Forget Mentors — You Should Build a Circle of Advisers

This is an article I wrote for Harvard Business Review that offers a framework for early career professional to build a diverse network of advisors to support their professional career. I came up with the idea, wrote the entire piece, created the scorecard, and more.

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Summary: For many, the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” attached to mentorships are stressful and can become a deterrent to pursuing much needed support. Instead, swap the term “mentor” for “adviser,” and build a circle of people with varying specialties who can support you throughout your career. How can you find the right advisers for you?

Use a personal adviser scorecard to outline the most important factors you should consider when curating your circle of advisers. The scorecard include four categories: operating style, expertise, depth, and extras.

Operating style: When curating your advisers, it’s important to tune into their differences and how they match up with your preferences and needs, which will likely shift over time.

Expertise: Build a circle of advisers who vary in terms of background, industry, roles, or skill sets to encourage you to stretch yourself, accelerate your personal growth, and expand your mindset.

Depth: Build a small, highly curated group of people you can develop deep relationships with and who have the capacity to grow alongside you throughout your career journey.

Extras: Your bonus categories should be based on your core values, interests, or support needs. Having people in your network who see the world through a similar lens can be a powerful tool when making tough choices and planning ahead.

Summary.