A presentation for an ACSA Women's Leadership Network. Dr. Dawn Smith shares from the research regarding the importance of sponsorship in a person's career advancement.

1. Moving from
Mentorship to Sponsorship
Presented by Dawn Smith, Ed.D
.

2. Mentorship and
Sponsorship

Both mentoring and sponsorship are critically
important to career advancement

Research conducted at the Center for Talent
Innovation (CTI) shows sponsors, not mentors
provide real career traction

Pay raises

High profile assignments

Promotion

3. What is a Sponsor?

An influential backer who believes in YOU

Someone who will get you to the top

Goes out on a limb for you

Opens the door to your next job

Introduces you to the right people

Makes a case for you in those top-level conversations
that could make or break your career

4. Sponsorship

The idea of sponsorship has recently gained momentum as companies
aim to move more women into corporate leadership positions

Deloitte, PepsiCo, Intel, GE, Raytheon, AT&T, Citigroup, Morgan and
Stanley, and American Express have launched new sponsorship
programs aimed at helping women executives find sponsors

The latest research shows that the vast majority of both men and
women feel more satisfied with their rate of advancement when they
have sponsors

A culture of sponsorship is good for everybody

Between 2008 and 2010, managers who sponsored protégés earned an
average of $25,075 more than their peers who did not

The ability to spot talent and help nurture is an asset to senior managers

5. Differences Between
Mentoring and Sponsoring

Mentor
 Talks with you
 Advises
 Helps to prepare you to move up
 Identifies strengths and areas of
growth you may not see in yourself
 Helps you navigate the corporate
ladder (the unwritten rules)
 Provides a sounding board,
shoulder to cry on, support, and
guidance
 Little is expected in return

Sponsor
 Talks about you
 Acts
 Makes sure you have all the right
roles
 Connects you to important players
and assignments
 Offers guidance and critical
feedback because they believe in
you
 Expects stellar performance
 Expects your loyal support (trust is
at the heart)
 Benefits from your success (no one
gets to the top alone)
 More risky than mentoring (spend
political capital)

6. Importance of Sponsorship

High-potential women are over-mentored and undersponsored relative to their male peers

According to a Harvard Business Review (2010)
study of 4,000 MBAs of both sexes, men are still
more likely than women to have powerful sponsors
(as reported by Catalyst, a nonprofit research group)

Without sponsorship, women are less likely than
men to be appointed to top roles and maybe more
reluctant to get them

7. How to Find a Sponsor

You don’t really choose a sponsor. They have to choose you






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Identify higher-ups who impress you




Performance counts (You must earn this type of investment)
Demonstrate you will deliver outstanding performance
Always make your boss look good
Be confident
Have a thick skin and take feedback well. Act on any given advice
Build on mentoring relationships
Be strategic—clout, not style will turbo charge your career
Two-levels up
Nurture relationships with multiple potential sponsors
Let potential sponsors see you in action



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You need to become a known entity
Volunteer for big/visible assignments, attend conferences, and become active in your industry
Show you are hungry for an opportunity
Suggest improvement in the way things get done

8. The Challenge

“Everyone who has realized an amazing vision or exerts remarkable
influence can and will point to a series of sponsors, powerful individuals
who helped pull them up and fund their ventures or clear a path forward.
There are no exceptions.”
--Sylvia Ann Hewlett

9. References

Alsever, J. (2012, May). Want to move up? Get a sponsor. Fortune, 165(7), 53-54.

Fisher, A. (2012). Got a mentor? Good. Now find a sponsor. CNN Money.
Retrieved from http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/09/21/
women-mentorship-sponsorship/

Hewlett, S. A. (2014). Forget a mentor, find a sponsor: The new way to fast track your
career. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.

Hewlett, S.A. (2013). Mentors are good. Sponsors are better. New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/jobs/sponsorsseen-as-crucial-for-womens-career-advancement.html?_r=0

Schawbel, D. (2013). Sylvia Anne Hewlett: Find a sponsor instead of a mentor.
Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/
2013/09/10/sylvia-ann-hewlett-find-a-sponsor-instead-of-a-mentor/

10. References

Alsever, J. (2012, May). Want to move up? Get a sponsor. Fortune, 165(7), 53-54.

Fisher, A. (2012). Got a mentor? Good. Now find a sponsor. CNN Money.
Retrieved from http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/09/21/
women-mentorship-sponsorship/

Hewlett, S. A. (2014). Forget a mentor, find a sponsor: The new way to fast track your
career. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.

Hewlett, S.A. (2013). Mentors are good. Sponsors are better. New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/jobs/sponsorsseen-as-crucial-for-womens-career-advancement.html?_r=0

Schawbel, D. (2013). Sylvia Anne Hewlett: Find a sponsor instead of a mentor.
Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/
2013/09/10/sylvia-ann-hewlett-find-a-sponsor-instead-of-a-mentor/