This week’s Quote comes from a book, Rebooting Work, by Maynard Webb.
“We have to acknowledge that in the Age of Entrepreneurship, the onus of personal and professional development is on the individual, not the company. I hope that instead of fearing this new responsibility, you’ll see the many benefits it brings…
“[For example,] there are very few mentors within your company who are actively committed to having you consider extending your career outside of their company (especially if you are a star performer.”
Webb’s book belongs to the category of New Career books – those who broke away from the Parachute model and tell it like it is.
When it comes to choosing mentors, says Webb, “these pivotal relationships will not develop in the office.” They come from your network.
The day of the company mentor has gone the way of the mainframe computer. You’ll still find some company mentors here and there, but you can’t count on them.
So what do you do instead?
Webb has several suggestions. Besides tapping your network, you can
.. go through LinkedIn profiles to find people who are doing what you want to be doing
… find ways to reach out to people in your field, outside your company
I would add:
… Attend classes, seminars and conferences where you meet people in your field as well as those outside your field altogether.
… Find things to do outside your job or business so you’ll cross-train your brain and keep perspective
… Identify a few resources you can pay to help when you hit a crisis (especially one that you don’t want to share with your network, such as a questionable performance review or a choice of offers).
What do YOU think? Add your comment in the space below.