The strength of your relationships is critical to your professional success. My coaching clients find value in Relationship Maps, a tool to help them cultivate and enhance important relationships. The Relationship Map serves as a dynamic visual representation to assess relationship gaps.
You can create your map by placing your name in a box in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Add boxes around yours and label them with the names of people, companies, customers, vendors, associations, etc. that that are important to your success. These could be people or entities that you do not know yet but should be part of your circle of influence. Draw straight line links between yourself and the person/entity to represent your relationship with them.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I need to do to start relationships that are important but not yet in place?
- What do I need to do to strengthen existing relationships?
- Are expectations clear between us?
- How will I benefit from them and how will they benefit from me?
For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.
Chuck Appleby of Appleby & Associates is a leadership and organization development consultant with over 30 years of management, consulting, and coaching experience. 
Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting, LLC, has decades of experience providing group coaching and Action Learning around the world.
Pam Solberg-Tapper is a highly experienced Professional Certified Coach. Her company, Coach for Success, designs, implements and coaches in a variety of leadership and executive programs.