Sponsors are influential leaders who advocate for you and connect you with career opportunities. Harvard Business Review has reported that high-potential women are over-mentored and under-sponsored relative to male peers. Explore the difference between mentors, advocates and sponsors. Learn to identify potential sponsors, how to sponsor others, and how build a culture of sponsorship in your organization.

1. Sponsors:
Advocates for Your Advancement

2. In This Session
• The difference between mentors and sponsors
• Making the most of mentoring
• Attracting the attention of influential sponsors
• Creating a culture of sponsorship

3. “There is a special kind of relationship —
called sponsorship — in which the mentor
goes beyond giving feedback and advice and
uses his or her influence with senior
executives to advocate for the mentee.
Our interviews and surveys alike suggest that
high-potential women are overmentored and
undersponsored relative to their male peers
— and that they are not advancing in their
organisations.”
“Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women,” by Herminia
Ibarra, Nancy M. Carter and Christine Silva.

4. EARLY
CAREER
Enlist mentors
MID-LEVEL
Diversify
mentors, attract
sponsors,
cultivate peer
advocates
SENIOR-LEVEL
Be a mentor &
sponsor
Bonus: Build a
culture of
sponsorship

5. Making the Most of Mentoring

6. 4 S’s of Mentoring Successes
Stories
Situations
Self-
awareness
Skill-
building

7. “A sponsor is a person with a
seat at the decision-making
table who will throw your name
out for coveted assignments
and promotion opportunities.”
— Amanda Martinez, Vice President,
Supply Chain Purchasing and Vendor
Management, Safeway.

8. “A sponsor is someone who
will use their internal political
and social capital to move
your career forward within
an organisation. Behind
closed doors, they will argue
your case.”
— Cindy Kent, GM, 3M.

9. Four U.S.-based
and global studies
clearly show that
sponsorship — not
mentorship — is
how power is
transferred in the
workplace.
“Why You Need A Sponsor — Not A Mentor —
To Fast-Track Your Career,” Business Insider.

13. Only _____ % of
women
employed in
large companies
have a sponsor.
13
“The Sponsor Effect,” Hewlett, Peraino, Sherbin and Sumberg, 2011.

14. Have you had a sponsor?

15. Women who have
sponsors are at
least 22% more
likely to ask for
stretch
assignments and
raises.
Men and womenMen and women
feel more
satisfied with
their career
advancement
when they have
sponsors.
Ambitious
women
underestimate
the difference
sponsorship
can make.
“The Sponsor Effect,” Hewlett, Peraino, Sherbin and Sumberg, 2011.

16. What a sponsor does What a protégé does
1. Believes in you,
understands and
values that you can be
a leader, and is willing
to take a bet on you.
2. Is prepared to go
out on a limb for you
and publicly support
you.
3. Is in your corner
and gives you “air
cover”.
1. Exceeds
expectations, and
make their
performance known.
2. Demonstrates
that they are
trustworthy and
loyal.
3. Brings something
special and unique
to the table.
—Sylvia Ann Hewlett.

17. “Sponsors advocate on their protégés’
behalf, connecting them to important
players and assignments. In doing so,
they make themselves look good. And
precisely because sponsors go out on a
limb, they expect stellar performance
and loyalty.”
- Sylvia Ann Hewlett, “Mentors are Good. Sponsors
are Better,” New York Times.

18. “… having an active
advocate completely
changes your career.”
—Kerrie Peraino,
Vice President for Human
Resources and Chief Diversity
Officer, American Express.

19. Qualities of a Good Sponsor
• Influential
• Respected
• Has a track record of:
a) Developing talent
b) Providing exposure opportunities to
protégés
c) Providing ‘air cover’ from negative or
damaging publicity
d) Providing a ‘safety net’ during layoffs,
reorgs and leadership changes

20. “A sponsor does not have to
be an executive, but they do
need to have influence.”
—Millette Granville, Director, Diversity
and Inclusion, Delhaize Group.

21. “Are all your sponsors in the
management chain directly above you?
I recommend that everyone have three
to four sponsors outside of their direct
management chain.”
—Michelle Johnston Holthaus, GM, Channel
Platforms and Strategy Division, Intel.

22. “So, how do I get a sponsor?”

23. There is no “silver bullet” for attracting the
attention of a high-level sponsor.
—“Sponsoring Women to Success,” Catalyst, 2011.

24. Attracting the attention of an
influential sponsor

25. 8. Perform!

26. 7. Know who the good
sponsors are.
6. Observe the protocols: How
does sponsorship work in your
organisation’s culture?

27. 5. Network beyond your direct
management chain.

28. 4. Volunteer for exposure
opportunities to work with or for
potential sponsors.

29. 3. Make your value visible.

30. 2. Have clear
career goals.

31. 1. Share your goals
with your leaders.

32. 8. Perform!
7. Know who the good sponsors are.
6. Observe the protocols: How does sponsorship
work in your organisation’s culture?
5. Network beyond your direct management
chain.
4. Volunteer for exposure opportunities to work
with or for potential sponsors.
3. Make your value visible.
2. Have clear career goals.
1. Share your career goals with your leaders.
Securing Sponsorship

33. “Sponsorship can come to you in
different ways.
You never know who is watching you,
so be “sponsor-ready” at all times.
—Millette Granville, Director, Diversity and Inclusion,
Delhaize Group.

34. Create a Culture of Sponsorship

35. Be a Good Sponsor
• It’s NOT about favoritism!
• Recognise your own biases. Be equitable and
diverse in who you choose to sponsor.
• Get involved in your company’s “high potential”
program, diversity initiatives, & talent initiatives.
• Be open about what it takes for you to sponsor
someone.
• Talk with other leaders: “Who are our high
potentials?”
• Give your protégés opportunities to prove their
talent to you and other leaders.

36. “There’s such great evidence that
creating a culture of sponsorship can
help high potentials advance their own
careers and pay it forward. They
position themselves as leaders who
have the organisation’s best interests
in mind.”
—Melissa J. Anderson, “Building a Culture of
Sponsorship.”

37. Creating a Sponsorship Culture
• Bring sponsorship out from behind closed
doors.
• Have open, transparent conversations about
what sponsorship is, how it works, and what’s
expected of sponsors and protégés.
• People who have benefitted from sponsorship
are more likely to sponsor others!
• Consider creating a formal sponsorship
program for high-potential employees.
• Have conversations about diversity, and train
sponsors to be diversity champions.

38. In This Session
• The difference between mentors and sponsors
• Making the most of mentoring
• Attracting the attention of influential sponsors
• Creating a culture of sponsorship

40. Download This Presentation
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