Trust is an essential element in any collaborative or mutually beneficial relationship. When you trust your peers and they trust you, it becomes easier to share information and work together. You can openly discuss successes and failures, learn from one another, and rely on one another for support. Trust exhibits several traits. These include

• sincerity – If your peers notice you're honest, say what you mean, and mean what you say, and generally back up your opinions with solid evidence, they're more likely to trust your sincerity. If you behave in these ways, it's easier for others to trust your intentions.
• predictability – People are more likely to trust you if they can predict your actions. This is an aspect of being reliable. If you act consistently and meet your commitments regularly, peers are more likely to think of you as dependable and trustworthy. People feel safer when situations and people are more predictable.
• competence – Peers view you as competent if they believe you have the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources to complete a task or provide the support you've promised. When you're viewed as competent, people are more likely to come to you for help or ask you for your opinion, giving you more opportunities to build positive peer relationships.
• value exchange – Peers need to feel confident that when they give you something of value, they'll receive something of similar value in return. This exchange need not be immediate, but they trust that you'll deliver when they need your help. So to build this aspect of trust, be sure to always do your best – as would your peers – and reciprocate any favors.
• openness – When you're open about some of your vulnerabilities, but expect others not to take advantage of them, you trust they care about your interests – not just their own. Displaying genuine concern for the needs of others shows both openness and care. This quality tends to generate the deepest and longest lasting levels of trust.

If you wish to build trust among your peers at work

• be flexible – Flexibility is an extension of being cooperative. Working cooperatively entails being proactive about offering help. Being flexible also requires you to be willing to accept the challenges of changing conditions under which you work, considering different viewpoints, and being open to new ways of doing things.
• be dependable – Doing what you say you'll do is the cornerstone of being dependable. You earn a reputation for being dependable by helping out when needed, following through on your promises, and not offering to take on tasks you can't manage. Follow through and perform consistently and you'll earn the trust of your work peers.
• be competent – If you've developed appropriate skills and knowledge, and are willing to share what you know and to help others, your peers feel more confident about your ability to support them at work. This increases their receptiveness to building relationships with you.

Supporting others

To build strong peer relationships you can use several strategies. You should

• support others – When you willingly extend support to your peers at work, they'll be more receptive to a mutually collaborative relationship. You're better able to extend support if you take an interest in your peers and notice what they need. This doesn't mean you neglect your own work, but you can support them by actively communicating, returning phone calls, and being on time and well prepared for meetings.
• share the credit – Acknowledging the achievements of others demonstrates you support their efforts. This in turn encourages them to adopt a similar approach and willingness to help you. Sharing the success of your team's efforts builds unity in the team and strengthens bonds between team members. When you know you'll get some credit, it's easier to pull together and work well. At the same time, it's important to accept your share of the blame when things don't go well or you've made a mistake.
• demonstrate selflessness – Generosity and working toward collective rather than personal goals shows selflessness. This willingness to put others' needs first helps build a trusting relationship, strengthening the belief that you genuinely care for others.

The relationships you have with your peers at work can have a significant impact on your career and job satisfaction. So it's important to create mutually beneficial relationships and to extend these to build a support network.

To build peers' trust in you, you need to be flexible and adaptable, proactively offering help and trying out new solutions. You also need to demonstrate that others can depend on you by consistently following through with what you promise. Being competent at your job also draws others to you and encourages them to rely on you.

Your attitude toward your peers should show that you support them. Help out when you can, share the credit when you succeed, and accept blame for failures.

Using your cell phone on campus is often the best way of keeping in touch with your friends and classmates. However, in the business world, inappropriate cell phone use can be annoying and disruptive for your colleagues, and be a waste of your company's time. Using correct cell phone etiquette, however, can help you project a more professional image – it demonstrates that you're considerate and know how to treat others in the office with respect.

You should follow a number of basic guidelines regarding cell phone use at work:

• turn your cell phone ringer off during normal work hours – Leaving your phone ringing at your unoccupied desk is likely to irritate your colleagues, especially if you have a trendy or humorous ringtone. Unless you have your own private office, you should turn your cell ringer off or at least set it to vibrate.
• avoid any unnecessary personal cell phone chats – You must reduce any unnecessary calls to help you get the most out of your workday, and to create the right impression. Try to limit your cell phone use to important calls only. If you're in doubt about whether a call is important, let it go to voicemail, and check it later during your work break.
• don't send private text messages – Sending private text messages during work hours may be considered poor work ethic. It's a waste of your boss's time, and may distract you from the job you're there to do. Instead, wait until your lunch or work breaks to send any personal text messages.
• find a private place for making personal calls – If you must make a personal call, do so somewhere away from your desk. Find a quiet, private area where you won't distract your coworkers.
• don't bring your personal cell phone to meetings – Taking a cell phone call during a meeting isn't only rude; it may send a signal to your boss that you're not taking your job seriously. This can damage your professional image and your career prospects. It's best to just leave your cell phone at your desk and check for any calls after your meeting. Don't put your phone on vibrate during your meeting – you may be tempted to see who's calling you and lose your concentration.

Social Media in the Workplace

Social media can be an enjoyable way of keeping in contact with friends and classmates on campus. It allows you to express feelings, and let others know what you're doing. In the business world, it enables companies to market their brands more cost-effectively. That's why it's important that you consider what you publish online; not only can it be traced back to you, it can also affect your and your organization's professional image.

When posting comments on a social media site, there are several important guidelines you should follow:

• avoid publishing disrespectful information about your company – Using social media to vent frustration against employers or colleagues not only shows a lack of professionalism, but can also be costly for the company involved. To project a more professional image, you should make sure to address any grievances to your employer in person and in a calm and polite manner.
• keep confidential information private – When using social media, it's easy to inadvertently disclose vital information that belongs to your company or its clients. Information leaks, whether intentional or unintentional, are potentially dangerous to the success of a company's products or services, and you could also be guilty of violating a contractual agreement.
• be aware of the effect on your professional image – When posting information online, always consider the impact on your professional image. While publishing information about your social life may be acceptable in college or university, your employer will hardly be impressed if you post questionable photos of your work night out. Any images you post should be tasteful and show you and those around you in a positive light.
• make sure you avoid posting any offensive comments – Anything you publish online may also be visible to your colleagues and clients, so try to remain calm before having an angry outburst you may later regret. Never fire off an irate message in the heat of the moment – wait until you've cooled down, and discuss your problem face-to-face with the relevant person.

To project a professional image, you should consider your use of cell phones and social media in the workplace. Show respect for your coworkers by turning your cell phone ringer off, and by avoiding unnecessary personal phone chats. Try to avoid sending private text messages during work hours, and find a quiet, private place to make calls from. And above all, make sure you turn your cell phone off during meetings.

Social media is another means of communication that should be used carefully. Important guidelines are to avoid publishing disrespectful information about your company that may damage its reputation. Respect confidential information that has been entrusted to you or your company, and don't post anything that may harm your professional image. Finally, if expressing your opinions, ensure that you refrain from making personal or offensive remarks.

Imagine that you and several others have been shipwrecked on an island. Only one person in your group can speak the same language as the locals. Like the island spokesperson, a mentor is a compassionate person who influences your fate. A mentor is someone with a great deal of experience and influence in a chosen field who helps and guides your – the protege's – professional or career development. A mentor can, but does not have to, work for the same organization that employs you.

An effective mentor possesses many qualities that allow him to help you develop professionally. If a mentor works for the same firm as you, he should possess company-specific knowledge. An effective mentor is also: experienced, dedicated, influential, credible, insistent, verbally adept, good at listening, objective, and encouraging.

In possession of company-specific knowledge: If a mentor works for the same organization as you, he should know how the organization functions, such as how to get things done and how to advance through the ranks. To be effective, your mentor must also be willing to share his company-specific knowledge.

Experienced: An effective mentor is experienced and is willing to share his skills and expertise. Your mentor's skills and expertise should match your professional development needs and career goals.

Dedicated: A mentor helps you achieve your learning goals. He should participate fully in the mentoring relationship. To show dedication, he must set clear expectations, define roles, determine meeting logistics, and decide how to deal with problems when they arise.

Influential: A mentor should know people throughout the industry – and if applicable, throughout the organization – and be able to introduce you to the ones who can help you reach your learning goals.

Credible: A mentor should be credible within the profession, and if applicable, the organization. His colleagues should respect him, his work, and his opinions.

Insistent: A mentor should challenge you to reach beyond what is familiar and comfortable so you can grow from new experiences.

Encouraging: A mentor should provide you with positive encouragement so that you'll be more willing to push yourself beyond your normal boundaries and work through the low spots in your efforts. Additionally, he should encourage you to expand upon your strengths.

Objective: Your mentor is your champion; he wants you to succeed. To effectively assess your strengths and weaknesses, he needs to remain objective and not let feelings or prejudices get in the way. It's OK for your mentor to acknowledge your weaknesses, but he should not let bias be a factor.

Verbally Adept: A mentor should be able to communicate well verbally. His answers and feedback should be clear and concise, and he should be able to give you succinct, pertinent instructions and examples.

Good at listening: A mentor should listen to what you are telling him about your needs and concerns. That way, the guidance he offers will be relevant to you.

It's difficult to chart the best course for your professional development and learning needs. A mentor can reduce some of that difficulty and offer you valuable guidance.

Being a manager can be stressful. You are responsible for the work of others, you need to achieve company objectives, and you do not always have the resources or control that you would like.

However, understanding what may be causing you stress will make it easier for you to identify ways of alleviating it.

Five causes of stress and how they appear

Charles Handy, the management theorist, identified five common causes of stress likely to affect managers:

• The need to be innovative – As a manager, it will be your responsibility to look for ways in which you can improve the work that is being done in your department. Implementing such changes can be difficult in change-adverse cultures. Continual innovation can also be hard to sustain.
• Responsibility for the work of others – As a manager, you have to be able to trust and rely on your team members. You also have to be able to motivate, support, encourage, organize, and control them, when necessary. All of this takes time, effort, and skill and presents challenges that are different from simply doing your own work.
• Unclear boundaries – Coordinating activities can be stressful. To do your job well, you may need information or resources from people over whom you have no specific authority. Getting them to supply what you need, when you need it, can be difficult.
• Relationship problems – Poor relationships with colleagues, peers, or bosses are common causes of stress. Relationships can be damaged by a number of things, but the most common cause is misunderstanding. This can be rectified and needs to be addressed before too much harm is done.
• Career uncertainty – In a rapidly changing business world, many managers fear layoffs as a result of mergers, takeovers, or downsizing. Unfortunately, many managers find it difficult to concentrate on their current jobs when they constantly have this fear in the back of their minds.

Stress versus pressure

There is a difference between pressure and stress. Some pressure is inevitable, and many managers thrive on the adrenalin it generates and will happily seek out additional work and responsibilities. But it is important to know the difference between the two:

• Pressure – Pressure can energize and motivate. Pressure can mean having a lot of work to do. There is a danger that if pressure is not contained, it could lead to stress.
• Stress – Stress is a response to things that seem to be out of control. Stress can be debilitating, leading to irritability and insecurity. Stress occurs when that work cannot be completed because of factors seemingly outside of your control.

Because of their very nature, it may not be possible to control all the causes of stress, but they can and should be reduced.

Minimizing stress

Having identified the causes of stress that are affecting you, you can take appropriate steps to reduce it:

• The need to be innovative – You can lessen your stress by ensuring that the goals that you have negotiated and agreed upon and all the objectives you have set are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.
• Responsibility for the work of others – This stress can be lessened if you carefully identify the tasks that can be delegated and then systematically monitor progress. A structured staff appraisal system and regular feedback can also help to ensure that employees understand what is required of them.
• Unclear boundaries – It is important that you work with your colleagues to clarify everyone's individual roles. If coworkers have to report to more than one manager, priorities must be negotiated and clear reporting lines should be established.
• Relationship problems – To lessen this possible cause of stress, you must be prepared to communicate with your colleagues, listen to their concerns, and collaborate with them whenever possible.
• Career uncertainty – In today's business environment, there is a greater level of career uncertainty for everyone. Therefore, it is important for you to make sure that you have your own personal development plans that include developing transferable skills.

Prolonged stress can have a detrimental effect on managers' abilities to do their jobs effectively and on their general well-being.

It is therefore important not to just ignore stress and hope that things will improve. Be objective. Stand back from the situation, look at the causes of the stress, and identify appropriate ways of dealing with it.

Some people may feel that looking for causes of stress is like looking for an excuse, but it does not help to view it in this way. Identifying the root of any problem and then identifying ways in which it can be solved are vital management skills.

In today's global economy, you have to use new strategies to develop the next generation of managers – managers who are adaptable and global-thinking. Tomorrow's managers will be faced with unprecedented competition from the global market and changes in the way work is accomplished. In addition, they will have more to manage and broader responsibility than ever before.

Leaders who will advance companies into the future will need broad-based skills that cross company boundaries. They will need to understand how to motivate and inspire the people who work with them. Most importantly, they will need excellent adaptive skills. There are five keys to developing managers with excellent adaptive skills.

1. Move the manager around.
 

Interviews with top 120 leaders in an energy company revealed that the number one factor in their success was reported to be their exposure to a variety of experiences. And the earlier this happened in their careers, the better.

2. Give your managers responsibility.
 

Another strategy in developing adaptable executives is to give them responsibility. Let them succeed or fail, but give them the opportunity to learn from mistakes and successes.

3. Let your managers take risks on smaller issues first.
 

Growth doesn't have to be terribly painful, nor should you lay your company on the line in order for your managers to have a growth experience. Start with small assignments that are not critical to the company, and give your managers complete freedom to handle it in any way they see fit. If they fail, they grow. If they succeed, that's wonderful. Either way, you have better managers.

4. Give your managers the information they need to make decisions.
 

Start small, and hand over more and more as confidence develops. Give managers the information they need to make decisions when the time comes. Try to think like a beginner. What would have helped you the most?

5. Provide constant feedback.
 

You need to have strong, nonthreatening relationships with your managers, so they can feel comfortable when you tell them how they can improve their skills. If they trust you, they won't see this as criticism, but as an opportunity to learn. However, you must know their skills, be there to observe them in action, and have a vested interest in them in order to be an effective mentor.

Mentor your managers. Give them lots of exposure and responsibility, and train them to be adaptable. Let them take risks, share information with them, and give them constant feedback. Then you can trust the future and your company to the next generation of managers.

Being responsible for a team means that a manager has to be aware of what motivates others. This is another area in which your new role may differ considerably from your old one.

It is not enough to tell your team members what to do and expect them to do it. To be really effective, you must appreciate that they have to derive satisfaction from their jobs.

A hierarchy of needs

Of course, people do go to work to earn money, but they expect other things from a job as well. The theorist Maslow suggested that there is a hierarchy of needs that people want to have met. These needs are

1. physiological needs, such as money for food
2. safety needs, such as a safe environment
3. social needs, such as friendship
4. ego needs, such as status
5. self-actualization needs, such as reaching potential

One level at a time

Maslow felt that each one of these levels had to be satisfied before the individual would be able to move on to the next level. For example, people need to be earning adequate money before they worry about status and development.

Identifying levels

As a new manager, you can tell which level of the hierarchy people are at by listening to what they say and observing what they do.

Needs affect people's behavior in different ways:

1. Physiological – People will be motivated to join and stay with a company solely because of the financial rewards.
2. Safety – People will want a pleasant environment in which to work. They also may want high-quality facilities and technologically superior equipment to support their work.
3. Social – People will be influenced to take or keep a job in which they are working with like-minded individuals whose company they enjoy.
4. Ego – People will be interested in the reputation of the company or the status they will gain from working on a particular project.
5. Self-actualization – People will want to have the opportunity to develop new skills and undertake new challenges.

For example, these statements from a group of managers at different stages in their careers identify what motivates them to change jobs or continue in a position:

1. Physiological – "I took the job simply because I needed the money."
2. Safety – "I moved because I wanted to work in a better-equipped environment. The London office provided the ideal opportunity."
3. Social – "I had an opportunity to move last year, but I decided not to take it because I enjoy working with my team."
4. Ego – "I was contacted by a recruiter and the package was too attractive to refuse. There was the opportunity to work on some more prestigious cases."
5. Self-actualization – "I have decided that there is nowhere else I want to go on the corporate ladder, so I am leaving to set up my own small practice."

Motivation varies by individual

It is easy for new managers to fall into the trap of assuming that what motivates them also motivates others. Managers need to listen and respond to the individual needs of each of their team members.

Although Maslow felt that people progressed through the various stages sequentially, individuals may move at different rates or choose to stay at one level for a longer period of time.

Strategies for motivating employees

Knowing the level of need for each individual team member can help the manager cope with and improve employee motivation.

The strategy the manager chooses should reflect the employee's individual needs:

1. Physiological – To motivate people who are most concerned about their physiological needs, a manager will have to recognize that pay increases and bonuses are important.
2. Safety – To motivate people who are most concerned about their safety needs, a manager will have to pay attention to things like improving office surroundings or upgrading computers.
3. Social – To motivate people who are most concerned about their social needs, a manager will need to reinforce the value of effective teamwork. Individuals will want to feel that they are able to contribute to the team.
4. Ego – To motivate people who are most concerned about their ego needs, a manager will need to review the extra benefits that employees receive. The manager may also need to consider the prestige involved in projects.
5. Self-actualization – People who are most concerned about their self-actualization needs will be interested in training or career-development opportunities.

It is important for new managers to find out what motivates each individual. Maslow's hierarchy provides one framework for doing this. Satisfying motivational needs will help to ensure that employees work more effectively.

Everyone makes mistakes. In fact, human error can occur in an almost infinite number of ways. But at work, individuals who are experienced and knowledgeable are expected to anticipate negative outcomes and avoid them. When workplace errors inevitably occur, employees have two choices: accept responsibility or play the "blame game."

Blamers share a common characteristic – they find it easier to attack a person or situation than to tackle a problem. But there isn't just one type of person who becomes a blamer.

A number of different causes can cause blaming behavior. Some people consider it a sign of weakness to accept responsibility, or they view any criticism as a personal attack. Other people may be frightened to face what they've done because in the past they've suffered punishment for making mistakes. Blamers may be protecting their egos or reputations. They may be bullies or the type of person who just can't admit they're wrong. At worst, they may be sly manipulators looking for opportunities to benefit at the expense of others.

The three steps for dealing with negative people are the same for blamers as they are for other negative behaviors like whining and complaining:

1. listen to the person who's being negative
2. demonstrate you understand the message, and
3. try to resolve the issue

The difference between dealing with whiners and complainers and dealing with blamers is in how you implement step three – resolving the issue.

Dealing with blamers is an essential workplace skill. When you work with other people, it's inevitable that someday you'll be blamed for something. It may be something simple – you forgot to send a reminder about a meeting – or something major that can affect your career – your actions lost a client or caused an accident. And sometimes the blamers will be absolutely right.

How you resolve issues with blamers depends on whether the responsibility for the issue lies with you or with them:

• when you're at fault – When you're at fault, owning up to your responsibility is best. Acknowledge what the blamer is saying, and ask what you can do to help. Once you take ownership of the issue, you can apologize, clarify what happened and why, seek a solution, and move on. It's important to make clear that you're more interested in resolving the issue than in being right.
• when they're at fault – When blamers are at fault, you'll need to confront them. Blamers will usually stop their negative behavior when you give them specific examples of how their mistakes, miscalculations, or omissions caused the issue. Don't be vague. Blamers find it difficult to shift the blame when you're precise.

Remember that blamers associate responsibility with negative consequences. They won't respond to an attack. Be nonthreatening and diplomatic when you present your position. This will help blamers feel like it's safe to accept responsibility if they're wrong and will give them ownership in the solution if they're right. It also helps to create empathy. For example, you might tell them about a time when you made a mistake, accepted responsibility, and moved on.

Using gentle, probing questions can help you steer blamers away from negative blaming behavior and toward positive problem solving. Keep your questions simple at first and make use of closed-ended questions. Don't give blamers the chance to reinterpret facts to create the impression they were right all along – either in what they did or in blaming you.

To deal with negative people, you follow three steps:listen to the person who's being negative, demonstrate you understand the message, and try to resolve the issue. When dealing with blamers, you have two options for implementing step three – resolving the issue. When you're at fault, you should own up to your responsibility, acknowledge what the blamer is saying, and ask what you can do to help resolve the issue. When the blamer is at fault, you should confront that person with specific examples of the problem and then work together to resolve the issue.

In the United States, career management is typically the responsibility of the individual. This can be challenging for employees new to the US who are unfamiliar with the norms and expectations that typically dictate professional advancement. Understanding what career management means is the first step toward managing your career effectively. Then, learning about how career management in the United States differs from your previous work culture will help you to achieve your goals more effectively.

The value of individualism ranks highly in American work culture. As such, you'll likely be directly responsible for your own professional advancement. Promotions or pay raises will usually depend on your goals and performance, and how you communicate these to your superiors. This attitude is different from some work cultures. Elsewhere, organizations may play a larger role in the guidance of employees' careers, while in some cultures seniority is more important than performance. Employees new to the US's working culture may find such differences, and the subsequent results, jarring.

There are four aspects of career management that are important for managing careers in the United States:

• promotions – Promotions are often given only once employees have shown themselves capable of handling the responsibility of a certain role – before being formally offered it. This means that employees should take the initiative to do the job they want – maybe without the title or pay – to prove they're able to fulfill the role when it becomes available. Further, soft skills – such as giving presentations or negotiating – become increasingly important the higher the role being sought.
• pay raises – In the American workplace, employees typically receive raises for their personal accomplishments, rather than those of their team. Because many companies offer incentives to employees in the form of commissions or bonuses, it's not uncommon for a high-performing employee to earn more than his manager.
• rewards and recognition – Employees new to the US may feel that they've been passed over for promotions unfairly. These employees and their managers often see the promotions process differently. Feedback, for example, may be worded such that it doesn't seem like praise. In many American offices, praise is often more subdued than in other cultures, though no less earnest.
• relationships and networking – In the United States, beneficial contacts with other professionals are most often made through professional associations. This is a marked contrast with other countries, where such networks are typically built, for example, along familial lines or through alumni associations. In American professional life, your network is usually your personal responsibility and property.

There are four guidelines you can follow as you try to manage your career in the American workplace:

• identify your professional objectives
• make sure you understand your manager's expectations
• find out about the compensation scheme in your organization
• obtain a mentor or coach.

The first guideline is to identify your professional objectives. To do so, you may need to rethink what managing your career means. If you come from a culture where management typically has more of a say in employees' professional development, this is especially important. It's up to you to determine how you want your career to develop, so you need to be proactive. For example, tell your manager what kinds of projects interest you, rather than waiting to be steered toward them. Further, you should express your interest in being part of particular projects that are in development, instead of hoping for certain appointments. You need to make sure that your manager is aware of the direction you want to go. And you're the only one who can tell her this.

The second guideline is to understand your manager's expectations. If you want to be promoted or get a raise, make sure you know what your manager expects from you. Arrange a meeting to discuss what's required to achieve your career objectives. Try to refer to specific examples of your performance and your expectations. Ask your manager to be similarly specific. Doing so will provide you with a set of actions that will help you to achieve your goals.

In addition to understanding your and your manager's expectations, the third guideline for career management in the American workplace is to find out about your company's compensation scheme. Your company's rationale for giving pay raises and promotions should be outlined in the form of a compensation scheme. Arrange a meeting with someone in your company's Human Resources Department. Ask about how the company's compensation scheme works – what's valued, and what's required to obtain raises.

The fourth guideline is to obtain a mentor or coach. Your mentor should have in-depth knowledge about professional life in the US and, ideally, some familiarity with your culture as well. In order to have your perspectives adequately represented, you may want to talk to several people – Americans colleagues from a variety of ethnic backgrounds as well someone from the same cultural background as you. Mentorship is valuable in helping you to understand the American workplace in general, and career management in particular. In addition to representing your perspectives, mentors should excel in your particular professional area. Learn what makes them stand out by observing them at work and discussing work issues with them. This can help you understand what you need to do to ensure you're on the right track for your career. Your organization may provide access to structured coaching or mentoring programs for employees. These programs can make it easier for you to select an appropriate mentor.

Being able to set and achieve your goals will increase your motivation and morale. Managing your career effectively allows you to plan your actions to achieve your professional objectives. You'll also improve your effectiveness as an employee with better career management. The motivation that results from having your expectations fulfilled will likely encourage you to invest more time and effort in your career, and direct your energy more efficiently toward achieving the next goals you set for yourself.

In the American workplace, managing your career is your responsibility. American perspectives on promotions, pay raises, recognition, and networking are likely to be different in certain respects than in your previous work culture. To help you adjust to these differences, you can follow four guidelines. First, identify your professional goals by asking yourself where you want to be in your organization. Second, find out what specific expectations your manager has of you and share your own. Third, find out about your organization's compensation scheme and how pay raises and promotions are given. Finally, obtain a coach or mentor to help you manage your career effectively by learning how they met the challenges of American working life.