10-Step Mentor Me Action Plan

1. Align your mission and goals with your company's mission, goals, and strategic plan.
   
2. Find ways to network "across the white space" in your company's organizational chart.
   
3. Make it your business to be a great communicator in all areas: speech, writing, meetings,
   and presentations.
   
4. Ask coworkers to include you on projects that support your goals. Then find ways to drop or delegate low- or medium-priority items on your "to-do" list so you can launch into the project worry-free.
   
5. Make it easy to convert your "to-do" and "done" lists into quantifiable achievements for your performance review-and for your résumé.
   
6. Consider the value of a political mentor, a person who serves as a sounding board for navigating office politics.
   
7. Accept the challenge of "tooting your own horn"-and finding ways to make your boss look good as well.
   
8. Map a unique career path by paying attention to the kind of work that brings you joy, and by dealing with transitions in ways that play to your strengths.
   
9. Fight obsolescence-take stock of your skills regularly, and create a personal learning plan. Could a "mentor of the moment" be helpful? Make the connection.
   
10. Celebrate your success-and then draw your next road map.

©2003 Joanne Lozar Glenn, www.mentorme.info