Regardless of where you are in your career, it's helpful to stop and conduct a self-assessment from time to time. And typically, the first question you will ask yourself is, "What is the next position I can move to and what will it take to get there?"

To help you do just that, we asked for some advice from four experts.

Three have materials handling and supply chain responsibilities today: Steve McAlexander, vice president of distribution at Borders Group Inc. in Ann Arbor Mich., Dan Whitnable, director of engineering at Land's End in Dodgeville, Wis., and Harry Schutte, vice president of distribution at Land's End.

We also talked to someone looking for people ready to make that next step, Mike Flamer, vice president of The Dorfman Group (480-860-8820, www.thedorfmangroup.com), an executive search firm in Phoenix, Ariz.

Here, the four offer some thoughts on how to: broaden your horizons; get the continuing education you need; navigate a change in direction successfully; and know when to move on to the next company or position.

The first bit of advice they had, whether your career track is on the operations or engineering side, is to think out of your silo. In fact, it's a good habit to acquire early in your career. Our experts recommend that you:

• Understand your company's product and business objectives, not just the specific distribution processes.
• Be cross-trained in other departments including merchandising, advertising, marketing, finance and technology.

"An excellent way to learn the importance of other departments and how different activities relate to each other is to lead a project with a cross-functional team," says Whitnable at Land's End. "Such leadership roles help you communicate with people with many different functions and give you visibility to higher management."

For instance, Whitnable advises engineers to become principal strategic planners in order to "work with various departments and utilize people skills as well as technical skills." In this role, he says you can become thoroughly involved with the project's overall plan including implementation, scheduling, staffing and training. It is often an opportunity to persuasively present the plan to people from operations to finance and even top management in the case of major projects.

Our experts also suggest that you network with peers both inside and outside your company. Their recommendations here include:

• Discuss your distribution processes and issues with your peers to see if their practices could apply to your operations.
• Use project teams and industry events to network with peers.
• Work with others to create a career path of defined skills for key positions at your DC.

Discussing your distribution practices with professionals inside and outside your industry is especially important. "For instance, ask other distribution professionals about their returns rate or inventory management problems," says Whitnable. "By comparing your issues with competitors and non-competitors, you'll be able to benchmark your productivity and find new solutions." Whitnable also advises observing other companies' distribution techniques to see if their rationale might be effective at your facility.

In addition to observing other companies' practices, you should get to know your local industry peers to learn about job openings and the required skills. Regularly network with executive-level sponsors of a cross-functional team and colleagues at industry events.

Finally, an effective career advancement technique is to research or even help to define the responsibilities of various positions in your DC. Work with others to define the skills of such roles as project manager, facility manager and director of distribution operations. Then use this tool to assess what education, technology, leadership experience or other skills you need to acquire to hold those positions.

While managing operations requires many skills that are best acquired on the warehouse floor, distribution professionals agree that continuing education is an essential element of career advancement.

Education comes in many forms, from seminars and certification courses to industry focus groups and in-house project teams. According to our experts, what you need to achieve through education is an understanding of current issues, the changes affecting your industry and the relationship between different departments.

"A very good way to stay informed of important distribution issues, equipment and processes is by attending seminars and conferences," says McAlexander of Borders Group. "These short courses explore the successful strategies distribution executives are employing and offer perspective on current issues such as radio frequency identification," says McAlexander. Many professional associations including Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA, 704-676-1190, www.mhia.org) and the Council of Logistics Management (CLM, 630-574-0985, www.clm1.org) offer such programs.

"Taking classes that focus only on finance and technology are also very helpful for a career in distribution even if you aren't a business analyst or information technology manager," says McAlexander. "It is necessary to understand the fundamentals of finance and logistics and have good analytical skills. You also need to be familiar with current technologies in order to consider the advantages and disadvantages of a new system for your DC," he explains.

"Engineers make very effective distribution executives because of their involvement with the processes and equipment in warehouses," says Schutte, who was once a project engineer and is now vice president of distribution at Land's End. "They have observed and worked closely with every aspect of distribution so they already know the warehouse employees and understand the issues they face daily."

Changing from engineering to operations management means shifting from a technical focus to a people focus, according to Schutte. Required skills include articulating ideas to people at different levels and understanding the metrics for driving efficient operations.

"First, you should ask an operations manager to define the necessary skill base he or she is looking for," explains Schutte. "Then determine what you need to build on to make the transition. For instance, if you need more exposure to managing people, present a distribution project to the warehouse personnel and answer their questions regarding the new process."

The best way to transition into operations management is through on-the-job training, according to Schutte. "Not until you do the job alongside a mentor will you really learn how to staff operations appropriately, communicate with personnel and measure productivity."

"The best way to derail a career is to make too many job hops," says Mike Flamer of The Dorfman Group. "If you've been with a company for two years or less, you shouldn't leave unless your company is downsizing, going bankrupt or you have impending issues with your manager."

"On the flipside, it isn't a good idea to become complacent and remain in the same position more than seven years or so. Your views and skills become solidified and your view of the company will be too narrow," explains Flamer.

What's more important than length of employment, though, is a person's willingness to relocate in order to be promoted. "When working in distribution, your career will likely be stagnant if you're unwilling to move to the location of another DC," says Flamer. "In short, you may become the vice president or director of distribution only if you're willing to relocate to the headquarters location."

Above all, it is essential to communicate your desires and needs to your company in order to advance your career. "Make your manager aware of your ability to relocate if your circumstances and opinions change," says Flamer. And finally, voice your ambitions to those who can help you get where you want to go.