We use a small set of cookies for essential site function and optional analytics. You can review details in our Cookie Policy.
Before you can ask anyone for anything, it helps to know exactly what kind of gap you are trying to fill. Here is a closer look at each of the five advisor archetypes covered in module one.
A Sponsor holds some form of organizational or industry standing and is willing to use it on your behalf, mentioning your name for an opportunity, backing a promotion case, or vouching for you in a room you are not in. This is distinct from advice-giving. The value here is influence, not information.
Common mistake: treating a Sponsor relationship like a mentorship and asking for feedback sessions instead of asking them to advocate when relevant opportunities arise.
Someone with deep, specific knowledge in a functional or technical area adjacent to your own. Useful when you need a sanity check on a decision that requires expertise you have not fully developed yet, whether that is a technical architecture choice, a legal question, or a specialized market dynamic.
Common mistake: over-relying on a single Domain Expert for questions outside their actual specialty simply because the relationship already exists.
A person at a roughly similar career stage, ideally outside your organization, who is comfortable questioning your assumptions rather than simply agreeing with your plan. Research on decision-making suggests that outside perspective at a similar altitude often surfaces blind spots that senior mentors, focused on encouragement, tend to miss.
Common mistake: only seeking peers who share your industry, which can narrow the range of challenge they are able to offer.
Someone further along than you, who has already navigated the kind of transition you are facing, whether that is a jump to executive leadership, a career pivot, or stepping back from a demanding role. Their contribution is pattern recognition and perspective, drawn from having seen the arc play out before, rather than tactical day-to-day advice.
Common mistake: expecting a Career Elder to understand the specifics of your current industry when their value is really about the shape of the decision, not the details.
A well-networked contact whose primary value is introductions rather than direct advice. Frequently the most underused role in a personal board, largely because people hesitate to make the ask explicit: "would you be willing to introduce me to..." Module two covers phrasing for exactly this kind of request.
Common mistake: asking a Connector for general advice instead of a specific, named introduction, which makes the ask harder for them to act on.
One person can sometimes fill two roles at once, a former manager who is both a Career Elder and a Sponsor, for example. The point of the framework is not to force five distinct relationships but to notice when a role is entirely unfilled.
Start by listing who currently gives you feedback, opens doors, or offers perspective, then sort each name against the five roles.
Notice which roles have zero names next to them. That gap is usually where module two's outreach guidance becomes most useful.
Avoid overloading one generous person with every role. It tends to shorten the relationship rather than deepen it.
Revisit the map roughly once a year, since the roles that matter most tend to shift as your goals evolve.
Module one walks through the mapping exercise step by step, worksheet included.
View Module Breakdown