Mentors And Sponsors: How To Utilize Both

While much of your professional success will be determined by your intelligence and work ethic, your career advancement will also be dependent upon creating meaningful relationships with the right people. Mentors and sponsors are some of your most valuable resources. They can provide guidance, make introductions and help you grow professionally. They can also help you avoid known pitfalls.

Regardless of where you are in your career, having a mentor and/or sponsor in your corner can be extremely beneficial. It’s also important to know how to think about each of these relationships. Remember that both mentors and sponsor want to see you achieve your goals, but that there are slight distinctions between them.

Mentors

Mentors are people who are truly invested in you. They care about your professional and personal growth and offer strategic, intelligent advice to properly support and guide you. You can be as candid with them as you’d like and confide in them about your goals and toughest challenges. They have a clear understanding of your aspirations and want to do what they can to help you reach them. The clearer you are with your mentor on the direction of your career, the more relevant and helpful their advice will be.

There are certain criteria that should be considered when finding the right mentor. Mentors are typically in high ranking positions and have years of experience. They should also be individuals that you respect and provide great examples of professionalism and work ethic.

Sponsors

While a mentor can offer guidance and provide you with keys to success, a sponsor is ultimately the person who can open doors for you. Sponsors are powerful, usually senior level individuals in a company who can be gatekeepers to your next promotion or desired position. Unlike mentors, you'll have to work harder for their endorsement, but the trade-off is exceptional and makes a much more palpable difference in your career. Sponsors can also facilitate introductions to the influential people and make you more visible to leaders inside and outside of your company.

Sponsors are individuals who are willing to stick their necks out to help you grow, so it is important that they always view you as someone who is both reliable and competent. In contrast to a mentor, you can only highlight your positive attributes and accomplishments to your sponsor. It is important for them to see your value and be confident in your ability to deliver if they recommend for you. After all, if you are unsuccessful they are the ones who stand to lose both social and political capital.

Success is a two-way street. Always demonstrate your ability to add value to your organization but know that others are available to guide you along the way.
Image courtesy of WOCinTech via Flickr

This post originally appeared on The Playbook by Magic Johnson.