7 Strategies for Landing a Mentor or Sponsor
By Wendy HarrisBlack Enterprise
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In today’s business world, navigating the corporate terrain requires assistance from an advocate or two. Here are some guidelines on how to position yourself to attract a mentor or sponsor as well as tips on how to develop the relationship:
1. Assess your goals. Define your expectations and consider what you are looking to gain from a mentorship or sponsorship. Do you want training, career advice and encouragement on how to deal with the politics of your organization, or are you looking for someone to help you move from assistant vice president to the executive suite?
2. Identify potential candidates.
Typically, mentees choose their mentors, so identify someone who has strengths in the areas you are looking to develop. Consider mentors whom you admire, but don’t be restricted by age, gender, and cultural background. It should, however, be someone you feel you can trust with sensitive information. Since most companies offer formal mentoring programs, you may be able to find a potential candidate there. But also consider using an informal social network outside of your job. Join professional associations related to your industry and contact local and national organizations to see if they offer any mentoring programs. If you want to attract a mentor, see if your organization provides a formal sponsorship program. You could end up being assigned to a high-level executive.
Typically, mentees choose their mentors, so identify someone who has strengths in the areas you are looking to develop. Consider mentors whom you admire, but don’t be restricted by age, gender, and cultural background. It should, however, be someone you feel you can trust with sensitive information. Since most companies offer formal mentoring programs, you may be able to find a potential candidate there. But also consider using an informal social network outside of your job. Join professional associations related to your industry and contact local and national organizations to see if they offer any mentoring programs. If you want to attract a mentor, see if your organization provides a formal sponsorship program. You could end up being assigned to a high-level executive.
3. Consider your approach. As a potential mentee, you want to be tactful in asking someone to be your mentor. Most people are put off when you blind-side them with an out-of-the-blue request, so be subtle. Consider some career-related questions you may want to discuss, then schedule a meeting with the potential mentor to talk about them. Let the person know you would like him or her to be your mentor and give reasons why. Sponsors pick you, not the other way around, so if you find that someone in the organization has taken an interest in you and is speaking on your behalf regarding your career advancement, send the person an e-mail or note thanking him or her for their support.
4. Perform with excellence. The first step to attracting a mentor or sponsor is doing your job well. "When someone mentors or sponsors you, they are putting their reputation behind you. No one is going to do that if you are not consistently delivering excellent results,"says Alfreda Bradley-Coar, head of Global Regulatory Counsel for the GE Insurance Co.
5. Volunteer. Be willing to get involved in projects and initiatives that are outside of your direct area of responsibilities. Take on the tougher assignments that nobody else wants. Vanessa Weaver-Coleman, CEO of Alignment Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based diversity management consulting firm, says to look for those programs that"have a broad level of executives that participate and that have cross-functional visibility. The broader your network is, the higher the probability that you’re going to attract people that can really help orchestrate and navigate your career."
6. Work the relationship. Once you obtain a mentor, don’t wait until you need something to make contact. "The key for mentoring is that it’s a relationship, not a transaction," says Donna Fowler, national president of the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association. "If it’s approached like a transaction, it will not work for you."You and your mentor can set a schedule for how often you will speak and meet. Stick to that schedule, but don’t abuse it. Respect the boundaries set from the beginning. Weaver-Coleman says when developing your sponsorship consider turning those"transactional relationships"into personal relationships where a potential sponsor knows you beyond your job performance."Most African Americans invest in relationships where people know how we perform and how we can deliver, but we don’t often invest in creating personal relationships so that people know who we are at our core," she says. "Part of expanding a sponsorship relationship is trusting enough in yourself and in that person who is sponsoring you to let them get up close and personal with you."
7. Add value wherever possible. Good mentor and sponsor relationships are reciprocal. Neither party should do all of the giving. As a mentee or sponsor candidate, you should identify areas where you can add value and give back. Perhaps there is a project that your mentor or sponsor has little time to complete. Even if it is unrelated to your area of interest or job description, participate in the project and lend support.
4. Perform with excellence. The first step to attracting a mentor or sponsor is doing your job well. "When someone mentors or sponsors you, they are putting their reputation behind you. No one is going to do that if you are not consistently delivering excellent results,"says Alfreda Bradley-Coar, head of Global Regulatory Counsel for the GE Insurance Co.
5. Volunteer. Be willing to get involved in projects and initiatives that are outside of your direct area of responsibilities. Take on the tougher assignments that nobody else wants. Vanessa Weaver-Coleman, CEO of Alignment Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based diversity management consulting firm, says to look for those programs that"have a broad level of executives that participate and that have cross-functional visibility. The broader your network is, the higher the probability that you’re going to attract people that can really help orchestrate and navigate your career."
6. Work the relationship. Once you obtain a mentor, don’t wait until you need something to make contact. "The key for mentoring is that it’s a relationship, not a transaction," says Donna Fowler, national president of the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association. "If it’s approached like a transaction, it will not work for you."You and your mentor can set a schedule for how often you will speak and meet. Stick to that schedule, but don’t abuse it. Respect the boundaries set from the beginning. Weaver-Coleman says when developing your sponsorship consider turning those"transactional relationships"into personal relationships where a potential sponsor knows you beyond your job performance."Most African Americans invest in relationships where people know how we perform and how we can deliver, but we don’t often invest in creating personal relationships so that people know who we are at our core," she says. "Part of expanding a sponsorship relationship is trusting enough in yourself and in that person who is sponsoring you to let them get up close and personal with you."
7. Add value wherever possible. Good mentor and sponsor relationships are reciprocal. Neither party should do all of the giving. As a mentee or sponsor candidate, you should identify areas where you can add value and give back. Perhaps there is a project that your mentor or sponsor has little time to complete. Even if it is unrelated to your area of interest or job description, participate in the project and lend support.
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