Imagine this: Two engineers — one gets promoted, the other doesn’t. They have the same qualifications and years of experience and deliver equally strong results. But only one moves up. What made the difference? It wasn’t just technical skill or hard work. It was advocacy — having someone in their corner speaking up for them in the right rooms.
In chemical processing facilities, where safety, efficiency and innovation drive success, the most capable engineers and operators should naturally rise through the ranks. But without a strong advocate, even top performers risk being overlooked. Let’s explore why advocacy is the hidden key to career progression — and how you can use it to unlock new opportunities in the workplace.
What Is Advocacy? Why Does It Matter?
Advocacy is more than mentorship — it’s someone actively promoting your career when you’re not in the room.
An advocate is a respected leader or peer who:
- Recommends you for key projects and leadership roles
- Ensures your contributions are recognized at higher levels
- Shields you from workplace biases and organizational politics
In chemical plants, where technical expertise and operational leadership go hand-in-hand, having an advocate can be the difference between stagnation and progression.
Who Are the Best Advocates?
Not everyone in your network can be an advocate. While employee resource groups (ERGs) and peer networks provide valuable support, real advocacy requires influence.
Supportive but Limited Impact:
- ERGs — great for peer mentoring but lack promotion power.
- Friendship groups — encouraging but not influential.
- Colleagues on your level — helpful but can’t push promotions.
Where Advocacy Has Real Impact:
- Supervisors and senior engineers — can assign high-value projects.
- Plant managers and directors — hold decision-making power.
- Cross-functional leaders — can elevate you outside your immediate team.
- External industry leaders — can open doors beyond your current role.
How to Get Advocates (Without Being Pushy)
You don’t need to wait for an advocate to find you — you can actively cultivate these relationships:
- Deliver Excellence Consistently: Advocacy starts with performance. If you consistently execute well, people want to advocate for you.
- Make Your Work Visible: Speaking up in meetings, sharing key project wins in reports or updates or presenting at team briefings. Advocates can’t support work they don’t see.
- Build Relationships with Senior Leaders: Seek their input on technical or operational challenges, volunteer for cross-department projects or create opportunities for informal discussions — e.g. coffee chats, lunch meetings etc.
- Ask for Feedback and Advice: Approach potential advocates with career-related questions, such as, “I admire your leadership style — what advice would you give to someone looking to move into a similar role?” This builds rapport and signals your openness to growth.
- Support Others First: Advocacy is a two-way street. Champion the success of your peers, and they’ll return the favor when opportunities arise.
Turning Advocates into Career Champions
Building an advocacy relationship isn’t about one-time conversations — it’s about consistent engagement and trust.
- Stay in Touch with Your Advocate: Keep them updated on your career progress, share insights about your projects and contributions and show appreciation for their guidance.
- Demonstrate Loyalty and Integrity: When an advocate supports you, be sure to deliver on expectations and maintain professionalism — their reputation is on the line, too.
- Pay It Forward: Once you’re in a leadership position, become an advocate for others, especially for under-recognized voices in the industry.
Key Takeaways
Hard work alone won’t get you promoted — advocacy will. Ask yourself:
- Who is championing your success?
- Who in leadership knows about your contributions?
- What steps will you take this month to build advocacy relationships?
Now is the time to take action — identify one potential advocate in your workplace today. Start with a conversation, seek their insights and build a relationship that could open doors. Your next career breakthrough could be just one advocate away.
