Build Strategic Coalitions Beyond Your Team’s Walls

In my first year at a global consultancy, I learned that my success didn’t come from solo brilliance but from the alliances I forged. I sat down with the head of finance over lukewarm coffee to understand her performance pressures and discovered I could streamline her reporting. Next, I met the sales VP at a noisy café to co-design a customer-feedback loop that fed both our teams. My favorite moment was when the R&D director invited me to shadow his team for a day, which paid dividends in mutual trust.

Each of those early dialogues did three things: I learned what mattered to them, I showed up with genuine curiosity, and I delivered a small win. Those minor victories built credibility beyond my immediate team. I remember the buzz in the hallway when two friends from different functions congratulated me on the dashboard—they’d both had a hand in creating it.

Behind the story is social network theory: relationships are the channels through which influence flows. By mapping my influence network and co-creating small collaborative projects, I turned scattered supporters into a coalition. You can do the same—even if you’re new, you can rapidly shape an internal network that protects, amplifies, and sustains your agenda.

You’ll start by listing five critical stakeholders and noting their top priorities, then book quick coffee chats to ask how your work intersects with theirs and what pain points they need solved. Finally, you’ll pitch a small joint initiative that uses both your teams’ strengths, delivering a visible win that cements your new coalition. Give it a try this week.