The Myth of Executive Sponsorship

Sponsorship, by definition, is career advocacy provided to a subordinate by a senior-level executive (some say C-level is required). It is a relationship built on trust, respect, and mutual benefit. Don’t misunderstand me when I call sponsorship a myth – executive sponsorship exists and is proven to accelerate leadership advancement for men and women – but it’s exceedingly rare; “mythical” to many.

Ever since Catalyst published their 2011 survey Sponsoring Women to Success, sponsorship has been part of the holy grail of women’s leadership advancement. When women who attended a Smith College Executive Education program were surveyed about requirements for career advancement, 33% cited sponsorship as necessary for advancement. But sponsorship continues to be elusive – a 2010 survey by Harvard Business Review found that only 19% of men had sponsors while only 13% of women did.

Fairygodboss found that 64 companies report having a formal mentoring program; only 11 report having a formal sponsorship program. This is because sponsorship is an informal, organic process, not a formal diversity program. Sponsorship generally just happens, it doesn’t come about as the result of an HR initiative or company policy. A colleague, who sits on the executive operating committee for her global firm, told me that she only found out she had a sponsor when she got a promotion!

What’s a woman to do?

Our alumnae survey provided a partial answer to that question when, in addition to sponsorship, women also cited opportunities, experience, and exposure as critical to advancement. That got me thinking. Sponsorship usually comes from outside the individual – an invitation via personal networks, relationships, or those rare formal programs. However, the drive and ability to leverage opportunities, build experience, and gain exposure rest with women themselves.

So instead of bemoaning those “mythical” sponsors, it’s time to step up, leverage opportunities, and capitalize on a powerful personal brand.

Here are three tips to get you started:

#1 What’s the buzz?

Be on top of what’s happening at your company:

· Read your firm’s annual report to learn about initiatives

· Attend company-wide webinars and informational meetings

· Look at your firm’s job listings regularly

#2 Raise your hand!

My friend on that executive operating committee? She also told me she’d never turned down an assignment:

· Put yourself forward for opportunities

· When offered an opportunity, say yes

· Let others know your goals and ask for their support

#3 Refine and promote your brand.

Exposure is 60% of the career success P.I.E*; image is 30% and performance is only 10%:

· Align your brand with the qualities you see demonstrated at the top of your company

· Know who you are and how you want to be perceived, and make it so

· Toot your own horn and get your allies to do it too

You may or may not land a sponsor, but you will definitely give your career a boost and increase your chances of being noticed by someone who may make the myth a reality.

*From Coleman, H Empowering Yourself, The Organizational Game Revealed (April, 1966)