Early in the rehearsals for the play I’m in (I know you’re probably getting sick of stories from the play, but it’s almost over – and this has a point, too), I went out of my way to befriend two cast members, Ariana and Faith. Why these two? Ariana, 7, and Faith, 10, play Tootie and Agnes, respectively, the two youngest daughters of my character in the play. While waiting off stage between scenes, I took time to talk to and play with these two girls because I wanted to make sure that when I was on stage with those them, they were comfortable with me. I wanted the audience to see that we weren’t strangers pretending to be family – even though that’s what acting is. The good news is that it worked. During the early performances I had a couple of people mention that the kids seemed really comfortable with me.
In a communications career the same principle applies. Much of the work we do is only as effective as the relationships we have. You don’t want to be creating those relationships in the moment you need them any more than I wanted to establish a relationship with my young actors just before opening night. You don’t want to call an editor to introduce yourself when you’re announcing a new product or trying to manage a crisis. You want that relationship in place before those crucial moments arise.
One of the most important relationships you want to develop when working in a corporation is the executive assistant to the CEO or president. Why? These people are internal gatekeepers. You will need access to the organization’s leader, so you want to know the person who allows access to the leader. Then when you really need to talk to the CEO, you have a trusting relationship with the person who can slip you in between appointments or interrupt a meeting.
Identify in advance which relationships are important or may be important to you, then cultivate those relationships before you need them. One caution: don’t develop these relationships solely with the attitude of “I may need to use this person sometime.” Develop the relationships because it’s good to know people. I would have enjoyed getting to know my little friends from the play even if I didn’t need an on-stage relationship with them and have had some fun with other children who are in the play, too.
Oh, and as a final reminder, you only have three more chances to see me in “Meet Me In St. Louis” in Draper (www.draperartscouncil.org). 
