Both mentors and sponsors can provide guidance and help their protégés to grow their network. And both roles can provide you with constructive criticism when you need it. Both are also important for turning employees into leaders. Compared to employees with informal mentors and sponsors, employees with formal mentors and sponsors are more likely (75% and 97%, respectively) to fully agree that their organization offers a clear plan for their professional development.
And a Silicon Valley veteran, who told him, “Be successful, hire, mentor, and sponsor the people of color who come after you. While formal and informal relationships often have favorable outcomes, data from the Gallup Center on Black Voices suggests that formalized mentoring and sponsorship relationships have a greater impact on employee development. Unlike mentoring and sponsorship, coaching is done by professionals who specialize in helping employees reach their full potential. In this week's episode, Mita Mallick, Carta's director of Inclusion, Equity, and Impact, and I discussed her approach to finding sponsors.
Let's discuss what mentors and sponsors are, how they can help foster diversity in the workplace, and what successful mentoring and sponsorships look like. Mentors and sponsors drive development, encourage engagement, and facilitate positive organizational perceptions among employees. Find out how coaching can help you find a mentor or sponsor, or become one yourself, with a personalized demonstration from BetterUp today. Gallup's Center on Black Voices concludes that employees benefit greatly from these relationships: mentors and sponsors drive development, encourage engagement, and facilitate positive organizational perception.
Understanding the difference between sponsorship and mentoring is key to ensuring that women and members of historically marginalized communities (HMC) receive full support in their professional careers. On the other hand, sponsors are in a position of power and actively promote growth, provide access to opportunities at work, and advocate for the professional advancement of people with less experience. Both mentoring and sponsorships help create more diverse workplaces, encourage belonging, and train the leaders of tomorrow. Organizations can help these employees succeed by designating mentors and sponsors to help them develop their careers and promote their success.
