1.  Career development is a chore, not seasonal work.
The calendar isn’t a prompt. It’s not a year-end project. Career development is something you do all the time. It’s hard work ... but worth the effort. It’s your career.

2.  Document your plan. Don’t dialog about it. Enumerate!
What do we mean by enumerate? Do you have the three elements in Step 1 of the Corgel Method written down on a piece of paper ... in a form that you can show someone? Doing this says you are serious, you worked on it, you gave it a lot of thought. Document who you are and what you want. Just don’t talk about it!

3.  Don’t mix current performance and career potential.
Don’t mix discussion of performance in your current job with career potential. Not in the same meeting. Ever.

4.  Build a team around yourself.
Your team is composed of current and past managers and mentors and your company’s human relations professionals.

5.  Managers and mentors are of equal weight.
Too many people think their current manager is a gatekeeper. Not so! He or she may not be aware of opportunities that are a good fit for you, and speaking with mentors from other parts of the business provides a different perspective.

6.  Your A-list generates one of three reactions: support, surprise or debate.
You share your A-list jobs with your manager and/or mentor and you will get oneof three responses: affirmation that your targets are reasonable based on your experience (support) ... you’re underestimated your potential (surprise) ... or the door will close and you’ll find out that there’s just no way (debate).

7.  Distribute your plan—face to face.
Dialogue alone is worthless ... you need something written—a piece of paper dedicated to your previous jobs, enumerating what you achieved, where you’re comfortable and how you’ve grown. And you need separate lists of your “A” and “B” jobs.

8.  The parent/child relationship is over.
In the past, management suggested what career moves were best for you. And when. Your job was to work hard ... and wait. Today, career development is up to you. What best fits your professional and personal goals. And when.

9.  You are in charge. Own it.
Careers don’t come with autopilot to steer you to your career destination. Others can help you ... but only once you have helped yourself. It’s your career. So, it’s your responsibility.

10.  Understand your corporate organization.
Know the businesses and industry your company participates in. Know its leaders and its organizational structure. Understand its history, strategy, culture and values.