Posted by on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
How is a sponsor different from a mentor?
Having someone in your corner, whom you can count on to listen to your concerns and provide useful feedback, is valuable and necessary. Most of us refer to these corner men and women as mentors. They’re great but when searching for career advancement a corner person isn’t enough. What you need is a promoter. This person is able to talk about you and your work to leaders and decision makers within your organization. These professional promoters are sponsors.
Stellings and Warren describe sponsors as people who “have power and clout, are key decision makers, provide visibility and expand networks, and are active advocates who fight for opportunities.” In other words, your sponsor is willing and able to sing your praises and has ability to influence other decision makers and leaders within your organization.Who needs a sponsor?
In reality everyone benefits from having a sponsor. Who wouldn’t want someone with clout actively advocating for them? However as the speakers noted, sponsorship is particularly important for women and other diverse employees who are often underrepresented in the legal profession. Having a vocal sponsor can help overcome some of the hurdles members of these groups often face in the work place.
How do you find or become a sponsor?
So if a sponsor is the person who is going to make the case for you and your work how do you get one? Stellings and Warren suggest those looking for sponsors
To
learn more about this topic you can read Catalyst’s research report Mentoring: Necessary But Insufficient for Advancement.