What Sponsorship Looks Like in 2023

Why You Are Being Overlooked & What To Do About It

Sponsorship is the pinnacle of mentorship and sits atop the two other levels, Informal and Formal Mentorship, because it requires the most social capital to develop.

Sponsorship is the most coveted form of mentorship as it often unlocks the door to professional development and career mobility. It's also the least common form of mentorship because sponsorship often requires the demonstration of potential and the steadiness of trust established over time. Sponsorship is the exchange of social capital for development opportunities.

Think of sponsorship as the entryway to opportunity, and all those who have a ticket into the space can bring a plus-one.

Sponsorship: IRL

Recently, an extremely talented and established engineer put herself on my calendar. She felt she had been overlooked for professional development opportunities and wanted to understand how to foster greater sponsorship inside her company. More specifically, there was an invitation-only leadership conference that she really, really wanted to attend.

As we dug into the situation, I learned she had strong working relationships with several leaders, and most had assumed she was already invited to the event. However, her manager never brought up the opportunity, muchless extended the plus-one.

Here are the steps we took to determine why she had been overlooked:

Step One: Manage Up

Did her manager know about her interest in this conference? Did he understand her long-term development goal in this area?

Turns out, she had a wonderful relationship with her manager. He was well-aware of her desire to become a stronger leader and was very supportive of the growth goal.

Step Two: Determine Gatekeepers.

Since this was an invitation-only opportunity, did her manager have a "ticket"? Did he attend the event? Did he have the social capital in the space to extend a "plus-one"?

Although her manager was very supportive of her career growth, his own career was at a different stage. He was nearing retirement. Professional development opportunities were no longer front of mind. He had not been considered for the development opportunity himself.

Step Three: Inventory Current Social Capital.

Why had all the other leaders just assumed that she would be there? How come none of them offered her a "plus-one"?

This woman's social capital game is strong. She often gets pulled into rooms to provide her expertise with other teams and leaders. She is seen and respected in those spaces for what she brings into the room. She regularly deposits into these professional relationships, but seldom withdrawals to reap the fruits of the labor.

Step Four: Ask For The "Plus-One".

When other leaders assumed she would be there, why hadn't she asked for their "plus-one"? Why had she not advocated for herself?

Sponsorship is not for the timid. Sponsorship requires being intentional and proactive. Sponsorship sometimes means hearing "not right now", "come back later", or "no opportunity here" before we get a "come with me".

Finding sponsorship requires planting our professional goals into the minds and hearts of those who can help us achieve them. Then, watering those development seeds with regular communication, respectful persistence, and consistent updates on our growth. Bring others into your career goals. Offer them the opportunity to root for your work. Then, ask for the "plus one".

Sponsorship in 2023

Virtual work, global workforces, and more ways to connect & build professional relationships have changed how we find sponsorship. The "entryway to opportunity" sponsorship once provided is now a long corridor with many doors---some visible, most hidden.

Find the places you belong. Draw strength, support, and respite there. Find the places you can disrupt. Build connection and respect there. Find the places you can grow. Listen, watch, learn, apply. Find your place to lead. Bring a plus-one wherever you can.

Plus-One Opportunities This Month:

• Mentorship Circles Kickoff Event, 2/13 at 1pm ET - In partnership with Empowering Women in Industry, we are kicking off this year's program here.
• Mentoring Monday, 2/27 at 9:30am ET - I'll be here and have extra five tickets for those in need. Message me if interested.
• DEI Roundtable, 2/27 at 1pm ET - I'm teaming up with Catapult to lead this discussion for members & non-members. Register here.

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How is your company recognizing Women's History Month next month? Need some ideas? Let's talk.