Mentorship and Sponsorship: Shaping Careers and Growing Leaders

While mentorship and sponsorship are pathways for career growth, their real value goes deeper than traditional advice or support. With structure, an eye for opportunities, and the right nudge and follow-through, they can grow confident, forward-thinking leaders who drive an organization’s success and otherwise supercharge a career. 

Following Adam Grant’s Give and Take philosophy to be a net giver, I have made it a priority to develop leaders whether they work at my current organization or are someone I have met along the way. As I have identified and cultivated individuals along their journeys to CEO, general counsel, and other senior executive positions at companies and nonprofits, I have observed how important mentorship and sponsorship are to career growth. 

At our nonprofit organization, BBB National Programs, where we aspire to expand the impact and broaden the reach of industry self-regulation as key goals, we realize that to do so effectively, we must create and develop our high-performing team. Mentorship and sponsorship are as vital to individual growth as they are to an organization’s success. And sometimes it also means giving folks the courage to take on a more senior role at another organization (where hopefully they will continue to be net promoters of our mission).

While mentoring benefits may be found in many employee handbooks, I have found that mentoring is an important way to learn from one another or to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and skills for professional growth by using tools such as business books, podcasts, or videos. An effective mentoring relationship requires time, careful thought, contributions, and effort from both the mentor and mentee. Mentorship can be through a formal program with your employer or through a career-related association or group, but it can also be more informal.

While the relationship may start off by giving tips and advice, its value builds over time as you guide someone’s thinking and open doors to self-discovery. That is why strong mentors are those who encourage their mentees to think critically, build networks, and take charge of their own development. 

Certainly, the mentee in such a relationship may often be an early to mid-career employee, but I have found that an effective relationship can apply to both individuals no matter what role an individual occupies within an organization. Indeed, as a member of the Forbes Coaches Council observed last year, mentorship can be even more important when you are a leader.

At our organization, we believe in mentoring in several forms, including reverse mentoring. The power in reverse mentoring creates a formalized way to share knowledge across generational or hierarchical divides. Younger employees serve as mentors for more senior employees on topics such as technology, new trends, and differing generational values and ways of thinking. And, while I highly value my reverse mentor’s views on many topics, I still need to be true to myself. As such, while I will be adding to my news and information sources, engaging a bit more broadly online, and considering widening my avocational events, you still will not catch me wearing “lifestyle” sneakers when giving a formal work speech at a conference. 

Mentoring is just one way we strive to promote an environment of continuous learning and growth. I also strongly support the concept of sponsorship. If mentorship is about guidance, sponsorship is about advocacy. Sylvia Ann Hewlett explains in her book Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, “Mentors give, sponsors invest.”

Sponsorship is particularly powerful for people who lack access to the unspoken rules of advancement, but all can benefit from it. Sponsors help bridge gaps, remove barriers, and ensure their sponsees are considered for opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach or not in their current organization. This relationship requires an investment in the sponsee’s success and a strong belief in their potential. Sponsors put their reputations on the line, showing that they are willing to use their influence for someone else’s gain, often using a broad network. 

Sponsees need to be proactive, well-prepared, and authentic and recognize that they need to put in the work to make change happen. While sponsees need a clear view of what they might need from a sponsor, they should also be open to new career altering ideas that might take a few steps. 

While some of my personal sponsors have been distinguished attorneys, sponsors who are CEOs or senior leaders in a different discipline (such as finance) have had the biggest impact on my career trajectory. Sponsors may or may not come from your current organization. They may be someone you met at a conference, spoke on a panel with, first connected with through social media, or were introduced to as part of a networking opportunity. 

Sponsors make introductions, speak up about their sponsee’s accomplishments, and push for them to receive opportunities. I am reminded of our CHRO Amy Clark’s wisdom on the topic, “Sponsorship speaks up. It is the voice in the room when you are not there, the support that opens doors you have not yet reached."

While mentorship and sponsorship are distinct, they are complementary. Mentors are the steady hands who help us grow from within, building resilience and self-awareness. Sponsors, on the other hand, help remove external barriers.

Together, they create an environment for growth and opportunity.

This dynamic is crucial because mentorship alone can fall short without advocacy. A mentee may feel prepared but unable to access the right opportunities. Sponsorship creates a pathway where skills and preparation can lead to career growth. When done with sincerity, both create a cycle of support and progress, leaving a lasting impact on your organization. 

As Sheryl Sandberg wrote in her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” Mentorship and sponsorship reflect this principle, shaping individuals who continue to grow and help others long after we are gone.