Things About Sponsors

Sponsor v. Mentor

A sponsor is someone in management position who has vested interest in your career development. This individual will advocate your abilities and connect you with the right networks and resources for career advancement. Someone who can make material impact and take your career to the next level.
Many young professionals tend to look for mentors. A mentor, on the other hand, provides advice and guidance on achieving career objectives through his/her experiences. As such, many are often over mentored and under sponsored.

Finding the Right Sponsor 

Among the best sponsors is your direct line manager. It is essential to build a positive working relationship with your boss. Learn his/her objectives, understand his/her communication style, and build rapport. Be proactive, goal driven,  solution oriented, and stay focus. However, do not be intimidated to establish internal and external senior connectivity. You never know unless you try.

Build your own brand.

Always present your best self. Manage perception, reputation, and relationships. Understand your value, skill sets, and what motivates you. Package all of that together along with your past experiences and build your professional brand. As per wise man, “you should always be selling”.

Do Not Get Too Comfortable

It is truly a blessing to have the right sponsor. But understand you are ultimately responsible for your career goals. You cannot heavily relie on someone else. You need to have the confidence to strategize and see through career objectives independently in case your sponsor is no longer in management position, retired, or move to another firm. Hence, no longer able to make meaningful impact in your career within the firm. You never know. So plan ahead and make contingency plans.

Stay positive and just keep going!