Developing a sense of ownership and authority for your own experiences at work, and not relying on your manager to set the entire tone for your relationship, is an important step in owning your career and workplace happiness.

Especially as you become more senior, remember that your manager expects you to bring solutions, not problems.

As you become more senior, the amount of personal feedback you get, both good and bad, is likely to decrease. You are operating at a higher level, and your manager is operating at a very high level. Expect the type of feedback to change somewhat from personal feedback to team- or strategy-related input.

Great managers notice when your normal energy level changes, and will hopefully care enough to ask you about it.

The best mentoring relationships evolve naturally and in the context of larger work.

Strong managers know how to play the game at their company. They can get you promoted; they can get you attention and feedback from important people. Strong managers have strong networks, and they can get you jobs even after you stop working for them.

Ideally, the feedback you get from your manager will be somewhat public if it’s praise, and private if it’s criticism.

Managers who want you to take their job someday. And most importantly, managers who help you understand what is important to focus on, and enable you to have that focus.