Three Simple Rules for Your Career Support Group
Only look for people one or two steps ahead of you. They have the newest, most useful tips that work today, instead of focusing on famous leaders with old advice.
Ask for 10-minute checks on specific projects instead of long mentorship meetings. This makes it easy for busy people to say yes and gives you quick, smart feedback.
Assign clear roles, like "The Doubter" or "The Introducer," to each person. This stops small talk and makes sure every talk has a clear, useful result for your career.
Rethinking How You Get Career Help
The old idea of a "Personal Board of Directors" is holding people back. Most people are still told to chase five senior people and ask, "Will you guide me?" This is an outdated idea from a past way of working. It treats your career like a slow, old company when it should be treated like a fast-growing new business.
This old way gets you stuck trying to plan meetings. You spend months chasing a "big name" only to get general advice that is years old and doesn't fit today's world. Since asking feels like asking for a huge favor, busy people often ignore you. When you finally meet, you spend all your energy trying to look good instead of actually getting help.
To get ahead, you need to switch to a "Quick Help Team." Stop asking for life advice and start finding "Active Helpers"—people just one or two steps ahead of you who are currently dealing with the same things. By trading long meetings for 10-minute checks on specific things you're working on, you swap polite chats for real-time market knowledge. This fast approach helps you move from "asking permission" to showing clear results.
Choosing Your Career Support Team
When planning your career growth, think of it like building a product. You need the right people advising you to make sure you are learning the right things and moving toward the right jobs. This chart compares the three main types of advisors so you can pick the right amount of effort for where you are now in your career.
Level 1: The Basics
Who This Is For:
If you are new to work (first 2 years) and need help with basic office rules and everyday work tasks.
What to Do Now
Find 2–3 trusted people you worked with before for quick, informal advice when you need it.
Main Benefit
Quick Fixes: Fast help with problems that pop up every day.
Level 2: Growing Up
Who This Is For:
If you want to move up to a manager or senior role and need people to speak up for you in important meetings.
What to Do Now
Gather 5–7 different people, including a promoter, a guide, and a peer, for scheduled check-ins every few months.
Main Benefit
Better Chances: Connects you to jobs and chances you wouldn't normally hear about.
Level 3: Top Leadership
Who This Is For:
If you are already a leader or founder and want to lead a whole industry or completely change your career path.
What to Do Now
Carefully pick 8–12 people, including experts from outside your field, coaches, and financial advisors, for long-term planning.
Main Benefit
Future Safety: Helps you become a big-picture thinker, avoiding common industry mistakes.
The Boardroom Plan
I created The Boardroom Blueprint to help you manage your career path exactly. This system sorts your network into three helpful groups so you always have the right advice, feedback, and access you need to succeed.
The Big Picture Guides
Big Ideas & Plans
- Goal: To give you advice on the long-term path and main strategy.
- Action: Find two people 10 years ahead of you and ask them to look at your 3-year plan once a year.
The Honest Critics
True Feedback
- Goal: To give you honest, straight-up feedback and check if your expectations are realistic.
- Action: Find peers or past coworkers who know your job well and give them permission to point out your mistakes and weaknesses.
The Introducers
Access & Chances
- Goal: To get you into new opportunities and important conversations that are usually private.
- Action: Build relationships with powerful people who can recommend you for big projects and promotions when you are not in the room.
These three groups cover everything: The Big Picture Guides set your long-term direction, the Honest Critics keep you on track with reality, and the Introducers make sure you have the chance to prove yourself.
The Quick Action Plan
Getting help is often slowed down by unnecessary problems. This quick plan replaces common mistakes with simple requests designed to give you fast, useful results.
The "Let's Be Friends Forever" Ask: Sending long emails asking someone to "be my mentor," which feels too serious and causes people to ignore you.
The 10-Minute Quick Check: Ask for a specific review of one document (like a resume or sales pitch) and set a hard stop at 10 minutes.
The "Out of Touch Idol": Asking very senior people who haven't looked for a job in years for advice that is often too general and old-fashioned.
The "Just Ahead" Helper: Find people only 1 or 2 levels above you. They have the latest real-world information on what works right now.
Getting Stuck Scheduling: Spending weeks trying to find a time for a 60-minute chat that ends up getting canceled anyway.
The Quick Digital Review: Skip the live call. Send a link to your work and ask for a 2-minute voice note or simple written edits. It takes them no time at all.
The Meeting with No Purpose: Going into calls with no plan, leading to friendly talk but no real steps forward for your career.
The Clear Role: Tell each person exactly what you need: "I need you to act as the Skeptic for this one presentation." This focuses the conversation.
Your 7-Day Team Launch Plan
This 7-Day Plan will help you quickly set up a strong support team for your career.
List three areas where you need improvement, like leading, technical knowledge, or office issues. This makes sure your team covers your weak spots, not just people you already know.
Choose people for different roles: a trusted coworker, a senior person at your company, an expert outside your company, someone who knows everyone, and someone who will always tell you the difficult truth.
Contact each person by email or message. Don't ask "be my mentor"; instead, ask for a specific 20-minute call to talk about one problem you are trying to solve right now.
During the calls, listen much more than you talk. Write down their advice and ask if they would mind a follow-up chat in three months if the first meeting goes well.
Send a short message to everyone explaining exactly how you used their advice and what happened. People are much more likely to stay on your "board" if they see that their help led to you actually growing.
Get Better with Cruit
For Connecting
Networking ToolTakes the stress out of reaching out. It writes short, polite messages you can send to busy people.
For Planning
Career Planning ToolTurns your general career wishes into clear steps by using an AI guide to ask you the right questions before you meet advisors.
For Focus
Job Title FinderHelps you find the right "Just Ahead" people by showing you similar job titles at different career levels for timely advice.
Common Questions
Should I only talk to people close to my level, or is it okay to ask senior leaders for advice?
While senior people can give you a wide view, they often don't know the current details of everyday tasks.
If you need to know how to handle a current software issue, a new interview style, or a salary talk, focus on "Active Helpers"—people just a bit ahead of you. They have the most useful, up-to-date information.
Use the senior leaders when you need a high-level recommendation, but trust your peers for the small, practical steps that lead to real progress.
How do I end a quick 30-day check-in without making it awkward later?
You don't need a formal "goodbye" since you never asked for a "lifetime commitment."
To wrap up nicely, send a brief note showing the outcome of their help. For example: "I used your advice on my presentation, and it helped me get interviewed for three new roles. Thank you for your quick look!"
This shows that their time was valuable and makes it natural for them to stay in touch for future help.
What should I do if someone says they are too busy for even a 10-minute check-in?
If someone says no, it usually means they are busy right now, not that they don't want to help you.
Don't try to convince them. Immediately ask this: "I understand completely. Is there one person you know who is currently working on [Your Specific Problem] that I should talk to instead?"
This turns a "no" into a helpful connection. Because your request was small and clear, it’s easy for people to either help you fast or send you to the right person.
Stop searching for a mentor.
Your career isn't a slow machine; it's a fast new business that needs speed and smart moves. Get away from the old idea of "Formal Mentorship" by swapping vague advice for 10-minute quick checks.
Build your "Quick Help Team" of "Active Helpers" to skip outdated ideas and turn your career into a series of clear wins.
Start Your Team
