By Nicole Byres
October 2014
In recognition of the importance of mentorship and sponsorship to the advancement of women into leadership roles, The Vancouver Board of Trade's Women's Leadership Circle chose this topic for its Morning Leader series event on Sept. 24.
Formal and informal mentoring has existed for many years; sponsorship on the other hand is a relatively new term, and very different than mentorship. Thus, it is useful to clarify the differences between a mentor and a sponsor, and how sponsorship is a key strategy in ensuring women achieve senior leadership positions within an organisation.
Mentors provide advice, support and guidance, but their role is usually passive. Mentors are valuable sources of information and can be a sounding board to assist mentees on a wide range of issues from developing career paths, to dealing with co-workers or managers with different or challenging styles. Importantly, mentors can assist their mentees to understand the "unwritten rules" of their organisation.
Sponsors on the other hand advocate on behalf of their protégés, and they often have a vested interest in ensuring that their protégés succeed. Sponsors open doors and advocate on behalf of their protégés to help get them 'stretch' assignments or a role on high-visibility teams or files thereby enabling them to demonstrate their skills and ability.
Sylvia Hewlett, author of Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, and Co-Director of the Women's Leadership Program at Columbia Business School conducted a two-year study which sampled 12,000 men and women in whitecollar occupations across the U.S. and Britain. According to her research, sponsorship made a measurable difference in career progression, particularly in the areas of high-profile assignments, promotions, and pay.
Hewlett's research found that sponsorship was particularly helpful to women who aspired to climb higher than middle management. However, organisations seeking to increase the representation of women in their senior management ranks had to be intentional about ensuring high potential women are provided with sponsorship opportunities, without which, women would not necessarily get the sponsors they required.
This is because the sponsorprotégé relationship also affects the sponsor's credibility and recognition, and so sponsors – typically senior white men – naturally choose people most like them to sponsor. As a result, organisations may need to be more proactive in both identifying high potential women leaders, and then matching such women with sponsors who are able to make a difference in their career progression.
Tips for optimising mentormentee and sponsor-protégé relationships
I have been a mentor to many women over the years. One of the key indicators of an effective and mutually rewarding mentormentee experience has to do with the selection of the mentor. Mentees who are strategic in their choice of mentor, by matching the mentor to the mentee's particular needs at that stage in her career, get the most out of the relationship. These mentees are focused on their objectives, and respectful of their mentors' time. In turn, these mentors feel their time and experience is valued, will often go the extra mile for that mentee.
When choosing a potential sponsor, it is also important to be strategic but the search criteria is different. Women looking for sponsors to assist them in their aspirations for advancement, need to be prepared to look outside of their immediate circle of managers or mentors, and beyond those with whom they share a similar style or background.
Sponsors should have the power to advance one's career and to provide assistance in obtaining high profile assignments and/or promotions. Once such a person has agreed to be a sponsor, it is important that the protégé delivers outstanding performance and loyalty to the sponsor, so that the relationship also reflects well on the sponsor. Despite the title of her book, Hewlett confirms that both mentors and sponsors are important. Sponsors however, make the difference in ensuring that women achieve senior leadership roles.
Organisations that take a proactive approach to create sponsorship opportunities for high potential women, have a better chance of achieving diverse leadership teams.
Nicole Byres, QC, is a partner at Miller Thomson LLP where she heads up the labour and employment group for the firm's Vancouver office. Byres served as Co-chair of the Women's Leadership Circle Advisory Committee in 2013-14.