For those who do not already know what or who a sponsor is – Sponsors are regarded to be an effective method for career acceleration in an organization. Sponsors will open doors of opportunities for their proteges and create path of career progression faster than anyone else in an organization. – Don’t you just want to be in that category?
Having a sponsor is one of the most critical ingredients in your career advancement. Imagine what your career will look like if you had someone rooting for you, always putting an extra light on your achievements to other top leaders in the organization.
Every professional at some point in their career need the support of a sponsor, you will not be in every room and some rooms are too critical, you need someone in there to drop your name when there are ongoing discussions about “pay raise, promotion, project visibility and new opportunities”. You cannot afford to leave those critical moment in your career to chance. As Carla Harris said in her recent interview with Rana Nawas of When Women Win Podcast “you need someone to carry your paper into that decision room”. Perhaps, a question every professional should reflect on and answer quietly is– “Who is carrying your paper into that power room?”
Before we dive deeper, let us establish the clear difference between a sponsor and a mentor. Some folks get to mix these two up. They are however not the same thing and does not produce the same results.
A mentor will speak with you, guide you on how “to do it” while a sponsor will tell the room you were born to do it. Mentors help you skill up while Sponsors help you move up. A Sponsor is someone that advocate your case behind closed doors and in rooms you do not have access to enter.
At this point it is pertinent to know that in 85% of the cases, you do not get to choose your sponsor, you can however, position yourself and exhibit certain behaviour that will make it likely for a sponsor to choose you and advocate your case. Are you ready to get a sponsor?
Below are some tips you can adopt to self-start your quest in getting a Sponsor.
Be a Top Performer – Today’s professionals need to understand that for you to be sponsorable, you need to have a track record of excellent work and high potential to excel in future positions. No top executive is going to advocate or spend their capital on you if you are not a star performer – we all know everybody loves to be on the winning side. Moreover, sponsors always want to be seen advocating for the star performers. Hence, to attract a sponsor either naturally or by asking, the value of your work must be outstanding.
Identify someone of Influence – Start by identifying someone in your organization with influence that will have direct access to your work. The person must have influence – that is
i) the person must have a seat at the decision table,
ii) have power to turn things in your favour and lastly,
iii) must have the credibility and a respected voice even among their own peers.
Getting to know the influencers in your organization is not enough, you need to move a step further by getting your selected influencer to know you. You can achieve this by positioning yourself to lead projects, or by volunteering to be part of meaningful CSR initiatives.
Create Visibility around your Skillset – Visibility is the currency of the modern age. I like to add that at this stage, you might have to do a bit of subtle self-promoting to get yourself noticed by your potential sponsor. Sponsors are not strolling the office corridor looking for a protégé, you must create visibility around your work and be in their radar to get noticed. Always take advantage of all opportunities to put a spotlight on your capabilities.
Communicate Authenticity – Be true and clear about your career objectives, the projects you are working on, the value you are adding and your achievements. Do not be afraid to share it with anyone willing to listen especially top executives. Words find a way of moving around faster than you think. Always have your career elevator speech ready.
Finally, I like to leave you with these final words:
“AS YOU ASCEND THE CAREER LADDER, IDENTIFY A PROTÉGÉ AND PAY IT FORWARD”
Credit: https://whenwomenwinpodcast.com/carla-harris-navigating-wall-street-through-sponsorship-authenticity/