They also strengthen the talent pipeline, bolster engagement, and improve company culture. Catalyst research found that sponsorship programs resulted in more effective leaders and teams, as well as increased job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and desire to stay with the organization. Sponsorship has even greater advantages, given it’s longer-term focus. As a result, they tend to stay with the organization. At HNS, we find that when we help women connect to senior leaders in their organizations during our Accelerate program, they get reassurance that they are valued and have opportunities for growth. Sponsorship also benefits the overall organization. While women in more junior roles may progress by doing exceptional work, as they move up the ladder and the number of next-level spots decreases, having someone with a seat at the decision-making table to actively advocate on their behalf is critical. Sponsorship becomes even more important for women seeking to make it to the executive level. However, when women have sponsors, they’re just as likely as men to be promoted. How Sponsorship Helps Women Leaders (and Organizations) SucceedĪccording to Catalyst, women start out behind men in the talent pipeline and tend to remain there even with mentoring. Sponsors can provide candid feedback to their proteges about their reputation in the organization and how they stack up against criteria for leadership. Sponsors connect their proteges to influential and powerful people within their organization or industry who can help them advance. Sponsors also provide valuable help in navigating organizational politics. Sponsors use their unique perspective on the company to help their proteges identify and make strategic contributions that will increase their value to the organization and help them get noticed. This is particularly critical in talent management meetings where important assignments and promotions are discussed. A sponsor shares the accomplishments of their protege with other senior leaders and openly advocates for them in closed-door meetings. While a mentor’s role may be passive, a sponsor’s role is anything but.Ī sponsor has the power to open doors for their protege in important ways, including: Sponsors are senior-level executives who use their position and power to advance a more junior person’s career.
While a mentor may also be a sponsor, there is a critical difference between the two. They listen to their mentee’s career vision, offer feedback, and give advice.
A mentor is someone who is willing to use their knowledge and experience to provide support and guidance to their mentee. Many people confuse sponsorship with mentorship. One tool that has proven to be extremely effective, when implemented well, is sponsorship. Overcoming years of bias that have kept women and minorities from equal representation in top leadership positions requires intentional intervention by organizations. Additionally, according to HBR, “Gender balance in companies and on teams improves a host of outcomes including financial results, innovation, decision making, organizational commitment, retention and job satisfaction.” Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on their boards financially outperform those with the fewest. This bias not only hurts women but also business outcomes. This means that, in a world where white men hold the overwhelming majority of executive positions, women – especially women of color – often become locked out of critical networks, have fewer meaningful interactions with senior leaders and are repeatedly overlooked for high-stakes assignments. We all gravitate towards those who share common characteristics with us such as gender or race. One major culprit is the similarity bias. Despite all the focus this issue has received in recent years, the pace of change has continued to be agonizingly slow. Women outnumber men at almost every educational level and hold over half of all professional-level jobs, yet they make up only 24% of senior management roles and a mere 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.
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