Who is Standing on Your Shoulders?

The expression “standing on the shoulders” was written frequently by the 17th Century British physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton. He is quoted as saying, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulder of giants.” He gave credit to the many who came before him, influencing and contributing to his eventual monumental scientific discoveries.

Today we look back at people like Martin Luther King, Jr. who often spoke of standing on the shoulders of earlier civil rights leaders. Many women give similar credit to the suffragists and early reproductive rights advocates. There was Jackie Robinson in baseball and Billy Jean King in tennis. All of whom have thousands, maybe millions, of fans who feel they are who, what, and where they are today because they had a path cut by another.

In contemporary times?we use the expression “standing on the shoulders” more casually, referring to the many different roles people play in assisting, encouraging, teaching, advocating, and advancing others.

Use yourself as an example.

Who Stands on Your Shoulders?

In your personal life, they might be children, a partner, other members of your extended family, your community.

Picture the small child being carried on the shoulders of their father. What does it do for the young person? Makes it easier for him/her to see further and wider. Shows them the route to a destination and exposes them to new worlds. Gets them there faster. Gives the child a sense of security and safety. And shows dedication, caring, and involvement on the part of the parent.

In the workplace the people standing on your shoulders might be direct reports or your entire team, those in other areas of the organization, external colleagues, maybe even your boss. They all rely on your direction, experience, courage, and intelligence to deal with the day-to-day as well as advance in their chosen field, grow as a person and position themselves to lead others.

When speaking about standing on the shoulders of others, I am not talking about mentoring. It is my experience that?mentoring rarely works. It lacks the commitment, scope, and high-level endorsement needed by those who have potential. Sometimes it is a Band-Aid for bigger problems or senior level incompetence.?Mentors often lack the authority to significantly help the person being mentored.

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a Cambridge economist who for decades has focused her research on gender and workplace issues, co-authored an HBR article with Melinda Marshal and Laura Sherbin, titled?The Relationship You Need to Get Right. They refer to?the people with the strong shoulders as sponsors and those being carried the protégés.

Sponsors have skin in the game.?They take risks with and for the protégé. They are sharing information, knowledge, experience, their network, strategies, and tactics, often without credit. They, at times, rescue and protect. Sponsors advocate for their person. Their reputation might be on the line should the protégé fail. It is often a long-term relationship, far longer and deeper than the average mentoring program.

Hewlett, when speaking with high-level sponsors, found that loyalty and trust from their proteges were high expectations?(as it was with their charges).?Proteges wanted honest feedback, to learn to be leaders, help in acquiring stretch assignments, and permission to tap into the sponsor’s connections, so they could become more visible. They wanted career guidance. They also needed to be protected.

Proteges were clear their actions?could not make the sponsor look bad. They also knew they would be expected to share with their sponsor new or different perspectives, allowing both to learn. High potential proteges may have more than one sponsor, many wanting to select different leaders for the various areas they wish to enhance.

Proteges, mentors, associates, employees, family members — whatever you call them,?they are a rich part of your personal and workplace legacy. The work is often very gratifying. It takes strong shoulders to carry.

Who are you carrying now?

Who should you be sponsoring?

Who carried and/or will carry you?

If you are interested in seeing the many brave women who took great risk for the rights of women of the past three centuries, take a moment to watch “Standing on the Shoulders Women’s Suffrage Anthem.”

Jane Cranston is an executive coach, career coach and management consultant based in New York City. She shares with success driven executives and professionals, techniques, skills and goal setting strategies that accelerates their career trajectory, increases people management skills, and assists them in career change or job transitions. Receive Jane’s free “Competitive Edge Report” and the free audio download “Creating a Career Strategy” by visiting?https://www.executivecoachny.com.