Your 3rd and Final Slice of PIE
Why "Exposure" doesn't mean what you might think
This is the 3rd in a series about why PIE Mentoring is essential to your success, what PIE stands for and how to get it. Links to parts 1 & 2 are below. The series has covered:
P - which relates to getting mentoring to further your understanding of the Performance of the business and how it’s measured.
I - stands for cultivating your Image as a leader. This discussion does not include your personal image, but rather how you come across as a credible business leader.
Exposure is the E in PIE
When you think about mentoring for Exposure, you might think about getting in front of career decision makers in the hopes that they will keep you in mind for exciting assignments, advancement or other opportunities.
This is one very important component of strategic mentoring, but for our purposes we’re discussing another hugely important element of exposure and that is to decisions are made at other levels and in other functions.
This type of exposure gives you an opportunity to connect with people and/or experiences; inside your organization or outside for the purpose of learning what factors into decision-making at the levels that you aspire to…and how those factors are discussed.
I learned about the importance of Exposure when I heard the story of a CEO who was offered opportunities to shadow his boss at executive and board meetings. This is highly unusual for an individual contributor - and I don’t advocate asking for such a reach. But it does suggest the importance of learning from others who are at levels higher than you - whether inside or outside your organization.
Here are 6 areas for questions/requests of your mentor that can help round out the E in PIE Mentoring.
What are the business goals of key stakeholders (outside the organization) that someone at my level must understand in order to lead effectively and contribute at the next higher levels? Is there anyone you suggest that I talk with to better understand this?
To strengthen my business <strategic and/or financial> acumen, it is important for me to understand more about <insert a part of the business you know little about>. Who do you recommend I speak with as a resource?
Given my career goals, what experiences and/or opportunities to contribution should I look at in my next assignment? How can I gain exposure to key people there to increase the likelihood of taking on such assignments?
What types of external strategic/business relationships are important in order for me to better contribute in my current role and at higher levels?
From your perspective, who are 3 key people whose positive opinion I need to cultivate? Let’s discuss ways I can work on that.
Are there opportunities to shadow you for the purposes of better understanding the factors that are considered when making decisions at your level? If not, could we debrief the discussion about an important recent decision? What positions were taken and what was considered in making the final decision.
I hope this series on how to Make the Most of Mentoring has inspired you to capitalize on the mentoring experiences you have - whether through a formal mentoring program or through day-to-day interactions. Remember, any conversation with your manager is an opportunity for mentoring. As would be any discussion with someone above you or in another function…if you know the right questions to ask/discussions to have.
In case you missed them, here are links to the preceding 2 articles about the P and I in PIE Mentoring.
The 5 questions in each article will equip you to make the most of your mentoring experience and inspire your ideas for others actions to take or discussions to have.
For additional actionable tips, please consider getting your own copy of Make the Most of Mentoring.
Make the Most of Mentoring soft cover
Make the Most of Mentoring ebook
Lead ON!
Susan
About Me
I’m Susan Colantuono, best known for my TED Talk, “The Career Advice You Probably Didn’t Get.”
I’ve devoted most of my working life to supporting the career advancement of women. Now my work is exclusively focused on offering women tools for developing and demonstrating Business Savvy - the business, financial and strategic acumen we need to succeed and to close The Missing 33% of the career success equation for women.
You will find useful and actionable content in my books and other online resources:
No Ceiling, No Walls ebook
No Ceiling, No Walls soft cover
Coaching Executive Women (occasional) newsletter
Lead ON!
Susan
This breakdown of Exposure as a learning mechanism rather than just visibility is sharp. The reframing towards understanding decision-making processes at higher levels reminds me of somthing I saw at my last company where junior leaders often confused facetime with actual strategic input. The six questions provide a concrete way to shift that from passive observation to active learning.