Mentorship and Sponsorship: The Power Duo

?? In my exit interview, I asked the senior leader why my role was eliminated in the re-org. His reply stunned me - “You had no sponsor in the room!”

In today's competitive job market, navigating your career path can feel like climbing a mountain blindfolded. That's where mentorship and sponsorship come in – two powerful tools that can act as your guide and sherpa, helping you reach new heights. But what's the difference between the two?

Mentorship: Guidance and Wisdom

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” - Oprah Winfrey

Mentorship is a relationship where an experienced individual offers guidance to a less experienced person. It is a dynamic relationship built on trust and mutual respect. The mentor provides valuable insights, shares their expertise, and helps their mentee develop new skills and perspectives. Above all, mentors provide a safe space for mentees to explore ideas and challenges.

Mentorship is often informal, with a focus on personal and professional growth.?

What can a mentor help with

• Career Guidance and Perspective: Mentors offer guidance on career choices, professional development paths, and work-life balance, helping mentees gain clarity and perspective on their career journey. As a mentor, I have helped individuals figure out their next career step, which could even be outside their current company.
• Building your confidence: In mentoring sessions, I ensure that the mentee feels as if we are in Las Vegas - “what happens here, stays here!” Mentors provide encouragement and constructive feedback, empowering mentees to pursue ambitious goals. They help individuals step out of their comfort zone and explore uncomfortable paths with confidence.?
• Networking: Mentors can open doors to new opportunities, collaborations, and career advancements.?
• Skill Development: Mentors share lessons they learned the hard way, accelerating the mentee’s learning curve and helping them look around corners.

Where can you find a mentor?

1. Professional networks: workplace contacts (current and prior), professional organizations
2. Mentorship programs: Most companies run mentorship programs internally to match mentors with mentees.?
3. Social Media: leverage networks like LinkedIn to reach out to professionals you admire

Can your manager be your mentor?

Yes, but!?

Your manager can be your mentor, but it’s critical to consider the dynamics of the relationship. A manager’s role is to oversee your work and evaluate your performance behind closed doors. This power imbalance can blurb the lines of mentorship. If a manager can separate their role as a performance evaluator and step into the role of a mentor, the mentorship can be very valuable.?

For complete openness and a broader perspective, I highly recommend you consider seeking mentors outside your direct reporting line.

How many mentors should you have?

Having a mentor is a great start if you do not have any. In addition, emphasize quality relationships with mentors who genuinely support your growth rather than having a large number of mentors.

I recommend that you have two mentors - one inside the company you currently work at, and one outside. This would enable you to learn from mentors who might offer guidance from different perspectives enabling you to think and act tactically and strategically.?

Sponsorship: Advocacy and Opportunity

"A mentor is someone who will answer your questions; a sponsor is someone who will fight for you." - Sallie Krawcheck

While mentors provide wisdom, sponsors are your champions. Sponsorship is a more formal and active role. They hold positions of influence within your organization or industry and can actively advocate for your advancement. Sponsorship is about creating a path for success, often with a focus on promotion and leadership development.

What can a sponsor help with

• Visibility and opportunities: Sponsors actively promote their protégés within the organization, championing their achievements and advocating for their advancement to leadership roles and high-impact projects.
• Access to decision-makers: Sponsors use their networks actively to provide their protégés access to senior leaders, decision-makers, and forums where critical decisions are made.
• Career acceleration: By actively endorsing their protégés, sponsors remove barriers to their advancement and accelerate their career progression. Quite frequently, protégés follow their sponsors to new organizations and companies to enable mutual success.?

Where can you find a sponsor?

1. Hiring Manager: Your manager hired you because they saw potential and valued your prior experiences. By delivering outcomes, you enable your manager’s success and convert them to being your sponsor.?
2. Upgrading Mentors: Mentors have observed you grow through your journey of struggles and perseverance, and seen the potential in you blossom. These mentors can play a part in a sponsor’s role and assist you with strong recommendations and referrals to roles with additional scope in their network.
3. Volunteer: Participate in high-visibility projects led by potential sponsors to showcase your skills and work ethic. When you enable your sponsor’s success, they might want to enable your success at some point in time.
4. Build relationships: Establish connections with potential sponsors through conversations, referrals from your mentors, and demonstrating your capabilities. At a point in time, when the sponsor has a problem they need to solve, they might choose you to solve the problem based on their understanding of your areas of expertise.

Can your manager be your sponsor?

Your manager can serve as your sponsor, particularly if they advocate for your advancement within the organization and actively create opportunities for your career growth. A sponsoring manager not only supports your development but also uses their influence and credibility to endorse you for high-profile projects, promotions, and leadership roles.?

If your manager is not your sponsor, don't worry! You can still seek out other sponsors within your organization. Identify influential leaders who align with your career goals and values. Build relationships with them through networking, seeking feedback, or volunteering for projects. If you are unable to find a sponsor in your organization, I highly recommend you start exploring roles on a new team.

The Perfect Partnership

While mentorship and sponsorship serve distinct purposes, their synergy is where the magic truly happens. Your mentor equips you with the knowledge and skills you need, while your sponsor opens doors and helps you gain the recognition you deserve.

Here's an analogy: Imagine you're training for a marathon. Your mentor is your coach, creating a training plan, analyzing your performance, and motivating you to push your limits. Your sponsor, on the other hand, is your biggest cheerleader, connecting you with running buddies, securing you a spot in the race, and even helping you raise funds (your career goals).

TL;DR

By cultivating relationships with mentors and sponsors, you equip yourself with the knowledge, skills, and network you need to take your career to the next level. Don't be afraid to reach out – your dream job could be just one connection away.

SkillSculpt is launching career coaching and mentoring!

?? We heard you - SkillSculpt is launching career coaching and mentoring.?

?? Product Managers, Technical Leads, Engineering Managers, Technical Product Managers, Data Scientists, Designers, and User Experience Researchers are leveraging SkillSculpt to elevate their careers.

SkillSculpt offers a range of services to help you level up your career, including:

• Mock interviews: One-on-one interview with personalized written feedback

• Coaching / Mentoring: Guiding you to solve your toughest challenges

We provide you lifetime access to our library of resources to learn and grow.

?? I am offering a 25% discount for all multi-pack sessions (interview preparation and coaching) purchased before May 15, 2024.?

If you're serious about landing your dream role, SkillSculpt is the perfect solution.?

?? Sign up for your session at https://rebrand.ly/skillsculpt today!