The role of Sponsorship Programs in Building an Inclusive culture

In the wake of #Me Too and, more recently, Black Lives Matter, organizations are grappling with how to build inclusive cultures. Organizations are increasingly looking to invest in diverse hiring practices, and in identifying internal talent from under-represented groups to fill their pipelines, but the missing ingredient is creating the culture that leverages and embraces that diversity. It is not unusual to see hiring and internal promotions around diversity, and then on-boarding and coaching that focus on conformity – couched as the recipe for success.  True inclusion expands, or blows up, the recipe. It is about leveraging diversity and creating a sense of belonging, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it leads to better business outcomes. 

One of the key strategies that has taken root is the concept of Sponsorship programs. While many leaders are voluntarily stepping up to be Sponsors, or sometimes being mandated to be Sponsors, they are not always sure what sponsorship looks like, and how best to advocate for their protégés and enable success.

Outlined below are 5 key steps that we have identified as key to being an effective Sponsor.

Step 1: Ensure you know your protégé.

While knowing your protégé may sound obvious, it is the most glossed-over step in the process. Sponsors tend to quickly move into a “selling and positioning” mode, rather than taking the time to gain a full picture of their protégé.  This may lead to a discounting of “development needs,” not factoring in what the protégé wants, and at the end of the day this may set them up for failure, damage your credibility, and not advance the inclusion goal in any way. 

Further, our “knowing” can sometimes be stymied by our own unconscious biases. They can creep in early in the process, when choosing a protégé. For example, you may be guided in your choice of protégé because you see yourself in and identify with them. While that allows you to make a connection on one level, you may also minimize what is different. That may then lead to making assumptions and not appreciating their lived experiences. While well-intentioned, you may assume that what has worked for you will work for them. The key is to check your personal biases, confirm understanding, and make sure that you are not seeing exclusively through your own lens. Make sure that you pause and validate before connecting dots.

Understanding is a process - there is no shortcut. It may involve interviewing protégés, having deeper level conversations, observing them in action, and/or gathering feedback from others. It may include assessments to help uncover obvious and hidden strengths, development needs, blind spots, and aspirations. (And, assessments can also be helpful in uncovering your own tendencies and biases to build self-awareness.)

Ultimately, the goal of Step 1 is to build a full and evolving picture of protégés, which includes strengths to promote, development needs to support, blind spots to overcome, and an understanding of their past and future journeys through their lens.

It requires looking below the waterline -- past credentials, knowledge, and skills to seek to understand:

o  Their aspirations – what success looks like to them, ideally short, medium and long term;

o  Their lived experiences;

o  Steps they have taken on their own to get to where they are;

o  What has gotten in the way, including what their personal “soundtrack” may be;

o  What they see as their strengths and development needs; and

o  The help and support they would most appreciate.

Step 2: Co-create their personal value proposition

The personal value proposition (PVP) is a 10-20 second sound byte – the elevator pitch - that identifies the “so what” (the skills, competencies, passions they bring), “who cares” (why should someone invest in them – what is their track record),and “why them” (what are their differentiators).  It serves as a compelling story for why someone would want to invest their time or reputation on your protégé. The PVP should roll off your tongue, it should roll off your protégé’s tongue, as well.

The PVP can also serve to address self-limiting narratives in protégés’ own heads. It is about replacing any ticker tape of “can’t do,” with “can do,” or even “cannot do yet”. In creating the PVP, your voice is important; share with them what you see in them. 

Co-creating involves an authentic discussion(s) of the passion, skills, and unique perspectives your protégé brings. In some cases, the PVP may be fully baked from the onset, and you can move through the remaining steps fairly quickly. In most cases, it is a work in progress that evolves as the protégé’s capabilities grow.

Step 3: Set protégés up for initial success.

The key to the journey is to start with a gap analysis and determine the kinds of experiences that will be most beneficial in strengthening your protégés personal value proposition and moving them closer to their aspirations. Zero in on situations where they will shine, and where others can see what you see. It is about finding the right amount of stretch, without snapping, while building confidence, a successful track record, and the support of others. It is about building the right mind set, as well as skill set, for longer term success.

Step 4: Provide feedback

Being an effective Sponsor, requires the ability to have honest conversations so that protégés can course correct and grow. Your role is to be a conduit back as to how they are being perceived, how they are landing, what they might try to do differently. This step is not solely about providing constructive feedback, it is equally about reinforcing where they are landing well. Feedback is most effective when it is sought proactively, and when it is specific, and timely. Feedback loops are critical for all protégé development opportunities and serve two purposes: they allow for growth and they enlist others in becoming invested in the protégé’s success.

Step #5: implement an advocacy and influence strategy

While advocacy is the step where Sponsors will often move to first, it should be the last step in the process, to ensure that your protégé is set up for success. If the previous steps are done well, this last step becomes a lot easier. This step is about building a groundswell of support. Find others who see what you see and enlist their help in influencing and advocating. It involves identifying a desired opportunity (again, aligned with aspirations), and working backward to create a network map. The network map identifies all the connections you have (and all the connections your protégé has) and uses them as the jumping off point to identify second order connections (those that your immediate network has), through research and conversations. The endpoint is when you can map a route from now to the desired role.  And then, of course, activate it!  

While the five steps outlined provide a roadmap, they are not a guarantee – context is everything.  No two protégés are the same, organizational cultures differ, opportunities may be more or less abundant. Further, there may be instances when others don’t see what you do. Ultimately, you need to determine: is it something about the protégé you need to know that you may have missed? Is it something about you and what you may/may not have done? Or, is it something about others? 

The best strategy for addressing roadblocks involves adopting a curious mindset and seeking to understand. Ask for specific feedback (and share it). Consider whether you jumped too far ahead and moved into selling mode too early or set your protégés up in situations for which they were not yet ready. Both scenarios may involve taking a step backward before you can move ahead. A more challenging situation may involve having the courage to challenge when you feel that others’ unconscious biases are getting in the way.