Friday Reflection (No. 59): Nourishing your Garden of Networks - Developmental (Part 4)
May 12, 2023
Just beyond
yourself.
It’s where
you need
to be…
There is a road always beckoning…
Excerpt from “Just Beyond Yourself” by David Whyte
The words of this stirring poem by David Whyte encapsulate what it means to approach your career (and your life) with a focus on continual growth. And even though the road to growth is “always beckoning,” it’s easy to get lost or at a minimum run into traffic along the way.
The good news is your Developmental Network can help navigate this road to growth in your career.
Leadership principle: Be deliberate about building and sustaining your Developmental Network.
Continuing the series on the four distinct types of networks that help leaders achieve full potential, this week we will explore the the third, the Developmental Network.1
The Developmental Network is a diverse group of individuals who provide the guidance, resources and advocacy to fuel your professional growth. It goes beyond “check-the-box” mentorship to encompass mentors, sponsors, peer mentors, and coaches.
The work of Monica Higgins and Kathy Kram as well as that of Hermina Ibarra (who I’ve cited in earlier reflections) provide insight into “who” you need in your developmental network and “how” you get the most out of it.
Let's embark on a journey through the bird kingdom2, drawing on this critical research, to explore the archetypes of “who” you need in your network.
Eagle (Mentor): Eagles, with their keen vision and high flying, are natural guides. Much like an eagle, a mentor in your developmental network can provide invaluable wisdom and guidance, helping you navigate challenges and make informed decisions.
Swan (Sponsor): Swans are known for their grace, nobility, and protective behavior, mirroring the role of a sponsor. A sponsor uses their influence to advocate for you and your abilities. They also open doors for your career advancement and seek to protect your interests.
Cedar Waxwings (Peer Mentor): Cedar Waxwings, known for their communal and reciprocal behavior, embody the role of a peer mentor. Their practice of "passing berries" symbolizes the mutual exchange of ideas. A peer mentor in your developmental network can teach you new skills and concepts, offer encouragement, and be a source for mutual exchange of ideas, particularly in career strategizing and knowledge sharing.3
Eurasian Eagle Owl4 (Coach): Owls with their wisdom and insight, can be seen as models for a coach. Coaches help you gain greater awareness of how you need to grow, navigate interpersonal dynamics, work through complex challenges, and develop new skills.
You might wonder how many mentors, sponsors, peer mentors and coaches should make up your Developmental Network. Research in this area is inconclusive (shocking!) and yet it does show that the optimal number varies depending on personal needs, goals, and career stage. While there is no optimal number, there is consensus that multiple perspectives and areas of expertise, particularly for peer mentors, increases the impact of your network.5
A strong developmental network can be a powerful tool in helping you achieve your leadership potential. Here are some practical actions on how to build and get the most out of a developmental network.
Take Action: Practical and Proven Steps
Assess and expand your developmental network. Assess which archetypes you already have in your developmental network as well as how effective each of them are. Then use the following criteria to start to expand your developmental network: expertise, influence, trustworthiness and diversity (in all senses of the word).
Be intentional about how you use each interaction with mentors and sponsors. Vineet Chopra and Sanjay Saint outlines several best practices for mentees to make the most of their mentorship relationships. The three that resonate most with me as both a mentor and a mentee are set clear expectations for relationship overall, respect the mentor’s time by having a specific agenda for each interaction and invest in the personal relationship with them.
Seek out peer mentors that raise the bar for you. Embrace the discomfort of seeking out peer mentors that may be more successful than you, have deeper expertise in key areas of your field or have more interpersonal insight than you. While for some this is intimidating, it will ultimately accelerate your learning curve. And just like the Cedar Waxwings, find ways to “pass berries” back to them as well in order to reciprocate their contributions to your growth.
Reflect: Some Questions to Consider
How consistently have I cultivated my developmental network?
Which archetype is less well represented in my developmental network?
Do I need to “upgrade” my developmental network in any of the roles (mentor, sponsor, peer mentor, or coach)?
If this week’s Friday Reflection was practical or enjoyable (or maybe even both!), please share it with your colleagues and friends.
I have been delayed in writing this one for a couple reasons: 1) I’ve had to prioritize investing in my clients and colleagues over the course of a pretty intense stretch; 2) I wanted to be able to really think through how this network is different from the Strategic Network. Where I landed was that if you are intentional, you can build a Developmental Network that has a high degree of overlap with the Strategic Network. The challenge in this situation is to ensure you dedicate sufficient time in each discussion with the leaders in your network for strategic topics and your own development.
I’ve written other Friday Reflections that allude to my love for the avian kingdom. There’s something about the arrival of so many different species this time of year in New York that made this metaphor feel particularly relevant. And don’t sleep on birdwatching in New York City…between Central Park, Morningside Park, Inwood Hill Park, Van Cortland Park, Prospect Park and Pelham Bay Park, some of the best bird watching in the United States can be done in this thriving metropolis. And for those hoping for an MCA analogy, particularly in light of the release of GOTG 3, it’s coming…
This paper from 1985 by Kathy Kram and Lynn Isabella gives science-backed evidence for the role of peer mentors in development.
Yes - I know this is very specific, but I’ve been enthralled by the story of Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl that has been living its best life in Central Park since escaping the zoo in February 2023 (nearly 4 months)! He even has his own Wikipedia page.
Kram and Isabella’s research identify three different types of peer mentors: information peer, collegial peer and special peer. You can read more about the function of each of these peers in the paper I cited above.