Weekly Reflection – Results Alone Are Not Enough
This week I’ve been reflecting on something I wish I had understood much earlier in my career.
For a long time, I believed that if I delivered strong bottom-line results, that would be enough and results absolutely matter, they always will.
But what I learned later, much later than I would have liked, is this:
Results give you credibility. Relationships accelerate your career.
I’ve seen people move quickly through organisations whose technical outcomes were no better than others. The difference wasn’t brilliance, it was influence.
They knew how to: • Communicate clearly with their upline • Build strong peer relationships • Ensure their work and its impact were understood, not to seek praise, but to provide clarity and alignment
Many of us in technical and trade-based roles are trained to fix problems, not manage stakeholders. We focus on the job in front of us and assume good work will automatically be recognised.
Sometimes it is. Often it isn’t.
In the Career Turbo Boost course I share a few tools that helped me:
• Business Relationship Assessment – Honestly mapping the strength of your key working relationships. Most people avoid this because it highlights where connection is weaker than we assume. • Communication self-awareness tools – Assessments like Deloitte’s Business Chemistry (or similar frameworks) help you understand how others process information. If you don’t adapt your style, your message often doesn’t land. • The “Charm Offensive” – Not manipulation. Not pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s about being deliberate in building trust, showing respect, and creating positive engagement with senior leaders and peers, while staying genuine and grounded.
If I could speak to my younger self, I’d say:
“Keep delivering strong results. But invest just as much energy in the relationships around you.”
Technical excellence builds reliability. Relational excellence builds careers.
A question to consider this week:
Are you relying only on performance… or are you intentionally building influence as well?
