My Mentorship vs. Sponsorship Education

So I’m on a flight to San Francisco to attend a wedding and suddenly my phone chimes with a text. Don’t ask me how. It was the son of one of our friends. He’s currently working in the pharmaceutical space and is looking for a new opportunity. He has applied for a position with a large firm and had seen that both Sunny and I were a first connection to the hiring manager.

He asked if we knew him personally and if we would make a connection. His mom’s text chimed a few minutes later letting me know that he had asked for my number and would be reaching out. He had beat her to it.

WOW! What an enterprising young man. I was floored, but also so proud. Here was a young man who we had seen grow up and Sunny had mentored throughout the years. He was actively reaching out and asking us to now become a Sponsor. WOW… oh, did I say that already… but really WOW!

You see, we hire a lot of people at ITBD. We interview many candidates and see a lot of young adults, but this was a first for me. It’s sad that others haven’t reached out before, but here was a young man who was using his network and actively reaching out to request a sponsorship.

I myself just learned the difference between Sponsorship and Mentorship earlier this year. Our good friend, Dr. Mandeep Rai, traveled the world, visited more than 100 countries, and wrote a book on values called The Values Compass. She was a guest speaker at our non-profit’s annual awards gala and she spoke about how more of us need to become a sponsor, not a mentor.

Now, many of us in the room are well educated and leaders in our own right. But what was a sponsor, Mandeep? It’s where we go beyond the act of just giving advice and counsel as a mentor does, and take our mentorship one step further and actively participate in the next steps. Who do I know that can help this individual with next steps? Can I make a connection?

I’m actively involving myself in supporting my mentees growth journey, whatever it may be. Hmmm. Asking me to get involved and help connect people ― I’m an Indian mother of three sons (Italian mothers know what I mean) ― that’s music to my ears! Of course, I’ll help.

That day, I decided that I wanted to be a sponsor and not a mentor. I wanted to help people take that next step and do whatever I could in that journey. But… there’s always a but… I also soon learned that not everyone wanted me to make the connection. Am I calling out my very BLESSED children who want to “do it on my own, Mom,” or most of this next generation?

Maybe… Lol… but seriously, we do need to first understand if the person is looking for a mentor and just advice, or is actively looking for a sponsor and the support. So you can only imagine how excited I was to receive this text.

It was my first ask to become a sponsor. I couldn’t wait to land, find this hiring manager, and see if I knew this connection. What an industrious, smart, and resourceful young man. He knew the value of his connections, actively found someone who could help, and then made the ask.

WOW…. Oh did I say that again :) But truly, I wish more people would learn the value of sponsorship and be willing to ask for the support