don’t put all your eggs in your manager’s basket.
• Manage outside: Don’t overlook leaders outside of your company. Even if you’re happy in your job, you never know when the Great Reshuffle might lure you to a new opportunity. Maintain connections outside your team, company, and industry, to increase your options when it’s time for your next move.