I did a session today with Jordan Lindenmeyer about mentoring and one of the parts that really resonated for folks was the distinction among mentoring, coaching and sponsoring. All of them are important, but they are different in ways that matter. - Mentoring is when someone helps you learn from their experience. - Coaching is where someone helps you learn from your own experience. - Sponsoring is when someone spends their political capital on you. All of them are helpful, but they don’t have to be the same person!
Alexis, many people want to find a mentor or sponsor....but the big distinction is "you can ask for a mentor, but you have to earn a sponsor." Kerrie Peraino's episode on Future of HR Podcast was a master class on this topic! https://www.futureofhr.com/episodes/073-kerrie-peraino
Tania DeSa
1w
Love this Alexis! Each role has a place in our career journey and my belief is that sponsorship is the game changer- especially when we can make it a 2 way relationship.
Kadee Hutton
1w
You make such a great point in highlighting that they don't have to be the same person. It's refreshing to think about!
Totally agree!! I wrote articles on this for the American Statistical Association and have a workshop on how to better leverage these relationships (which I am working to put into an ecourse). Here is one article where I have an analogy on how to see the differences. https://stattrak.amstat.org/2015/07/01/careerdevelopment/
You can choose your mentors and coaches, but not your sponsors. I am also starting to add ‘ally’ when discussing each of these key roles.
Thank you, this is very clear :) I would believe Mentoring & Coaching tend to intersect, while Sponsoring requires a different kind of engagement from the sponsor, especially when they are in a true position of power.
It's helpful for both parties to know the distinction- know what to ask for (on the receiving side) and know what we are doing (on the 'giving' side)
This is a very helpful definition. Precision of language goes a long way!
Leadership Trainer for Top Tech & Travel Companies | Executive Coach & Workshop Facilitator @ Google | Speaker | Founder | Tour Guide Turned EQ Expert
1wSponsors mention you when you're not in the room. They open doors and make introductions. It's a very different activity. Finding sponsors can be key if you're ambitious and further down in the org. You must be confident enough to hold that space with someone influential.