Something to doWorking with your manager
Ask what will matter in six months
A simple exercise to see where your team is heading, and get ready before it arrives
Why it’s worth your time
The most useful growth tends to line up with where your team is going, not where it has been. Managers usually have a sense of what's coming, such as new priorities, gaps or changes, but rarely think to say it unless asked. One forward-looking question can show you what to start learning now, and tells your manager you're thinking beyond this week.
How to ask your manager where the team is heading
You’ll come away with a clearer view of what's coming, and one thing to start getting ready for.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Pick who to ask.
Your manager is the natural first choice. A senior colleague or your manager's manager can add a wider view. Choose someone who can see further than you can from where you sit.
- Ask the question, and let them think.
Put it on your 1:1 agenda ahead of time so they can mull it over. Ask plainly, then listen. The first answer is often the obvious one; the second is often the interesting one.
To: your managerFor our next 1:1, I'd like to save a few minutes for a bigger-picture question: looking ahead to the next six months, what will the team need most, and where might I help? No need to prepare much. I'm just curious how you see it.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Ask what it could mean for you.
Once they've described where things are heading, ask where you might fit. You're asking for advice, not a promise.
You“Is there any part of that you'd want me to start getting ready for?” - Write down what you heard, and one thing to start.
A few lines: what's coming, why it matters, and one small thing you'll begin now. A course, a conversation, a piece of work to volunteer for.
- Come back to it in a few months.
Share what you've done and ask whether the picture has changed. Priorities shift, and checking in keeps you aimed at the real target, not last season's.
Good moments for this: every few monthsafter a reorg or a new strategywhen you're choosing what to learn next
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
Keep going with Truest
Small actions add up. Truest helps you find the next thing worth doing, make the space to do it, and keep a record of your progress. It’s a private place to work on your career, and it’s yours, not your employer’s.
- It actually happensDo it now, and you’ve invested in your career today.
- Your growth areas, keptWhat you said you are working on getting better at sits on your Foundation page.
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Six months out is often fuzzy for them too. A partial answer is still useful, and your question may help them think it through.
What might make this harder
Ask what they're watching, or what their own boss keeps asking about. Those hint at the direction even when the plan isn't settled.
Questions people ask
What questions should I ask my manager about the future?
Try: what will the team need most in six months that it doesn't have yet, and is there any part of that you'd want me to get ready for? It's forward-looking and easy to answer.
How do I align my development with my team's goals?
Find out where the team is heading, then look for the overlap with what you want to grow in. Work on that overlap, and let your manager know you're doing it.
How do I show my manager I'm thinking strategically?
Ask about what's coming, not only what's due, and act on what you hear. Being strategic is mostly spotting where things are going and offering to help get there.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Most of what people discuss with their managers is about now: what's due, what's blocked, what's next week. That's necessary, but it leaves a gap. Where the team is going usually becomes clear only once it arrives, and by then someone else has often been asked to lead it.
Managers tend to know more about what's coming than they say. Not because it's secret, but because nobody asks. They hear about new priorities, customer shifts and upcoming gaps in their own meetings, and it rarely filters down until it becomes a task. A single forward-looking question gives them a reason to say it out loud, and many managers are glad to be asked.
The follow-up is where it becomes yours. Once you know what the team will need, you can look for the overlap with what you'd like to grow in, and start early. The easiest growth to get support for is growth that helps the people around you succeed. Being strategic isn't something people get anointed into. It's mostly noticing where things are heading, proposing a way to help, and offering to be part of it.
Treat what you hear as a sketch. Six months is a long time, and plans move. The point isn't a perfect forecast. It's the habit of asking, and the way it changes how your manager sees you: as someone thinking about where the team is going, not only about this week's list. If what's coming isn't something you want, that's useful too, and far better to learn early.
Other simple things to consider
More in Working with your manager
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 2, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.