Chart Your Path: Step 3

4 Steps to Making Your Career Plan Work for YOU

"Who can help you?"

January 21, 2025

If you haven’t read the first two parts of “Chart Your Path”, our series on Career Planning, please go back and read those two posts. It’s important to complete the foundational work in Step 1 and the goal setting work in Step 2. Once you’ve completed those, it’s time to move to the next step. But first, let’s follow Ahmed on his path to a new career plan.

Ahmed thought through his goals for both his professional life and his life outside of work. He realized that he really did derive a lot of enjoyment out of his work. He liked coaching his direct reports and using his knowledge and experience to guide his team to successful project outcomes. But he also noticed that this came at a cost of becoming more involved in his community. There was a part of him that felt the pull to give back something to his neighborhood, and not just have all his energy spent at work. He was not sure how to do both. He needed help, advice from someone who had walked this path. He knew that he had to talk to others about what he was thinking about achieving a better balance in the future.

Step 3. Seek Input: Build Your Personal Board of Advisors

A lot of the career planning effort up to this point has been self-reflective. You may have relied on past feedback from family, friends and coworkers (“you know what you’d be really good at…?”). At this point, it’s time to get some feedback and support. Having a “personal board of advisors” is important. It’s a small group of people who know you well, and whom you trust to provide open and honest input. Think about connections you have from the following groups:

Mentors: Professionals in roles that you aspire to. You may be fortunate enough to have an assigned mentor at work, or a close colleague from a past job. Their insights can help you avoid pitfalls and accelerate your progress.
Peers: Your peers can provide valuable perspective because they are likely thinking about similar questions. Perhaps there is a teammate or close collaborator who has seen you in action at work. These colleagues are great resources because they see your work first-hand.
Managers: Your current and previous managers are helpful for professional development. They have observed and evaluated your work, skills and performance closely, and should be able to provide thoughtful direction.
Executive Coaches: If you have the resources, or if your company sponsors coaching, a professional coach can be another resource to help you step back and think differently.

Finding a mix of advisors for your “Board” will help inform and round out your goals. They can offer their own experiences and lessons to consider for your goals and career plan. They will help you refine your aspirations and stretch you toward goals that you may not have initially considered.

Call to Action

You are ready to get input on your career planning work so far. The Personal Board of Advisors planning worksheet will help you identify a mix of trusted people in your network to help you. Keep the worksheet with your other career planning documents so you have the complete package.

Think about which of your goals you are questioning? Why do you think they are riskier or too much of a stretch?
Think about what types of advice you need? Who are the best resources for you?
Write down your 3-5 potential advisors and reach out to them for input

You’re now ready for Step 4.