Sponsors need to stop acting like mentors

SpOnSORShIp, or advocacy by senior leaders of rising talent, is a hot topic within corporate America. But something is keeping sponsorship from working. In our recent research at the center for talent Innovation, we found that sponsors themselves don’t really understand the role and how to do it well.

We discovered that many who consider themselves sponsors are acting more like mentors. A sponsor has three primary responsibilities: to believe in and go out on a limb for his protégé; to use his organizational capital, both publicly and behind closed doors, to push for his protégé’s promotion; and to provide his protégé with “air cover” for risk-taking.

We also found evidence of “mini-me syndrome”—sponsors reported a tendency to select protégés who reminded them of themselves. When a protégé brings complementary talents to the table, he can expand a sponsor’s capacity to deliver, open doors to new networks and markets, and contribute a valuable management style to the team. Yet sponsors simply aren’t focused on this.

Another important finding was that even practiced imperfectly, sponsorship still carries dividends. Sponsors in our sample were more likely than non-sponsors to report being satisfied with their own advancement, being engaged at work, being able to deliver on “mission impossible” projects and having a bench of talent that expands their skill sets. You can build deep trust with your protégés—and get honest, unvarnished feedback from them. Your protégés—and your commitment to sponsorship—can extend your legacy.

It’s wonderful that sponsorship has taken root in the business world’s zeitgeist. But rather than close the book, it’s time to push harder to ensure sponsors, protégés and organizations all understand this crucial relationship and its nuanced dynamics. When both protégés and sponsors recognize the benefits of playing their roles right, and of partnering across lines of difference, sponsorship’s potential to bring deserving employees of all identities into leadership can finally be realized.

Julia Taylor Kennedy is an executive vice president and director of publications at the Center for Talent Innovation, where Pooja Jain-Link is an executive vice president and director of research.