When QBE North America Chief Operating Officer Daniel Franzetti reached out to an executive for some advice early in his career, he didn’t get what he expected. In fact, the would-be mentor’s unwelcoming attitude pushed Franzetti in the direction of do-it-yourself career development.

Franzetti’s experience couldn’t be more different from that of Zurich North America’s leader of human resources, Brian Little. For Little, mentors showed up voluntarily, even before he entered the business.