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Understanding The Impact Of Mentorship Versus Sponsorship

Forbes Communications Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Katharine Mobley

In business, we often romanticize the idea of the lone visionary: the hardworking leader who puts in countless late nights to bypass their competitors and achieve success. And to some degree, this archetype is true: It takes a ton of hard work to be successful in any given field. However, these stories often gloss over the key individuals who provide our heroes with the necessary guidance and support they require to reach the top.

Few of us achieve career success in a vacuum. Along the way, we connect with colleagues, managers and, in some instances, advisors to provide us with valuable outside perspectives. These fresh takes are particularly important when it comes to diversity and inclusion. According to research from the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI), 85% of women and 81% of multicultural professionals need this type of “navigational support” to figure out how best to succeed in the workplace but often don’t receive it with the same regularity as men. But when it comes to getting help, what should you look for? Should you seek out a mentor, or would a sponsor be more beneficial? What’s the difference between the two?

Both mentorship and sponsorship create and reinforce connections within the workforce. That said, recognizing the distinctions, as well as key characteristics of each, can help you to identify an approach that draws on the benefits of both. It can also help to illuminate which support to seek and which you should apply as you navigate various situations throughout your career.

Defining Sponsorship

Sponsors act as spotlights, highlighting (oftentimes junior) employees for opportunities or recognition within. That’s why sponsors tend to be internal, maintaining a singularly focused relationship with a high-potential employee. Promotion is the core purpose of sponsorship, and in an ideal scenario, sponsors actively endorse their sponsored party and work to elevate that person’s status within an organization.

To make this happen, Deloitte says sponsors “commit to focus, plan commitments and communicate as a means of increasing returns from their sponsorship investments.” In everyday practice, sponsors model behavior and drive the sponsored individual’s career vision, fully invested in their upward movement. Sponsors provide visibility, even using their platforms to increase exposure and help the sponsored individual build network connections.

Navigating Mentorship

On the flip side, mentors act as a mirror, enabling individuals to see themselves more clearly. As Sylvia Ann Hewlett of CTI explains, “Mentors shine as you start to define your dream. They can see and put into words for you what you may not see about yourself or be able to articulate. They can help you determine your strengths: what you do exceptionally well and what sets you apart.” Instead of concentrating solely on career advancement, mentors offer advice and guidance along the way. And unlike sponsorship, mentor-mentee relationships can be a two-way street, wherein sometimes the roles reverse. It’s also possible to have multiple mentors at one time. These relationships don’t always last forever, which is why mentors can also be external to your organization.

A new study offers additional insight into the state of professional mentorship, with some 56% of the 3,000 participants indicating that they’ve had a mentor at one time or another. Since these relationships sometimes take place outside of the workplace, they chart a different course than sponsorships, with 61% of those surveyed indicating that their mentorships developed naturally. At the same time, 59% share that their work with mentors is casual and loose versus working toward a formal goal, as they would with a sponsor. Mentorships often aid those earlier in their careers, or roughly 57% of junior-level and 35% of mid-level workers, helping them find their way rather than follow a pre-determined path to leadership.

In order to have a successful mentee-mentor relationship, it's important to understand your obligations and take them seriously, but you should also let your relationship develop and change over time. It's likely you already have a mentor and just don't know it yet.

This is true of my relationship with my first business mentor, who is a healthcare marketing executive. I first met her when I was in a transitional phase of my career and considering starting a family. When I took the position, I couldn't have known she would be my mentor all these years later, but because our mentee-mentor relationship developed out of mutual respect, we have remained connected for over 20 years. To this day, I have not taken a position she hasn’t advised me on, and our relationship has helped me become a more impactful mentor.

Merging The Two

As you move forward on your career journey, the type of help you seek is dependent on what you hope to accomplish. Are you looking to make a move internally? Seek out a sponsor who can champion you to internal leadership or recommend you for a plum project with significant visibility. Are you unsure of what your next move should be? A mentor may be a better fit -- someone who’s been in your position or understands the challenges you may be facing and can provide insights and guidance. Further, sometimes a single person can serve in both capacities, offering career advice while also advocating for your advancement within an organization.

Career trajectories aren’t always linear, and you can’t know at the outset what kind of help you’ll need throughout your journey. What's guaranteed is that hard work alone won’t get you there. Dedicate some time to identifying and building relationships that could result in sponsorship or mentorship. Whether you are on the giving or receiving end of some hard-earned wisdom, success will come easier with others to guide you.

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