An important aspect of career advancement is the establishment of a diverse developmental network which is defined as “a set of relationships an individual has with people who take an active interest in and action to advance the individual’s career by assisting with his or her personal and professional development.” -Higgins & Thomas, Constellations and Careers.

Accordingly, the best developmental networks are diverse across three dimensions:

1. Functional (e.g. policy, finance, operations; marketing, HR, R&D)
2. Positional (e.g. hierarchy – senior, peer, junior)
3. Demographical (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender, generation, geographic region)

Three Roles You Want Present in Your Network:

• Mentor: A trusted person in the organization or industry, often at a more senior level, with whom you can get advice, gain perspective, get connected to others, access information and learn from the experiences of the mentor.
• Coach: An individual who provides support for self awareness, personal development and accountability to achieving goals. Coaches support you to develop ideas and discover answers about yourself and your work. Good mentors are often good coaches too
• Sponsor:  Sponsors help you connect to influential people. Sponsors advocate on your behalf for recognition, funding, promotions and career opportunities gaining support from prominent peers in the organization or industry. Sponsors are seen as critical to career advancement and business development 

Developmental networks are also referred to as a personal board of directors or advisors, a wisdom council, career constellation or a sanity circle. Whatever term you prefer, take the time to reflect on who is currently on your team. What roles are missing? How diverse are your members? Who would you like to invite onto your team? 

Please share your suggestions and experiences below. What name do you use for your developmental network?

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