What can you learn from one of America's most successful companies that will help you reach your career goals? In the book, Leading Beyond the Walls,* Stratford Sherman describes Wal-Mart's Quick Market Intelligence (QMI) practice. Wal-Mart sends key executives into the field to benchmark competitors against Wal-Mart's own stores. This practice forces Wal-Mart to look at the best ideas in the marketplace. As you work on your own development, why not benchmark the best people in your organization as part of your career plan. Identify the skills you need to master and select the best person to learn from at work.

Early in my career I set a high standard for myself in the area of public speaking. I identified the top speakers in the company where I worked and interviewed them to learn all that I could. In addition, I took advantage of every opportunity to observe their presentations.

You can do the same. What are you hearing from others about your development needs in your performance appraisals and 360 feedback? What do you need to work on to get you to the next level? When you meet with these experts, be prepared with the following:

• Specific answers to the question, "How can I help you?"

• Requests for recommendations on reference material or other people to contact.

• Ways in which you can reciprocate, such as information you may come across that could be helpful to this individual.

Study the people who have spent a lifetime developing these skills and behaviors and watch your progress soar.

Benchmarking is one of several ways you can develop your professional skills. I have created a free Self-Coaching Planning Guide that you might find useful. Click here to view an abbreviated version of the guide. for a copy of this four-page guide.

* Leading Beyond the Walls, Edited by Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith
and Ian Somerville, The Drucker Foundation, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999.

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