As companies scale up initiatives to advance underrepresented talent, many are anchoring their efforts in matching top performers to senior sponsors. As we recently wrote in “What Great Sponsors Do Differently,” sponsors are full-throated advocates who expend political capital on their sponsees. How sponsors do their jobs can make a huge difference in the success of this crucial relationship — but to make the most of it, sponsees themselves have an even more consequential role to play.
Career Sponsorship Is a Two-Way Street
Six ways to invest in the person who’s investing in your career.
February 13, 2023
Summary.
Sponsorship is a vital mechanism for advancing the careers of junior employees. But it’s not just a one-way relationship in which everything flows from the sponsor to the sponsee. What sponsees bring to the relationship, in fact, is just as important — if not more important — than what sponsors do. This article describes six of the most important attributes of successful sponsees.
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HBR Learning
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Coaching. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to help your employees become the best they can be.