Who’s interested: Primary – #HR, #talentmanagement and DEI practioners, Secondary – CXOs and BU Leaders
Takeaway(s):
– Many companies are turning to a different approach for diversifying their pipelines to the top: #sponsorship.
– Crucial difference is Mentors share their knowledge, perspective, and experience, whereas Sponsors wield their power on behalf of their protégés.
– To be able to play the sponsor role, managers have to want to spend their hard-won political capital on their protégés.
– It was found that few organizations get it right from the outset. Because of that, a mindset of learning and iteration is vital.
ideascape thought(s): Sponsorship requires more planning and #leadership buy-in than #mentorship; however, if embedded within succession planning activities, can lead to better #retention and progression of a more diverse set of individuals. Linking with additional research, these programs could help close the P&L knowledge gap by making the Sponsor(s) responsible for targeting specific roles for their protégé(s), they otherwise might’ve been passed over for.
