Leveraging sponsors to accelerate your career

Have you ever said to yourself “I know I’m extremely smart, intelligent and a damn hard-worker, but why is no one else seeing this at my place of work, or my efforts not being adequately recognized?” You may very well be missing a sponsor. Here are my thoughts on what and who 'sponsors' are, how to identify them, and how to position yourself to get them.

What exactly is a sponsor?

I did not grasp the full extend to how instrumental 'sponsors' were to my career progression until later in my career, since then, I've spent the years following trying to understand how I first; positioned myself to attract them, and second, how I effectively cultivated those relationships for the benefit of my career.

When leaders tout merit as key to career progression, they are only just telling half the story, they neglect to tell you about the human element that often impacts key decision-making, especially when it comes to decisions about people. I have witnessed this subjective nature of decision making first-hand. And when I first had the privilege of being in that room, it was a real light-bulb moment. I noticed a series of elements at play in deciding someone's fate, and their work output was only just a minor part of that equation. The work output or merit is the basis for getting one's name on the list in the first place, but once there, work output seemed irrelevant (it was a level playing field) - I would hear comments like; "I've gotten to know Sarah, and I can say she really is dynamic and a go-getter," "Daniel is a real winner, I fully vouch for him," or "Lucy is a tough one and can withstand anything you bring her way." I wondered then, who are these people and why are they so enthusiastic about one candidate over another? Well I came to understand later that these are sponsors.

Sponsors are the people that clearly and with passion articulate and present your case to other leaders at the decision-making table. They stake their reputations on the line to fully back you. In the scenario above, if you do not have a sponsor, your name will be acknowledged and simply put into a secondary bucket because no one will passionately align themselves with you. Someone has to be there, to have your back, arguing on your behalf, and presenting information in such a manner that other decision makers will listen, buy-in and take action.

How to position yourself to attract or get a sponsor: going above and beyond

Very early in my career I recognized I needed to distinguish myself - The reason was simple, I knew I had several qualities working against me, I was young (in an industry dominated by decades of experience), a woman (in an industry dominated by men), and a lawyer (in an industry dominated by engineers).

As a young lawyer, in an industry that positioned lawyers as back-office support and not as integral part of operations, I knew options for lateral and upward mobility was limited, so I set out to change my prospects. I started with a candid conversation with my boss. I told him that I loved what I did, but strongly believed that to be a more effective representative for the company, I needed to learn more about the day to day operations, and more importantly, greater understanding of the technical aspects of the business. I promised that any 'additional' pursuits would not affect my work output - It took many conversations, and a lot of convincing, but he finally agreed. I threw myself into an entirely different world of knowledge. I really didn’t grasps until much later, the impact of what I had set in motion. Within a year, I was promoted - and with that came a multi-year international assignment designed to expose me to all aspects of the business with the goal of grooming me for executive leadership - This is exactly where I wanted to be.

Only recently did I realise that this single action - just that one conversation, and the ensuing actions on my part to not simply deliver what was expected of me, but deliver more, created an environment that attracted 'sponsors' to me and changed the entire trajectory of my career. That single action raised my level of visibility not only with my peers, but those making decisions at the top. That eagerness to not be standard and to challenge convention, set in motion a series of events that led a few leaders to notice and imagine themselves backing my corner - someone spoke about me passionately when my name was called.

How to position yourself to attract or get a sponsor: genuine relationships

Getting noticed for going above and beyond has a limited lifespan - It will be short-lived, especially if that 'sponsor' is not compelled by any greater need to back you, and that greater need to back you is entirely dependent on how he/she genuinely feels about you or relates to you.

I was recently asked at a speaking engagement about the skills one needs to be an effective networker, and I must say that the question threw me off because it imagined networking in a very transactional manner that one needed to acquire skills to achieve. My simple response was that more of us need to just understand how to be genuinely interested in others, peers and superiors alike.

Those that effectively leverage their relationships in favor of their careers are able to do so because they do not approach relationships as "what can he or she do for me." Everybody has a life-story and elements about themselves they want to share (yes, even your boss or CEO). I build genuine relationships not by being inquisitive about work per se, but by simply trying to understand what makes another person happy, what their passions are. I recall a time when I had a chance encounter with a very senior executive in my company - he was a part of the global executive team and arguably very intimidating. This is where they usually tell you to have your elevator pitch ready and do all to impress in less than one minute. Simply put, I did not, I just struck a simple conversation, which led to him telling me about his family and his passion for the arts. His intrigue at the very simple conversation I initiated, and what seemed to be us connecting on our passion for the arts, led him to probing deeper into my background, and expanded the time we spoke to more than just a few minutes - "what do you want to do next with your career?" he asked - The rest was history.

Perception, and trust, are also fundamental for relationship building. A person's perception of you must align with what you want them to perceive, and this can only be achieved through effective relationship-building. Trust is a function of them knowing what your word is good for - you cannot build trust if you do not cultivate relationships based on others seeing the value of your word.

How to identify a sponsor

Unlike a mentor who can exist outside your company or organization, and provide you general life and career guidance, support and sometimes a shoulder to lean on, a sponsor must be in your company or organization and must have the influence, and power at that leadership table. This is especially why it is important to fully expand your internal networks through effective relationships because you may never know where that navigational support will come from. Start with your immediate boss or supervisor, but go beyond that.

I notice that most people find the prospect of developing relationships with superiors daunting - They are human beings and have much the same challenges and fears you do. Here are a few tips on how you can expand your opportunities to build effective relationships with your superiors:

1. Be proactive by asking to support or be of help even if the task may be outside your remit
2. Be creative, innovative or consistently come up with new ideas, or looking to solve existing challenges
3. Do not be afraid to be candid with your opinions - if you genuinely believe that an idea proposed by a superior is not a great one, there are ways to effectively communicate this to gain their buy-in and demonstrate your own leadership
4. Always be genuine and your authentic self. Inauthenticity is easily identified and can have very negative ramifications.

Workplaces can be extremely tricky and unpredictable environments, your success in navigating these environments is as much a function of you as it is the system and external factors. The more you master the art of navigation, the more predictable this environment becomes.

Marcia Ashong is Founder and CEO of TheBoardroom Africa (TBR Africa), Africa’s largest regional network of senior executive women. TBR Africa works with DFIs, investors and companies across the globe to champions and accelerate the placement of women onto boards and brings together women of diverse occupations, providing them opportunities to connect and grow personally and professionally. A lawyer by training, Marcia has a varied background and over a decades’ experience in international energy and petroleum law, and senior level experience in the upstream oil and gas industry across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Marcia is an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, and in 2019 she was named among the 100 Most Influential Africans for her work developing the strongest network of women leaders in Africa, and among others working with corporates in and out of Africa to diversify their boardrooms. She also sits on the Ghana Advisory Committee of Mastercard Foundation, and in 2017 she was named amongst Ghana’s 20 Under 40 business leaders. Her desire to champion women in the workplace is rooted in her own experience as a rising star in the oil and gas field. Previously the youngest-ever African Country Manager for a major multinational oil and gas company.