This document summarizes a webinar on building a culture of sponsorship. It introduces several speakers from Be Leaderly, an organization dedicated to helping women advance into leadership. The webinar discusses the differences between mentors and sponsors, with sponsors giving opportunities, talking about their protégés, and helping them move up. Several speakers then share their experiences being sponsored and sponsoring others. Key tips for attracting sponsorship included earning it through good work rather than asking, networking, and paying sponsorship forward. The webinar also discusses how organizations can build cultures of sponsorship, such as through structured sponsorship programs, holding sponsors accountable, and making sponsorship an expected cultural norm. Ways for individuals to advocate for

1. How to Sponsor Others

2. Corporate Subscribers

3. Selena Rezvani
Vice President of Consulting & Research,
Be Leaderly
• Consultant, speaker and author on
women and leadership.
• Seasoned human capital consultant,
using workplace culture assessments to
help corporate clients be more inclusive
and welcoming to women.
• Author of two leadership books for
professional women – Pushback: How
Smart Women Ask—and Stand Up—for
What They Want (Jossey-Bass, 2012)
and The Next Generation of Women
Leaders (Praeger, 2009).
• Co-author of upcoming research report,
Out of the Comfort Zone: How Women
and Men Size Up Stretch Assignments
— and Why Leaders Should Care.
@SelenaRezvani

4. Jo Miller
CEO, Be Leaderly
• Dedicated to helping women around
the world advance into positions of
leadership and influence.
• Delivers more than 70 presentations
each year, for leadership conferences,
professional associations, and
corporate women’s networks.
• Co-author of upcoming research
report, Out of the Comfort Zone: How
Women and Men Size Up Stretch
Assignments — and Why Leaders
Should Care.
• Happiest with a passport and boarding
pass in hand.
@Jo_Miller

5. Namrata Yadav
SVP, Head of Inclusion Strategy and
Diversity & Inclusion Learning
• Responsible for the enterprise strategy
and initiatives focused on creating a
work environment and culture where
all employees have the opportunity to
achieve their full potential and
contribute to the bank’s success.
• Graduate of the Bank of America HR
Development Program and the
Emerging Leader top talent program.
• Recognized as a Top 50 D&I
professional in the 2016 and 2017
Global Diversity List, and as a Top 15
Business Woman in Illinois in 2017.
@NY_IMatter

6. Anna Ettin
VP, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant
• Manages strategy and operations for
11 Employee Networks with 250+
chapters, more than 110,000
memberships globally.
• Focused on onboarding, training and
development activities for network
leaders.
• Co-founder of the Inter-Generational
Employee Network (IGEN), now 23
chapters strong with 12K members.
• Single parent to two wonderful
daughters, one grandson and a
rambunctious dog.
@AnnaEttin

7. Monica Brunache
AVP, Project Manager
• Project Manager for Learning &
Leadership Development.
• West Region Chapter Coach for Inter-
Generational Employee Network and
Chair for Triad Employee Network
Council.
• Bank of America Global Diversity &
Inclusion Awards (2016 & 2017) and
2017 Delivering One Company Award.
• Interests include volunteering as a
Career Coach and travel.
@Monica_Brunache

8. In this webinar
I. Being sponsored
II. Sponsoring others
III. Building a culture of sponsorship

9. What’s the difference between mentors
and sponsors?

10. A SPONSOR
Gives you
opportunities
Talks about
you
Helps you
move up
A MENTOR
Gives you
perspective
Talks with
you
Helps you
skill up

11. I. Being Sponsored

12. Tell us about a time when
you were sponsored.
• I was focused on doing
excellent work at all times
and didn’t ask for
sponsorship…it was offered.
• I had been honest about my
goals with a leader whom I
trusted.
• When discussing
opportunities, I had to be
realistic about my
expectations.

13. What motivated you to
sponsor Anna? What does it take to
be an outstanding protégé?
• Have clear career goals
• Share your career goals
• Make sure everyone knows
your value
• Perform, perform, perform

14. Tell us about your
experience of being
sponsored.
• Sponsorship is an outcome,
not a goal
• Shared common interests
as a connection point
• Knew what I wanted and
shared it with others
• Getting out of my comfort
zone

15. Why did you sponsor
Monica? What traits and behaviors
attract sponsors—and retain them?

16. Coach-ability
• Are you taking
action based on
our discussions?
Candor
• Can you speak
truth to power?
Consistency
• Do you maintain a
dependable, high
quality of work?
Courage
• Are you willing to
step outside your
comfort zone with
my help?
4 Cs for Attracting Sponsors

17. What are your top 3 tips for
someone who wants to
attract sponsorship?

18. 1. Don’t ask for it,
earn it!
2. “Water those
seeds.”
3. Pay it forward
Bonus: Be genuine

19. Only ? % of
women and
? % of men
employed in
large companies
have a sponsor.
“The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling,” Harvard Business Review, January 12, 2011
13
19

20. Women who
have sponsors
are at least 22%
more likely to
ask for stretch
assignments
and raises.
Women & men
feel more
satisfied with
their career
advancement
when they have
sponsors.
“The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling,” Harvard Business Review, January 12, 2011

21. “Among people of color,
sponsorship is
particularly crucial in
invigorating ambition
and driving
engagement.”
Vaulting the Color Bar: How Sponsorship Levers Multicultural Professionals into Leadership, Center for Talent Innovation, 2014
Despite high
ambition and
aspiration, people
of color continue to
be under-
sponsored. Only 8%
have a sponsor,
compared to 13% of
Caucasians.

22. II. Sponsoring Others

23. Please share an example of
a time when you sponsored
someone else.
• It is the right thing to do
• What goes around comes
around
• Sponsors are not always in
your immediate circle

24. What qualities does Anna
have that make her a good
sponsor?

25. • Genuine interest in my
career goals
• Strategic thinking
• Provides visibility
opportunities
• Uses social capital
wisely

26. Can anyone be a sponsor?
How? How do you find
people to sponsor?
• Sponsor who you can,
when you can.
• Look for:
• The “hand-raisers”, the
people always ready to do
more than expected…and
reward them with attention
and support.
• The top-notch people in
wrong-fit roles…and help
them find the right ones.

27. What does it take to be an
effective sponsor?
• Know the talent
• Be bold
• Sponsorship is a two way
street
• It’s all about relationships

28. III. Building a Culture of
Sponsorship

29. People who
have been
sponsored
pay it
forward.

30. Structured sponsorship
programs
• DSM moved to more objective methods for
talent identification, and assigned executive
sponsors to co-own the careers of diverse
candidates.
• Unilever looked at high-potentials’ needs
for development, matching them to
sponsors who were strong in those areas
and sat on the promotion committee.
• IBM held sponsors accountable for
preparing participants for promotion within
one year.

31. What can organizations do
to unleash the power of
sponsorship?
• Strong D&I focus and
commitment
• Lead from the top
• Accountability
• Cultural expectation

32. What are some ways to
advocate for peers & others, when
you’re not in leadership?

33. We all have social
capital, it’s a matter
of tapping into your
area of influence
Challenge peers to
get out of their
comfort zone
Encourage
(meaningful) self-
promotion

34. How can we build an open,
equitable, inclusive culture
of sponsorship?

35. Daily actions:
• Watch for exclusion and
give someone a platform
if others aren’t.
Introspection:
• Examine and challenge
our unconscious biases.
Tactics:
• Purposefully sponsor
someone unlike yourself.

36. In this webinar
I. Being sponsored
II. Sponsoring others
III. Building a culture of sponsorship

37. Q&A
Monica Brunache Anna Ettin Namrata Yadav

38. Recommended
Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The
New Way to Fast-Track Your Career
By Sylvia Ann Hewlett
The Relationship You Need to Get
Right
By Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda
Marshall, and Laura Sherbin
Building a Culture of Sponsorship
By Melissa J. Anderson

39. Closing Thought
Monica Brunache Anna Ettin Namrata Yadav

40. Get our latest research report
& newsletter! Text
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to
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We never share, rent or sell your email or personal information. More: beleaderly.com/privacy

41. The Art of the Ask
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
• Whether negotiations are everyday
matters, or a bigger, more structured
deals, making the most of these
conversations is imperative. Learn to
identify your own default negotiating
style, prep for a negotiation, maneuver
through it with poise, and close the deal.
• Speaker: Selena Rezvani, Vice
President of Consulting and Research,
Be Leaderly.

42. What can we do to improve?
Take the poll.
Visit
www.pollev.com/leaderly

43. Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever had a sponsor?
How did it start, how did it work and
what were the outcomes?
2. Have you ever been a sponsor?
How did it start, how did it work and
what were the outcomes?
3. What action will you take to sponsor
others?