The HBR Work Smart Collection (4 Books)

20 Build a Circle of Advisers

by Mimi Aboubaker

Everyone could benefit from having a circle of advisers—an informal group of people you trust, whose knowledge and perspectives you can call on when working through decisions—to supercharge your professional (and personal) trajectory.

The term mentor is often anchored to this kind of relationship, but I find it limiting. For many, the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” attached to mentorship are stressful and can become a deterrent to pursuing much-needed support. Instead, I’d recommend swapping the term for adviser and referring back to your high school days for a more approachable model.

In high school, students are often given the opportunity to develop informal advising or support relationships ...