Be a Sponsor and reap the Benefits to your Career

Sponsorship is not only generous, it is one of the highest-ROI leadership behaviours you can do. In sponsorship, you publicly advocate for someone’s advancement (introductions, nominations, stretch assignments, visibility) and use your political capital to create access they couldn’t get alone. It is distinct from mentoring, which is mostly advice and skill-building behind closed doors.

Why sponsoring others accelerates your career

Higher odds of promotion. Senior leaders who sponsor rising talent are 53% more likely to be promoted than those who don’t, and mid-managers with protégés are 167% more likely to receive stretch assignments that give them visibility.
More leverage and capacity. There is what researchers call a "sponsor dividend" in which your protégé expands your execution bandwidth, give you new insights and increases your organisational knowledge.
Reputation as a talent-maker. Sponsors become magnets for high performers and get invited into bigger rooms because they deliver outcomes through others. They are seen as people who bring others together.
Meaning and legacy. People report higher career satisfaction when they can point to others they advanced, not only projects they delivered. It's about leaving a legacy.

What “good sponsorship” looks like (practical moves)

Here are some things you can do as a Sponsor.

Open doors
Nominate your protégé for a high-stakes task force, acting-up role, or cross-functional rotation tied to enterprise priorities. Announce your sponsorship in the room—“I’m backing <Name> for X because of Y.”
Transfer credibility
Before big meetings, provide the context and a one-line framing of the expertise of your protégé expertise when you hand them the mic. Remember that public framing is the point, as advice alone is mentorship.
Broker relationships
Make targeted intros to decision-makers. Aim for two per month. Say why the connection matters to each side.
Absorb initial risk
Shield early missteps and normalise learning curves, so others keep the door open long enough for performance to speak.

Guardrails (so you get the upside without the pitfalls)

Choose diverse protégé. 71% of sponsors pick a primary protégé of the same race, gender or background. This has a narrowing impact on the effectiveness of the relationship and the ideas both are exposed to.
Outcomes over optics. Tie every advocacy act to clear, observable deliverables and milestone check-ins.
Sponsorship is not mentorship. If it’s not public advocacy that creates access, it’s not sponsorship. Keep your behaviours on the sponsorship side of the line.

Additionally, if you are feeling a little jaded in your career Sponsorship might just be the thing that reinvigorates your purpose.

And don't think you have to be a Senior Leader to be a Sponsor. You simply need to be two or three steps ahead of your chosen protégé.

As always, wishing you a flourishing career.

Katherine

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