A highly skilled engineer at a large tech firm consistently receives excellent performance reviews for her technical work. However, she has been overlooked for two recent promotions to a leadership position. She observes that important decisions and opportunities often arise from informal social networks from which she feels excluded. She is unsure how to gain more visibility with senior leadership and is considering leaving the company, believing her advancement is stalled.

Based on this scenario, analyze the underlying challenges the engineer is facing and explain three distinct ways that a supportive relationship with an experienced senior colleague could help her overcome these specific barriers to promotion.