Latest / Executive Careers with Fexingo: VP, C-Suite, and Senior Leadership Career Strategy / How Senior Leaders Use the Pre-Transition Mentor Map
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, I want to talk about something that almost no senior leader does before they start a job search — and yet it's probably the single highest-leverage preparation move you can make. Luna: Okay, I'm intrigued. What's the move? Lucas: A pre-transition mentor map. Not a list of people you might call when you need a reference. I mean a deliberate, written map of six to eight relationships you cultivate before you ever send out a resume. Luna: So you're saying — build the network before you need it. Which sounds obvious, but I'm guessing most of us don't do it systematically. Lucas: Exactly. And I've got a concrete example. A VP of engineering at a mid-cap enterprise SaaS company — let's call her Priya — she came to me six months before she planned to make a move. She wasn't even sure she wanted to leave, but she felt like her growth had plateaued. So we built a mentor map. Luna: What did the map look like? Lucas: She identified six people. One was a board member she'd worked with on a strategic initiative. One was a peer at another company who'd recently made a similar transition into a CTO role. One was a former CEO she'd reported to five years earlier. Then a couple of industry peers she respected, and one person from outside tech entirely — a COO in healthcare who she'd met at a conference. Luna: That's a diverse set. What's the logic behind the categories? Lucas: She grouped them into three zones. The first is insight — people who understand your industry or function and can give you candid feedback on where the market is headed. The second is advocacy — people who will speak about you in rooms you're not in. And the third is sponsorship — people who have the clout to actively open doors for you. Luna: And she mapped who fit where before she made any asks. Lucas: Right. And she approached each one differently. To the board member, she said, 'I'm thinking about my next chapter. I'd value your perspective on how the board views leadership bench strength in this space.' Not 'Can you help me find a job?' That's the key. Luna: That's a subtle but crucial shift. You're asking for their perspective, not their favor. Lucas: Exactly. And you know, this kind of strategic tool is exactly why we do this show. If you've found frameworks like this useful for thinking through your own career moves, we'd love your support. It keeps the show ad-free and focused on practical content. You can buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — that's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: And it genuinely helps us keep bringing these conversations. So, back to Priya — what happened with her mentor map? Lucas: Over the next four months, she had a total of nine conversations. She didn't ask for a job in any of them. She asked questions like 'What do you see as the biggest gaps in leadership talent right now?' or 'If you were me, what would you be learning?' And those conversations gave her a much clearer picture of where she added value. Luna: And that changed her search strategy? Lucas: Completely. She had originally been looking at VP roles at larger SaaS companies. But after talking to the healthcare COO, she realized her experience scaling engineering teams in a regulated environment was actually more valuable in fintech or health tech. She ended up targeting a different set of companies. Luna: So the mentor map didn't just help her network — it helped her reframe her own value proposition. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the real power. Most senior leaders treat mentoring as a transactional thing: 'I need a reference, so I'll call someone.' But the pre-transition mentor map is about investing in relationships before you need a return. Luna: What about the pitfall you mentioned? You said you see leaders make a common mistake. Lucas: The biggest mistake is treating the first conversation as an ask. You call someone you haven't spoken to in two years and say, 'I'm looking for a role, can you help?' That's not mentoring — that's a cold call with history. The map works because you approach people with genuine curiosity about their perspective, not your need. Luna: So the ask comes later, if at all. Lucas: Right. And when it does, it's a natural outgrowth of a relationship. Priya's former CEO ended up introducing her to a board chair at a company that was looking for a CTO. But that introduction came six months after their first conversation, not in the first call. Luna: That's a powerful example. I also think the map itself is a useful exercise — just writing down who fits in each zone forces you to be honest about your network gaps. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's the second step most people skip. They think they have a strong network because they have a lot of LinkedIn connections. But when you actually try to put names into the insight, advocacy, and sponsorship zones, you often find one zone is sparse. Luna: Which zone do most senior leaders lack? Lucas: Sponsorship. They have plenty of people who can give them advice — insight is usually full. They have peers who will say nice things — advocacy is decent. But sponsorship? That requires someone with positional power who's willing to stake their reputation on you. That's rare and needs to be cultivated intentionally. Luna: And the pre-transition map gives you time to cultivate it. Lucas: Exactly. You can't rush sponsorship. It has to be built on trust and demonstrated competence. So if you know you're missing sponsors, you can start planting seeds six to twelve months before you need them. Luna: How do you plant that seed without being obvious about it? Lucas: You find ways to add value to the potential sponsor first. Maybe you share an article relevant to their industry, or you offer to make an introduction to someone in your network. You demonstrate that you're someone worth sponsoring. The old saying 'sponsorship is earned, not requested' is true. Luna: So the mentor map is really about shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset in your career relationships. Lucas: That's beautifully put. And it's especially important for senior leaders because the higher you go, the fewer people can relate to your specific challenges. Having a deliberate map ensures you have a diverse set of perspectives — not just people who think like you. Luna: Let's talk about the diversity angle. Priya's map included people from different industries, different functions, and I assume different backgrounds. Lucas: Yes, she was intentional about that. One of her insight mentors was a woman of color who was a CTO at a different company. Another was a white male board member in his sixties. She wanted perspectives that would challenge her assumptions, not just confirm them. Luna: That's a good rule of thumb: if all your mentors look like you, your map is probably too narrow. Lucas: Absolutely. And the map should include people who are a few steps ahead of you in their career, but also people who are on a parallel path. A peer who recently made a similar transition can give you tactical advice that a CEO might not think to offer. Luna: So how often should someone revisit their mentor map? Lucas: I recommend reviewing it every quarter. Not necessarily adding people, but checking in: have I had a meaningful conversation with each of these people in the last three months? If not, schedule one. And if a relationship has gone stale, consider replacing it. Luna: And the conversations themselves — how do you structure them to be valuable for both sides? Lucas: Priya used a simple structure. She'd send a brief email saying, 'I'm thinking about my next chapter and would value your perspective on X. Would you be open to a twenty-minute call?' Then during the call, she'd have three specific questions — not generic ones like 'What advice do you have for me?' but specific things like 'How did you decide when it was time to move from VP to CTO?' Luna: That shows you've done your homework. Lucas: Exactly. And it respects their time. Senior leaders are busy. If you show up with a clear purpose and a tight structure, they'll be more willing to meet again. Priya's former CEO actually told her after their first call, 'That was the most efficient mentoring conversation I've had in years.' Luna: High praise. And I imagine that made him more likely to sponsor her later. Lucas: Exactly. She demonstrated that she's someone who uses people's time well. That's a signal of executive maturity. Luna: What about the follow-up? After the conversation, what's the right etiquette? Lucas: Always send a thank-you note within 24 hours, and reference something specific you learned. Then, a few weeks later, send a brief update on how you applied their advice. That closes the loop and makes the mentor feel their time was well spent. Luna: So the relationship continues even after the immediate need. Lucas: Right. And that's what turns a one-time mentor into a long-term sponsor. Priya now has a standing quarterly call with three of her six mentors. They're not just part of her transition plan — they're part of her ongoing career board. Luna: I love that phrase: career board. Like a personal board of directors. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the ultimate goal of the pre-transition mentor map. Not just to get a job, but to build a set of trusted advisors who will be with you throughout your career. Luna: So what's the first step for someone listening who wants to build their own map? Lucas: Take out a piece of paper — or open a document — and draw three columns: insight, advocacy, sponsorship. Then list the people in your network who could fit into each. Don't worry if some columns are sparse. That's the point. You'll see where you need to invest. Luna: And then start reaching out. But with curiosity, not urgency. Lucas: Exactly. Give yourself six months before you need to make a move. That's the time horizon that allows you to build real relationships, not just transactional ones. Luna: Great advice. I'm actually going to do this myself. Lucas: And I'd love to hear how it goes. That's the kind of listener story we might feature on a future episode. Luna: I'll hold you to that. For now, I think we've given our listeners a concrete tool they can use starting today. Lucas: Absolutely. A pre-transition mentor map: it's the career move you make before you make your next career move.