Defining Success: Mentoring & Sponsorship

At the end of the year I tend to reflect on what I spent my year doing, what worked, what didn’t and what were some of the highlights.

This year I really enjoyed being a mentor and sponsor and, like we so often hear, I got as much or more out of it as I gave.  Reflecting on my mentees and those I’ve sponsored I have been thinking about the differences as well as the similarities between the two roles.

My sponsors have not always been the people I’ve been closest to and they often have popped into my career during a certain time of need instead of being a constant guide. Sponsors must trust that you will live up to your potential and will reflect well on them if they use some of their influence for you. A sponsor must be a decision maker and in a relevant position within your sphere or in the group where you want to go.

I’ve found that a good sponsor can help you become more visible. Increased visibility leads to more opportunities and a better network, including among decision-makers. A sponsor can get this cycle of visibility started and then help you keep it going.  I’m a leader of Accenture’s African-American employee resource group and we stress that if you aren’t visible and if you aren’t known for something you can’t expect to be seen.

Mentors, on the other hand, are those people who offer insight and guidance consistently and one benefit is that they know you quite well and may have been with you through several stages of your career. They should be trusted advisors you can come to with a problem or concern as well as with opportunities and aspirations. Mentors differ from sponsors in that their counsel, as opposed to their influence, is their value.

One question I got a lot this year was how to pick the right mentor or sponsor, including how to know who to pick and how to ask.

First, you have to know what kind of help you’re looking for… a mentor to guide you or a sponsor to advocate for you? Do you want feedback or do you have a specific ask such as ‘introduce me to the head of the corporate development group.’

Next, look at your sphere of influence and analyze who could be the right person … who knows you, whose judgment do you trust, who has influence, who has a relevant role to yours or is connected to where you want to go? Then you need a plan to get on a mentor or sponsor’s radar.

One way to make a connection is to demonstrate your value or skills in something that’s important to a potential sponsor or mentor. Does she chair a committee you could volunteer for?  Is she leading some training you could take? Could you work on her current project or join the employee resource group she leads?

And what happens once you have a new mentor or sponsor? With me, as with many of my peers, a mentor or sponsor relationship doesn’t come cheap… my mentees have to do some work. That may include special assignments, additional training or other ways to grow your skills, your network and your visibility.  This work feeds the relationship as it also helps me see a person’s potential and strengths and helps me be a better mentor and sponsor.  So just as each year is a cycle so is the process of mentoring and sponsoring… and I’m looking forward to the new year and a brand new cycle.

By Linda Singh
An inspiring woman with an extraordinary dual career, Linda is a managing director at Accenture and Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. She’s a high school dropout and onetime runaway who fought and forged a path into leadership.