Q:

What’s the difference between mentor and manager?

A:

Your manager plays the most important role in your current performance. Your manager can provide useful “how to” guidance and is the first point of contact for others inquiring about you. Your manager may be a good mentor at times when it’s appropriate to talk about your future. Your mentor (or mentors, as it’s good to have more than one) is a periodic source of professional advice unrelated to your current performance. Ideally, your mentor is from another part of the organization than the one in which you currently serve, thereby providing a different perspective. You want to arm your mentors with plans developed in the 4-step process so they can speak for you.

Q:

When you make a call on human resources, what’s the most important thing to say?

A:

“I need your help.” Or, “I need some guidance.” Why? HR departments are there to be responsive. And asking for some help is disarming—you’re not there with a problem about benefits, sick days or payroll. A cordial relationship can only help because talent managers stay close to senior management in order to fulfill their principal task: placing the right person in the right job at the right time. Over time, their perspective may reveal insights about how the organization thinks of you.

Q:

When you talk to your current manager about career advancement, what are the three behaviors he or she will likely show?

A:

Support, surprise or debate. Support—based on your enumerated metrics, your growth and comfort level—is agreement on your A list jobs, the only variability being timing. Surprise may indicate your manager misread your goals—for instance, he or she may respond that you can do more or, conversely, that your goals are too much of a reach. Debate is when the door closes and you’re told you have reached your potential. It will be disappointing, but you own your career so you need to know. If this happens, it’s important to ask why.

Q:

How far can I go?

A:

Getting an indication of your potential is important. Dialoging with senior people to test their receptivity to your ultimate goal is very useful. This feedback, even if negative, can be very valuable. It may lead you to stay with what you have or go in another direction. It may also reveal a B list track that will get you closer to your ultimate goal. In some instances, you may already know the response you’ll get, but it helps to clarify and confirm. Important: this technique is to be used sparingly. Don’t push too hard.

Q:

What does it mean to “find the handle on the back door?”

A:

It’s a reference to finding your way out of a tough situation. Sometimes you get into a situation you don’t enjoy. It isn’t what you expected. Perhaps you get a new manager who’s difficult to work with. You’ve been in your position too long. Or you’re in a part of the business where the action isn’t. You decide it’s time to go. Your “handle” is a lateral move into a different part of the organization.