Successfully navigating your individual career pathway within conformity assessment usually means gathering certifications, experience, and training. But it also means gathering relationships. Mentors, mentees, bosses, direct reports, clients, and other colleagues are people with information that you can harness to learn and grow in your career. The old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is only half true. What really matters is what you know and who you know.
Leaders in the industry offer insightful words to support the notion that, much as ours is a highly technical field, developing so-called “soft” skills is also an important trait if one seeks to grow in their career. Chief among these abilities is dedication to cultivating close relationships with people and sharing knowledge.
“I’ve always believed that what you know matters, but so do the people you meet along the way,” says Jackie Stapleton, director of Auditor Training Online. “Some of my best learning has come from working with other auditors, quality professionals, clients, and colleagues who challenged my thinking or showed me a different way of approaching something.
“Those relationships can stay with you for years. I still have people I worked with more than 25 years ago who remain part of my professional network, refer work, or reconnect in completely different ways. For me, that’s the value of building and maintaining genuine professional relationships.”
A big part of relationships of this nature involves the process of getting mentored and mentoring in turn. One’s place in the mentor-mentee spectrum can often shift with time, and not always in a linear fashion. Many times, opportunities come knocking through these exceptionally close ties.
“In this industry, technical knowledge is the foundation, but mentorship is the accelerator,” says James Thompson, founder and CEO of Concentric Global. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without those who challenged my assumptions and opened doors I didn’t even know existed.”
Of course, personal relationships will never take the place of foundational knowledge of standards, experience, hard work, or ethics. However, the added dimensions around strong communication and the ability to exchange knowledge has never been more important. Those who seek to grow would do well to understand how important it is to put both factors together.
“It’s never just about what you know,” Thompson emphasizes. “It’s about whose shoulders you can stand on for better visibility and awareness of oncoming opportunities and roadblocks.”
Thompson goes on to note that most roadblocks are actually just illusions of one’s own mind, which is another fair point to consider. Much as one may value the perspective of colleagues, no one should ever assume that another’s experiences will be carbon copies of your own. Constantly challenging assumptions from yourself and others is a great way to stay sharp and continue growing along your individual career pathway. Continual improvement through training and hands-on experience builds your base of knowledge and keeps the “What you know side of the equation nicely balanced.
As is often the case, Stapleton nicely sums up how to keep yourself moving forward with both elements in mind.
“What you know gives you capability,” she says. “Who you know gives you the opportunity to use it.”
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