Have you every wondered what the difference is between a mentor and a sponsor? I have had both mentors and sponsors throughout my career, and their guidance has had an immense impact on where I am today. Mentors and sponsors serve different purposes, but their end goal is the same: to support you in achieving your goals.
You won’t always know who your sponsors are, but they are people who will advocate for you in the workplace when you need to be more visible. The totality of your legacy relates to your perceived success in a corporation, so you should actively make an effort to build relationships and prove your value-add to your company. It is important to be thoughtful about networking, because hiring decisions are made based on awareness of your contributions to the team and, like it or not, hearsay. You never know who will act as your sponsor, and that the right people will recognize your hard work.
Playing a slightly different role, a mentor is a source of guidance and advice, though not necessarily a coach or an advocate. There are multiple ways to seek them out. There are deliberate matching programs, there are external mentors, and there are people you find along the way who you beg to be your mentor. I’ve done all of these, with both successes and failures, and the common thread through all of my most successful mentorships has been that my mentor and I had a friendship first. It’s difficult to ask someone to be your mentor if they don’t know who you are, because a mentorship needs to be about connection, chemistry, and trust.
It’s not often talked about, but mentors don’t have to last forever. I’ve had five or six in the past 20 years, and each one supported me through a different phase of my career.
What I have learned from being a mentor myself is that mentorship is a two-way street. You give and you take, and you have to recognize what you want out of the relationship. I have tried to mentor people who have shown up and said, “What can you give me?,” with no purpose for our relationship. Although those mentorships have not typically worked out, I have had many successful mentee relationships. My mentees span across industries and are all at different phases of their careers. I guide them however I can, whether it be helping navigate office politics or working with them to request higher pay or a promotion.
Both mentors and sponsors are important in maximizing career growth, and some of my most valuable relationships have been formed with my mentors and mentees. Not only will sponsors and mentors believe in your potential when you are doubting yourself, but they will champion your successes, to open doors for your next big career move.