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Professional relationships and why they matter Martin D. Hughes, Ph.D. Dean of Undergraduate Education I’ve already written about how the Hunger Games emphasizes the importance of skills. Skills are just as necessary in the present-day United States as they are in the Panem of the future. The thinking skills one acquires and develops in college have never been more valuable in the labor market. In previous generations, a bachelor’s degree was enough to land a decent job and launch one’s career. Today’s competition is much fiercer. Many more people are now graduating from college. And not just in the United States, but also in China and India, where graduates have more language skills and are willing to work for less money. Although various social connections have always mattered for finding work and advancing professionally, these relationships have taken on a new relevance in the 21 st -century global knowledge economy. The Hunger Games helps us examine three kinds of relevant relationships: allies, mentors, and sponsors. Let’s consider allies first. Katniss understood that she would never be able to win the Hunger Games on her own, despite her keen physical and mental skills. She resolved from the outset not to play to win herself, but to protect Peeta, the other Tribute from her district. Later on she also reached out to Rue, a small girl from a neighboring district. At first these alliances seemed to put Katniss at greater risk. However, as the contest unfolded, the wisdom of her actions was revealed. Both allies possessed their own unique skills that complemented Katniss’s. Though they were weak where she was strong, the opposite was also true. Ultimately she would never have survived had it not been for Peeta’s cunning and Rue’s acumen.

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Page 1: Professional relationships and why they matter

Professional relationships and why they matterMartin D. Hughes, Ph.D.Dean of Undergraduate Education

I’ve already written about how the Hunger Games emphasizes the importance of skills. Skills are just as necessary in the present-day United States as they are in the Panem of the future. The thinking skills one acquires and develops in college have never been more valuable in the labor market.

In previous generations, a bachelor’s degree was enough to land a decent job and launch one’s career. Today’s competition is much fiercer. Many more people are now graduating from college. And not just in the United States, but also in China and India, where graduates have more language skills and are willing to work for less money.

Although various social connections have always mattered for finding work and advancing professionally, these relationships have taken on a new relevance in the 21st-century global knowledge economy. The Hunger Games helps us examine three kinds of relevant relationships: allies, mentors, and sponsors.

Let’s consider allies first. Katniss understood that she would never be able to win the Hunger Games on her own, despite her keen physical and mental skills. She resolved from the outset not to play to win herself, but to protect Peeta, the other Tribute from her district. Later on she also reached out to Rue, a small girl from a neighboring district.

At first these alliances seemed to put Katniss at greater risk. However, as the contest unfolded, the wisdom of her actions was revealed. Both allies possessed their own unique skills that complemented Katniss’s. Though they were weak where she was strong, the opposite was also true. Ultimately she would never have survived had it not been for Peeta’s cunning and Rue’s acumen.

Most alliances cannot help you get a job, but they can be very important to you once you’re hired. The biggest exception to this rule is the alliances we form with parents, siblings, spouses and close friends. These people often have complementary skills that help us identify our blind spots. They also provide needed encouragement, material support, and information about opportunities that may lead to our finding a job.

The basis of any alliance is trust. That was the biggest obstacle between Katniss and Finnick, who had to prove his trustworthiness in the Quarter Quell by saving Peeta’s life. It was also an issue in her relationship with Haymitch, who as a past winner from her district was her official mentor.

Mentors matter. Often the difference between professional success and failure is someone with more experience taking an interest in you. That person can give you advice about situations you may face that they’ve already seen. Whether they handled those situations well or not, you can learn from them if you’re willing to listen.

Page 2: Professional relationships and why they matter

The distrust Katniss had for her mentor was born of dislike. Haymitch had his own reasons for being unpleasant, but this did not prevent him from being useful to her. At first her dislike for Haymitch kept Katniss from taking his advice, but she eventually realized he knew what he was talking about.

We don’t always get to choose our mentors. The circumstances of our work can bring us into contact with others we don’t care for personally. If we can’t look past those feelings, we may miss out on the chance to be groomed for growth and advancement. Virtually every person we consider to be the best in their field can point to mentors who brought them along in their career.

While mentors can affect the way we see and respond to a situation, they don’t always have the ability to intervene directly. That’s where sponsors come in. Anyone who’s seen The Hunger Games knows that sponsors provided key resources at critical moments in the contest, on behalf of Tributes they believed would benefit from their intervention.

Sponsors were unknown patrons in the Capitol. It wasn’t any more necessary for Katniss to know who they were than it was for her to like or trust them. Their main interest in the contest was to influence the outcome, often by backing an underdog who they believed had what it took to be a winner.

If workplace allies are our co-workers and subordinates, and mentors are a direct supervisor or a senior colleague, then sponsors are people in positions of power and influence, usually at the top or outside of the organization. They can certainly provide material resources to influence a situation, but they usually do so only as a means to create an opportunity that didn’t otherwise exist – an opportunity that you then have to make the most of.

Cooperation always lessens competition and increases the odds of success. It cannot substitute for skills, but it helps level the playing field, or even gives a leg up, for worthy long shots. Next time we’ll consider the importance of integrating skills and relationships into an overall plan.