Having a mentor in one’s career is quite common, but there is another thing that is no less important: having a sponsor. What is a sponsor and how is it different from a mentor?
Sponsors are people who support your career because your career advancement is also an important investment in their own career. So, your career advancement is part of their interests as well. That way, they will help you grow.
- Mentors give advice, sponsors give opportunities
One of the fundamental differences between a mentor and a sponsor is that a sponsor is above the position you currently have or a person who has power in your company. With more experience, a mentor can give you a lot of knowledge that you might not be able to find anywhere else. You can speed up your learning process by taking lessons from their experience.
Meanwhile, a sponsor can trust you and give you a way to move forward. This is only possible because they have the authority to give these two things.
- Knowing your weaknesses and strengths
One of the things you need to move forward is knowing your weak points and how to fix them. A mentor is someone who you can ask for an opinion on this matter. However, if your mentor is not someone you work with directly, they may not know in detail about your performance. Meanwhile, a sponsor can judge more accurately because they see your performance directly. Therefore they can give an honest and more precise evaluation.
In addition, a sponsor also knows what we have and do not have in ourselves. They can make you aware of things you need to improve, as well as potentials that you may not have realized before.
- Becoming a link to build connections
Your mentors and sponsors can be your link to build connections in the industry you want to dive into. Furthermore, a sponsor may introduce you to someone to show your potential to others and give you a better opportunity to grow beyond what you’ve done before. They trust you enough and are confident in your ability to develop yourself while also doing it to help their own careers.
How do you get a sponsor? A boss may be a mentor by seeing you as someone who should be guided or share experiences with, but you can make him your sponsor by providing a performance that improves their performance as a boss.
Source:
Hewlett, Sylvia. (2013). Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track your Career.
