The Key To Career Success: Building Your Career Crew
One of the resounding themes from Rising Tide podcast guests is that these women were able to achieve great things by building a crew around them because nothing meaningful is achieved alone.
So let’s dig into how to build your career crew to take your career to the next level. Three key roles make up your career crew:
Mentor
A mentor is someone who can serve as an experienced and trusted advisor. Sometimes these individuals work at your company or might even be your boss, however, they don’t have to work with you to serve as a mentor. You can have multiple mentors at any given time. These relationships fluctuate from active to inactive depending on your needs.
Sponsor
This person is a champion for you at work when you are unable to be in the room. Typically this will be a senior leader within your business unit or company. It’s important that this individual knows they are your sponsor and have full clarity on what you want.
Coach
Paid professional to help you achieve mutually agreed upon goals. Best leveraged during times of transition, high growth, or when learning new skills.
NOTHING MEANINGFUL IS ACHIEVED ALONE
Your career crew is best leveraged when you are focused on making changes in your career and there is specific action, requests, or insights you can gain from your crew. Otherwise, embarking on this journey is likely misaligned with your current goals.
Building Your Crew
Sponsors
A sponsor is especially needed if you are looking to move up within a company. Here are a couple of critical things to get started:
Your sponsor needs to know that you have identified them as such. Your first step is to make it clear that you’re asking for them to advocate on your behalf.
Does your sponsor know what you want? If they are to advocate on your behalf, you and they will need to know the type of work you are interested in doing. They can keep their ears open as new positions are discussed that may not even be posted yet.
Are there upcoming opportunities to promote you? For example, a monthly or quarterly review where they can speak to your success.
What information can you give them that helps support their recommendation? For example, are there projects you have successfully led that demonstrate certain skills or numbers you have improved, or processes you have implemented that drove outcomes.
The key thing with sponsors is to make it easy for them to help you.
Now, let’s cover who could be your sponsor. Depending on your relationship with your manager, you can ask them for guidance and/or be your sponsor depending on your level. If you have a boss who is trying to keep you in the role, consider working with your coach or mentors on how to identify your sponsor. A few quick things to consider:
You want someone in a leadership role for the department you are pursuing
Ideally, this is a person with significant influence over other decision makers
Mentors
Mentors are a valuable resource that can objectively look at your current situation and provide insight. Let’s look at the different ways in which a mentor can help and as you’re reading, take inventory of what currently exists for you:
A mentor could be someone who’s in your company or someone external. Both are wonderful but there’s a special beauty in having an external mentor because they help you to step outside your workspace bubble and provide a truly safe space for vulnerable dialogue. They don’t have to juggle you and the company agenda. Having said that, an internal mentor can be helpful because they know the players, culture, and unspoken rules.
Does your mentor(s) have experience in the position you are aspiring for? If yes, are they currently in the role or not? If no longer in the role, how long ago did they hold the role? You want to ensure their insights specific to the position are relevant to the current working climate
External mentors are great for stepping outside your workspace bubble and providing a truly safe space for vulnerable dialogue. They don’t have to juggle you and the company agenda
Now that you have taken inventory of your current mentor(s) are there any gaps you need to fill? If yes, check out this podcast episode that walks you through how to find a mentor.
Coaches
This is hands down the most important member of the crew. The key is figuring out the best coach to work with for this phase of your career journey.
If you do not currently have a coach, here are some things to help you find the best one:
Coaching is first and foremost about chemistry. This is why it’s important to explore several options before committing to one
Do you want a coach who specializes in your industry?
Do you want a coach who specifically works with women?
Do you want a coach to be purely business oriented or a dash of woo woo as well? (Fun fact, I wanted all business at first but ended up with a coach who played in both areas. I found for me having the integration of work:life:universe was very helpful)
Tap your network for recommendations. This is not a guaranteed success but typically if you ask people you respect they will guide you in a good direction.
Budget - Is this something your company can/will subsidize? If so, they may require you to use their pre-approved coaches. If you are paying out of pocket, consider what rate you are comfortable with. Depending on the level of experience coaching sessions can range from $150 - $1,000 for a one hour session.
Want an easy jumping off point? Rising Tide podcast has had many coaches as guests. There’s a treasure trove to mind and it’s an easy way to see if there’s a possible match.
Now, if you already have a coach, let’s do a quick check-in to ensure they are still the best coach:
Do their skill sets still align with your objective?
Are you already actively engaged with them?
If you tune into your heart, is your coach meeting your needs professionally or perhaps leaving room for improvement? It’s ok to like your coach but not want to work with your coach.
If you are not sure if your coach is still the best person, do a little shopping around. Explore a few options using the suggestions above for people looking for a coach. Set up some consultations and see if there might be a better fit or perhaps the coach you have is still the best fit for this phase.
Crews Are Great But They Are Not Silver Bullets
It is worth noting that simply having the career crew will not guarantee the growth you are seeking. If you find yourself in that situation, consider how you want to move forward. This is a great thing to work with your coach on but also here are some things to ask yourself:
Is this a company where I can grow? It’s important to look at facts here.
Does the job you want exist or will it ever exist where you are?
Are there tangible things you can do to develop your skills to be eligible for a promotion in the future or was the feedback vague?
Is there still growth for me at this company even though I did not get this promotion (ex. Exposure, skill development, etc)
Does my boss support my growth and advancement?
If the answer is no, it may be time to refocus your career crew and your network on determining the next chapter of your career.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE AS PASSIONATELY IN YOUR DREAMS AS YOU DO
The best part about your career crew is that you are the curator. Each of these individuals is hand selected by you based on your current chapter of life. You decide who gets a voice and who does not. You cast the vision so this amazing group of supporters can best enable you.
If you’ve read this far, you’re invested in advancing your career and taking the necessary steps to get there. Stay the course and know that we’re in your corner cheering you on.
P.S. If this information has helped you, I’d love to hear from you! DM me, leave a comment here, or reach out to me at welcome to rising at gmail.