Mentorship is a hot topic these days – as people seek guidance about how to find success, but also significance, in their careers. Times are tough, with no real horizon in sight, and people want to minimize their risk – so they seek seasoned mentors that can provide them objective perspectives. People want more certainty in their careers during a time in which certainty is hard to come by. A mentor can guide and make recommendations based on their past experiences and accrued wisdom – and help others by giving them the tools and resources to conquer the future with confidence, fearlessness and perseverance. They can’t predict your future or guarantee anything, but they can help you create a platform for launching your own legacy. But first, they have to tell you some things about your future that others aren’t telling you – and that you might not want to hear.

You can stand out from the crowd and get noticed at work without self-promotion. In fact, advancing your career in today’s new workplace means embracing an approach that is less about you and more about others. This may seem idealistic at a time when most people are operating in survival mode and doing just the opposite – thinking less about others and more about themselves. We all want to get noticed and take control of our careers. But in a workplace that requires you to do more with fewer resources, employees are having trouble earning the respect they seek and deserve. Collaborative leadership is in demand, and success comes most to those who are surrounded by people who want their success to continue. As you reflect upon your career goals, there are ways to get noticed at work without self-promotion.

The workplace is in transition, and so are many people with their careers.  More than ever, people are feeling a sense of disengagement at work as they grow frustrated with the uncertainty and lack of long-term stability that surrounds them. Today’s workplace environment is growing worrisome for many because their employers can’t provide them the guaranteed security they seek, while they are expected to do more for less. Managing your career, whether employed or not, has become a full-time responsibility. So many factors play into what motivates and drives someone to ultimately achieve. However, when circumstances force their hand – it begins to take its toll. Motivation starts to wane and people begin to wonder if they will ever reach their desired career destination. They begin to doubt themselves and quickly become awakened to the reality that career management is a journey and only a very few who are equipped to take-on the journey head-on will have the endurance to reach their career goals, dreams and aspirations. This is when a good mentor can inspire you to find happiness and the motivation to succeed in a meaningful and purposeful way when you are showing signs of complacency.

Career management is an unpredictable journey. You can start down what seems like the perfect path, and then suddenly find yourself on the wrong side of the road. Not because of anything you did wrong, but perhaps you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time – a work environment that does not allow you to advance or get noticed. There is much talent in the workplace that goes untapped. Conversely, there are many in influential roles that are not deserving of it. Ultimately, you alone must manage your career – and there are six questions you must always ask yourself to keep your career on track.

Economic uncertainties fuel an unstable job market and create an unsettling environment in the workplace. The lack of transparency, internal politics, the growing number of siloed departments and hidden agendas have made it more difficult to trust yourself, let alone others – which makes it more difficult to know when a mentor is good for you. What appears to be an endless path of disorganized chaos is now “the new normal.” As such, we must become mentally tough and learn to anticipate the unexpected. Employees must approach the workplace through a lens that can detect the potholes of distrust while staying focused on seeing and seizing the next opportunity. Finding the right formula for knowing when your mentor is good for you can be subjective and has a lot to do with the engagement of specific personality types and how they mesh in certain circumstances.