by Tonya Syvitski, RPR, RPT, CMP, a connector and catalyst for professional growth and success
In the past decade there has been a spike in the number of internal corporate mentorship programs as well as non-profit and professional association mentorship programs. Businessdictionary.com defines mentorship as an employee training system under which a senior or more experienced individual (the mentor) is assigned to act as an advisor, counsellor, or guide to a junior or trainee. The mentor is responsible for providing support to, and feedback on, the individual in his or her charge.
More often than not, an individual pursues a mentor. The ultimate reason for the relationship is based on the desire to succeed. The relationship allows for a safe environment to work out problems, to receive coaching without consequence to performance reviews or career growth. The relationship with a mentor requires one to recognize their own pitfalls and as we all know too well – you don’t know what you don’t know.
A sponsor is someone who is more experienced or senior in rank to the individual and chooses to act as an advisor, counsellor but more importantly, advocates for openly or behind the scenes on behalf of this individual. The sponsor is the one who sees potential in the individual and provides constructive criticism, pushes the individual outside of their comfort zone, and exposes them to opportunities beyond that of their station. The sponsor actively shapes and moulds and, to develop a protégé, takes the individual under their wing. What captures the attention of the sponsor is performance, demonstrated skills both technical and interpersonal. It has been proven in studies time and again those with a sponsor get better pay, promotion opportunity, company exposure and influence.
You may not always know your sponsor at the time you have them but you will always know who your mentor is.
Most CEOs, CFOs and Partners that I know have at one point or another told me stories of their mentors and sponsors and attribute much of their success to them. Clearly a special bond is developed which is memorable and long-lasting. On the other hand, the number who disclose to me that they leave their jobs because of a lack of growth and development opportunities, significantly outweigh the number of positive executive-level stories. An interesting add-on to that comment is that many of those who have shared their negative experiences with me go on and become successful because they finally get the proper mentorship and sponsorship.
The current problem with sponsorship, in my opinion, is that there is too much emphasis on mentorship that the concept of sponsorship is not discussed enough. It would make sense for executive discussions around sponsorship to exist, and perhaps even training in sponsorship to start at middle management. I suspect many managers, executives or not, do not know how to be effective sponsors. Investing in this discussion can improve succession planning and retention of top performers. Sponsorship creates a bond and a sense of appreciation which ultimately leads to company loyalty. A statistically rare commodity considering the average length of time one stays at a job is 3-5 years.