Two weeks ago, I asked you to think about the six people sitting at your Leadership Roundtable.

And I told you that when I gave this exercise to a room full of professional women, 85% of them had a hard time filling all of the chairs.

Here's what I realized as I watched them wrestle with it:

Most of us have networks...

But that doesn't mean we have a Leadership Roundtable.

You probably know a LOT of people.

People you've worked with for years. People with impressive titles. People you grab coffee with. People you trust and genuinely enjoy.

But knowing someone doesn't automatically qualify them for a chair.

The people you choose for your Roundtable are special.

These are the people whose knowledge, perspective and relationship with you are strong enough that you actually want them influencing what happens next.

Take your Challenger, for example.

This isn't just somebody who disagrees with you. Lord knows, we can all find plenty of those. :)

It's someone who disagrees AND who...

I love AI. Seriously.

But it's the things AI CAN'T do that we should be talking about.

It CAN'T advocate for you when you're not in the room.

It CAN'T introduce you to someone who changes your career.

Those things still belong to us.

Yesterday I gave a talk (at the Raleigh Chamber's Professional Women's Luncheon) about the future of work, and the hot topic for the day was...

A table.

More specifically... a Leadership Round Table

Picture six chairs.

One is yours (of course). But who should be sitting in the other five? Want my opinion?

• The Challenger tells you the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.
• The Sponsor says your name (adds to your credibility) in rooms you're not in.
• The Connector always knows somebody you need to know... and makes those introductions generously.
• The Coach sees your potential, helps you identify your blind spots and isn't afraid to help you grow.
• And the last chair? That one belongs to someone younger than you... the Next Gen Voice. That person
...