Mentorship + Sponsorship
To grow our technical leadership skills, it’s critical to lean on one’s network of support. We often find mentors: people who can give us helpful advice. But what can be even more valuable is finding “sponsors”, who help us find new opportunities and improve the visibility of our work. As sponsorship is especially important for members of underrepresented groups in tech, I walk through tactics you can employ today to be a sponsor for those around you, too. Read the companion blog post.
Resources
- Strategies for building an effective mentoring relationship (Hilary Sanfey, M.B.B.Ch., M.H.P.E., Celeste Hollands, M.D., Nancy L. Gantt, M.D.)
- Sponsorship can start small (Cate Huston)
- The real benefit of finding a sponsor (HBR article, including stats from the Center for Talent Innovation)
- Women are over-mentored, but under-sponsored (HBR)
- Athena Factor 2.0 (Coqual, formerly the Center for Talent Innovation)
- High Potentials In The Pipeline: Leaders Pay It Forward (Catalyst)
- Mentoring: Necessary But Insufficient For Advancement (Catalyst)
- Sponsoring Women to Success (Catalyst)
- The Sponsor Dividend (Coqual, formerly the Center for Talent Innovation)
- Vaulting the Color Bar: How Sponsorship Levers Multicultural Professionals into Leadership (Coqual, formerly the Center for Talent Innovation)
- Women and Minorities Are Penalized for Promoting Diversity (HBR)
- Manager Voltron Bingo card (Lara Hogan)