Sponsor Effect - Center for Talent Innovation

8/10/2019 Sponsor Effect - Center for Talent Innovation

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Sponsor Effect 2.0:Road Maps for Sponsorsand Protgs

Research Sponsors: American Express, AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton,Deloitte, Freddie Mac, Genentech, and Morgan Stanley

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbinwith Barbara Adachi

THIS IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL


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Task Force for Talent Innovation

CO-CHAIRS

American Express

Bloomberg LP

Booz Allen Hamilton

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Cisco Systems

Deloitte

Ernst & Young

GE

Goldman SachsIntel Corporation

Johnson & Johnson

NBCUniversal

Time Warner

Unilever plc

MEMBERS

AIG

AllianceBernstein

ArcelorMittal

AT&T

Bank of America

Merrill Lynch

Barclays plc

BlackRock

Boehringer Ingelheim USABooz & Company

Boston Scientific

BP

BT Group*

Central Intelligence Agency

Chubb

Citi*

Covidien

Credit Suisse*

Depository Trust & ClearingCorporation

Deutsche Bank

EMD Serono

Federal Reserve Bank

of New York

Fidelity Investments

Freddie Mac

Gap Inc.

Genentech

General Mills

Genpact

Google

Hess Corporation

Hewlett-Packard

HSBC Bank plc

International Monetary Fund

Interpublic Group

Knoll*

KPMG LLP

Marie Claire

McGraw-Hill CompaniesMcKesson Corporation

McKinsey & Company

Moodys Foundation*

Morgan Stanley

New York Times Company

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Pfizer Inc.*

QBE North America

Schlumberger

Siemens AGSodexo

Standard Chartered Bank

Swiss Reinsurance Co.

Thomson Reuters

Towers Watson

Tupperware Brands

UBS*

United Nations DPKO/DFS/OHRM

Vanguard

Viacom

White & Case LLP

Withers LLP

* Steering Committee

As of November 2012



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Center for Talent Innovation

Research Sponsors: American Express, AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton,Deloitte, Freddie Mac, Genentech, and Morgan Stanley

Sponsor Effect 2.0:Road Maps for Sponsorsand Protgs

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbinwith Barbara Adachi



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About the AuthorsSYLVIA ANN HEWLETTis an economist and the founding President and CEO of theCenter for Talent Innovation, a nonprofit think tank where she chairs the Task Force

for Talent Innovation75 global companies focused on fully realizing the new streams

of talent in the global marketplace. She also directs the Gender and Policy Programat the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Dr. Hewlett is a

member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum Council

on Womens Empowerment. The author of 10 Harvard Business Reviewarticles and 11

critically acclaimed nonfiction books, including Off-Ramps and On-Ramps, and Winning the

War for Talent in Emerging Markets(Harvard Business Review Press), she is ranked #11 on

the Thinkers 50 listing of the worlds top business thinkers. Her writings have appeared

in the New York Timesand Financial Times, and shes a featured blogger on HBR.org. She is

a frequent guest on television, appearing on Oprah, Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Charlie

Rose, the Today Show, and CNN Headline News. Dr. Hewlett has taught at Cambridge,

Columbia, and Princeton universities. A Kennedy Scholar and graduate of Cambridge

University, she earned her PhD in economics at London University.

MELINDA MARSHALL,Vice President and Senior Fellow, oversees the Centerspublications and drives its research on sponsorship and innovation. She is a journalist

and editor whose experience ranges from wire-service reporting to national humor

columnist. She has published nine books in collaboration, and is the author of the

award-winning Good Enough Mothers: Changing Expectations for Ourselves.Her articles have

appeared in 18 national magazines, including the Harvard Business Review, Parenting,

Ladies Home Journal,and the New York Times.A magna cum laudegraduate of Duke

University, she earned her Masters in human rights studies at Columbia University.

LAURA SHERBIN, Executive Vice President and Director of Research, heads up CTIssurvey research, and plays a key role in CTIs advisory arm, Sylvia Ann Hewlett

Associates. She is an economist specializing in workforce issues and internationaldevelopment. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of International and

Public Affairs at Columbia University. She has led CTI research projects including

Off-Ramps and On-Ramps in Japan and Germany and is coauthor of several Harvard

Business Reviewarticles and reports, including The Athena Factorand The Sponsor Effect.

She is a graduate of the University of Delaware and earned her PhD in economics from

American University.

BARBARA ADACHI is the National Managing Director, Human Capital, for DeloitteConsulting LLP. From 2007 to 2012, she has served as the National Managing Principal

for Deloitte LLPs award-winning Womens Initia-tive (WIN). Ms. Adachi led the Northern

Pacific region WIN activities for five years and Deloitte Consulting LLPs Human Capital

Practice for the West region for eight years. She joined Deloitte in 1990 to start the Bay

Area Human Capital practice, specializing in total rewards, health benefits strategy,

and plan designand still serves clients. She is also on the board of Deloitte Consulting

LLP. Ms. Adachi has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Business

by San Francisco Business Times, and Women Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity, and

has also received the Asian Women in Business Leadership Award. Ms. Adachi serves on

several boards, including American Heart Association, Professional Business Women of

California Advisory Council, Santa Clara University HR Leadership Advisory Board, and

Forbes Executive Womens board.



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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the study sponsorsAmerican Express, AT&T,

Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Freddie Mac, Genentech, and Morgan Stanley for their generous support. We are deeply grateful to the co-chairs of the Task

Force for Talent InnovationBarbara Adachi, Anthony Carter, Jennifer Christie,

Erika DEgidio, Deborah Elam, Anne Erni, Gail Fierstein, Patricia Fili-Krushel,

Cassandra Frangos, Sandy Hoffman, Rosalind Hudnell, Patricia Langer, Aimee

George Leary, Carolyn Buck Luce, Leena Nair, Lisa Garcia Quiroz, Ripa Rashid,

Craig Robinson, Karyn Twaronite, Anr Williams, and Melinda Wolfefor their

vision and commitment.

We appreciate the efforts of the Center for Talent Innovation staff members, in

particular, Joseph Cervone, Lauren Leader-Chive, Fabiola Dieudonn, Courtney

Emerson, Christina Fargnoli, Catherine Fredman, Tara Gonsalves, Corliss

Groves, Lawrence Jones, Anne Mathews, Peggy Shiller, and Karen Sumbergfor their research support and editorial talents. We also want to thank Bill

McCready, Stefan Subias, and the team at Knowledge Networks who expertly

guided the research and were an invaluable resource throughout the course of

this study.

Thanks to the private-sector members of the Task Force for Talent Innovation

for their practical ideas and collaborative energy: Elaine Aarons, Rohini Anand,

Renee Anderson, Antoine Andrews, Diane Ashley, Nadine Augusta, Terri Austin,

Ann Beynon, Anne Bodnar, Daina Chiu, Chevy Cleaves, Tanya Clemons, Ilene

Cohn, Joanna Coles, Desiree Dancy, Nicola Davidson, Whitney Delich, Nancy

Di Dia, Lance Emery, Linda Emery, Traci Entel, Nicole Erb, Michelle Gadsden-

Williams, Trevor Gandy, Heide Gardner, Tim Goodell, Laurie Greeno, Kathy

Hannan, Kara Helander, Ginger Hildebrand, Kathryn Himsworth, Ann Hollins,

Kate Hoepfner-Karle, Celia Pohani Huber, Annalisa Jenkins, Nia Joynson-

Romanzina, Eman Khalifa, Denice Kronau, Frances Laserson, Janice Little,

Yolanda Londono, Lori Massad, Donna-Marie Maxfield, Ana Duarte McCarthy,

Beth McCormick, Mark McLane, Piyush Mehta, Carmen Middleton, Birgit Neu,

Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, Fiona Pargeter, Pamela Paul, Sherryann Plesse,

Monica Poindexter, Kari Reston, Jennifer Rickard, Dwight Robinson, Jacqueline

Rolf, Keisha Smith, Michael Springer, Debbie Storey, Eileen Taylor, Geri Thomas,

NV Tiger Tyagarajan, Lynn Utter, Cassy Van Dyke, Vera Vitels, Anne Weisberg,

Jo Weiss, Margaret Luciano-Williams, Meryl Zausner, and Fatemeh Ziai.

Thanks also to James Charrington, Ken Chenault, Joanna Coles, Brady Dougan,

Kent Gardiner, Linda Huber, Michael Kacsmar, Janet Loesberg, Eleanor Mills,

Kerrie Peraino, Katherine Phillips, David Richardson, Jeanne Rosario, Mark

Stephanz, and Donna Wilson.



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Contents

About the Authors i

Acknowledgments ii

Abstract 1

Introduction: Why This Guide 3

Part One: Challenges 5

Chapter 1: The Two-Way Street 7

Chapter 2: Roadblocks 15

Part Two: Road Maps 21

Chapter 3: Road Map for Protgs 23

Chapter 4: Road Map for Sponsors 47

Part Three: Initiatives 67

Methodology 79

Task Force for Talent Innovation 80

Index of Exhibits 83

Endnotes 84



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AbstractSponsorship can be a game changer. Our research (The Sponsor Effect, Harvard

Business Review Research Report, December 2010) shows that men and

women who have powerful advocates tend to get the stretch assignments and

ask for the raises that translate into career mobility. Sponsors lever qualifiedwomen and people of color out of the marzipan layer into top leadership roles,

while protgs confer on their advocates a host of benefits, extending their

capacity to deliver and burnishing their brand in the C-suite.

To win sponsorship, however, one must know how the game is played. Synthe-

sizing our key learnings from four surveys, dozens of focus groups, and scores

of interviews, Sponsorship 2.0comprises two road maps, one for the junior

party intent on cultivating advocacy, the other for the leader who recognizes

he/she will need a powerful posse to fulfill his/her own mission and vision:

The Road Map for Protgs:

Embrace your dream and do a diagnosticof yourself, your company, and thepath ahead. Close skill gaps.

Scan the horizon for potential sponsors.Target the ones with juice, or the

power to get you to your goal.

Distribute your risk.Cultivate two sponsors internally (one in your line of

sight, the other external to your function) and one outside the company.

Understand that its not all about you.Sponsors invest in those who perceive

and proactively address their challenges. Ask not what your sponsor can

do for you, but what you can do for your sponsor.

Come through on two obvious fronts. Outstanding performance and

unswerving loyaltyto the businessmake you a core asset to any seniorleaders team.

Deliver a distinct personal brand.Draw on your difference. Tap your gender

smarts, cultural background, social media savvy, or quant skills to

distinguish your contribution and drive value that sets you apart.

Exude executive presence. Polish your presentation of self as well as your

presentation skills. Demonstrate EQ to read the room; demonstrate

poise under pressure to command it. Show teeth when necessary. Assert

integrity when no one else dares.

Make yourself a safe bet.Articulate that you wantand can takehonest

feedback. Telegraph relentless professionalism. And dont mix businesswith pleasure with members of the opposite sex.

Lead with a yes. Even whenespecially whenyoure inclined to say no to

a stretch opportunity, make it clear that you value any chance to prove

yourself and are willing to go the extra mile. Then negotiate terms if

you need to.

Nail the tactics. Figure out the blocking and tackling needed to gain internal

and external visibility, build your buzz, and make the ask.

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The Road Map for Sponsors: Understand whats in it for you.Sponsoring dedicated, diverse high-perform-

ers will boost your capacity, burnish your brand, and grow your legacy.

Embrace the talent imperatives of 2012. Professionals whose background,

skills, and perspective differs from your own will maximize your

innovative capacity in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

Seek out a diversified portfolio. Choose your posse for their similar values and

complementary skill sets.

Differentiate between protgs and mentees. Mentees demand your time;

protgs give you back your day. Sponsorship is an investment that pays

dividends; mentorship is a gift.

Come through on two obvious fronts. Push your protg into opportunities

that will get him/her seen and known by high-echelon leaders. And push

for his/her promotion (or job security during economic downturns).

Provide air cover. Protect your investment. Provide the support (and defense)

necessary to ensure your protgs success, especially in assignments thatrequire she/he take risks.

Build trust.Establish personal and social connection. Make yourself

accessible; respond generously to vulnerability. Share stories of roots.

Make the relationship safe. Help make sponsorship a leadership capability in

your corporate culture so that opposite-sex alliances are more the norm

than the exception. Ensure corporate policies punish illicit affairs, which

poison the well for everyone.

Give critical feedback. First seek permission from your protg to impart the

bad news as well as the good. Then help close skill gaps: give them the

experience they lack and the feedback they wont hear from anyone else.

Nail the tactics. Assess your talent needs and proactively diversify and

develop your protg portfolio. Intentionally deploy your posse to

maximize business opportunities.

Sponsorship is ultimately up to the individual, as it depends on trust. Yet

companies can foster sponsorship by creating the environment in which it

goes viral. The most effective programs, as our initiatives demonstrate, 1) make

clear the sponsorship imperative; 2) generate awareness and understanding of

the sponsorship dynamic; and 3) create opportunities for senior management

to meet and engage with up-and-comers. Coupled with a proactive individual

mindset, these programs help ensure that the most diverse, as well as most

qualified, talent gets in on the gameand changes the face of leadership.

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recognize theyll need a powerful posse to fulfill their mission and vision. Im-

portantly, it builds on our key take-aways from two years of in-depth research:

sponsorship is ultimately up to the individual, and not his or her company, to

cultivate and deploy. After four exhaustive inquiries, we can say with confi-

dence that sponsorship thrives when both parties feel genuinely committed to

the alliance and trust each other. Although it can be encouraged, its a rela-

tionship that cannot be imposed or conjured by others. Companies that try todo too much risk entrenching the very passivity theyre trying to overcome in

developing their high-potential women and people of color.

This is not to say companies dont have a roleand a vital one at that. As

well see in the Initiatives section (page 67) of this guide, companies can foster

sponsorship in a variety of ways. Certainly leadership can commit to creating

the environment in which sponsorship goes viral. Effective programs gener-

ate awareness and understanding of the sponsorship dynamic; create oppor-

tunities for senior management to meet/engage with high-potential women

and people of color; and may even incentivize sponsorship by building it into

performance reviews.

But while HR can set up the sponsorship machinery, its individuals who must

work the levers. Thats why youll find not simply a road map but an exhaus-

tive list of tactics for each party, to ensure that both sponsors and protgs

know exactly how to operationalize the strategy weve mappedand succeed

at every step

Sponsorship, our research shows, can be a game changer. With this guide,

women and men whove been languishing in middle management or stalling

near the top will find exactly what they need to turbocharge their career. Not

everyone can win sponsorship, as not everyone will deserve it. For that individ-

ual whos got it all but hasnt yet put it all together, however, this guide might

just make the difference.



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Part One:Challenges

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Chapter 1

The Two-Way Street

A

few months into her doctoral research at Northwestern University,

Katherine Phillips learned that her advisor, Margaret Neale, had

accepted a position at Stanford Business School. Neale met with Phillips

to discuss the opportunity, which Neale believed would bring national

attention to her work on organizational team performancetheir mutual

research focus.

I said, Its been great working with you, but I dont want to follow you to

Stanford because I love it here, Phillips recalls. And she leveled her gaze atmeMargaret has a lot of presenceand said, Oh, no. You have to at least

apply to Stanford and consider it, because three months from now, when the

decision has to be made, you might feel differently.

Phillips in fact followed Neale to Stanford, where she earned her Ph.D. Over

the next 15 years, through joint research projects and job changes, the two

developed an extraordinary alliance. Neale supported Phillips in myriad

ways, from finding pockets of money to sustain her as she worked toward

her degree, to writing walk-on-water referral letters when Phillips began

looking for a tenured position at other universities. Neale also helped her

build her reputation in the field, inviting her onto papers with other faculty

members and giving her free rein in the research they did together. When

colleagues questioned Phillips credentials, Neale took them to task; when

Phillips faltered in her dissertation, Neale goaded her to keep at it. From the

beginning, it was very clear she was in my corner, says Phillips. She was both

tough on me and supportive, so that I felt I never had to worry.

Phillips, for her part, worked tirelessly on behalf of her benefactor. She

impressed Neale with not only her work ethic but also the originality of

her ideas, which were informed by a completely different background and

life experience. Frequently Phillips served as Neales sounding board and

even rudder. Id say to her, Lets think about this from the other persons

perspective, because there usually was validity to that other personsperspective, Phillips notes. And she appreciated that. I remember her

introducing me once and saying, Kathy is my balance.

The alliance burnished both of their brands. In 2011, Phillips won a seat on the

Columbia Business School faculty as the Paul Calello Professor of Leadership

and Ethics, and Neale received Stanford Business Schools Davis Award for

lifetime achievementthe first female faculty member to do so. We both

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helped and supported each other, Phillips observes. Margaret has a lot of

very strong relationships with her protgs and mentees, but I think our

relationship is special.

What is Sponsorship?What makes sponsorship specialand distinct from mentorshipis its

reciprocity. As with mentorship, one party is certainly more senior than theother, at least at first. But sponsorship benefits both parties equally. Both

sponsor and sponsee work to ensure each others success and have each

others back. And while it may appear as though the senior member gifts the

junior with her attention and leverage, in fact it is the junior member who

drives the relationship by demonstrating that she deserves that attention and

leverage. Sponsorship isnt given. Its earned.

As obvious as this might seem now, it wasnt when we started this research

in early 2010. Our initial data helped us generate a robust definition of a

sponsor: we confirmed that a sponsor used up chips and publicly advocated

for the protgs promotion, which is why every up-and-comer needed such a

person in their corner. But what several focus groups, another national survey,and dozens of interviews brought into focus was the role of the protg. Men

and women who had sponsors, we found, approached career-building with

a distinctively proactive mindset, and they consistently exhibited go-getter

behaviors. They didnt sit back to bask in the glow of being identified as high-

potentials; they understood that securing the commitment and backing of a

sponsor depended on them taking the initiative. Indeed, they understood that

to be considered for leadership positions, they had to act likeleaders, driving

results, proving themselves trustworthy and reliable, and bringing a distinctive

skill set or personal brand to the inner circle.

What the Protg DoesWith the results of our 2012 survey, our definitions for both sponsor and

protg now reflect both the hefty role of the protg in securing sponsors as

well as the hefty benefits that accrue to sponsors.

Performance is the protgs critical first deliverable. This should come as

no surprise: what marks an individual as high potential is typically his/

her ability to deliver superior

results consistently, no matter

the challenges or circumstances.

Winning a key piece of business,

innovating a solution, or otherwise

driving results with bottom-lineimpact is what will get you noticed

by those in power. A third of U.S.

managers and nearly half of UK

managers say they want to sponsor

a producer, a go-getter who hits

deadlines and offers 24/7 support,

our research shows. Its all about

understanding the companys

Figure 1.1:What is a protg?

A protg is a high potentialemployee who, at a minimum:

Out-performscontributes 110%

Is loyal to me and the organization

Contributes a distinct personal brand

And comes through on at least twoof the following fronts:

rustworthy and discreet

Covers my back

Promotes my legacy

Brings value-addeddifferentperspective/skill-sets

Leads with a yes

Burnishes my brand across theorganization

Builds my A team



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overall goals and then making things happen, innovating, driving change, says

Debbie Storey, chief of diversity at AT&T. Theyve got to demonstrate through

effective leadership that they can consistently drive teams to achieve results.

But if performance is what will get you courted, loyalty is what will win

you devotion. Thirty-seven percent of male managers (and 36 percent of

female managers) say they value loyalty in a protg. Thats more than theyvalue someone whos collaborative or visionary or even highly productive.

Sponsorship thrives in a soil of trust, after all, and loyalty is what establishes

trust. Consider what Phillips move to Stanford telegraphed to Neale: I

will follow you even if it means uprooting my family and leaving my friends and

reconsidering my professional path.Phillips demonstrated loyalty in other ways,

as well, decoding for Neale why graduate students at Stanford seemed remote

(Theyre afraid of you, Phillips clarified) and offering suggestions as to how

to engage them. A loyal protg is well attuned to the buzz and vigilant about

keeping her sponsor apprised of it. As one UK-based banker observed, Protgs

can provide insights about whats happening lower down in the organization,

because when youre at a senior level, youre less likely to get those honest

messages about what people think of you.

Die-hard loyalty and stellar performance

are mission-critical. Yet as our 2012 research

makes clear, if thats all you bring, youre

in danger of remaining a protg. Playing

the part of an excellent second can doom

you to a permanent Number-Two slot in the

organization. Sure, youll risebut always

as your sponsors lieutenant. Kerrie Peraino,

international human resources head for

American Express, believes women are

particularly vulnerable to this outcome

because theyre good at looking out for

others interests but bad at looking out for

their own. The first senior guy who comes along snaps them up, Peraino

observes. And without questioning what they might get out of the alliance,

they give him everything theyve got. The longer this goes on, the more

permanent their lieutenancy becomes, until no one can even imagine them in

the leadership roleleast of all themselves.

To position themselves for leadership, protgs must therefore contribute

something the leader prizes but may intrinsically lack. This could be gender

smarts or cultural fluency on a team thats mostly white males; it could besocial-media skills on a team unaccustomed to connecting via the Internet, or

language skills on an international assignment.

Or, as Phillips discovered, it can be the very difference that you might

otherwise be inclined to downplay. As an African-American, Phillips provided

a unique perspective on organizational dynamics, one that helped drive

new directions in Neales research as well as establish a name for Phillips in

corporate as well as academic circles.

Figure 1.2:What do you look for in a protg? (Manager level)

37%

Women Men

36%

Loyalty Producer Collaborator

31%33%

19% 16% 15%12%

Visionary



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What the Sponsor DoesWith our first round of research, we established that a sponsor does essen-

tially two things: she goes out on a limb for her protg, connecting him/her to

other powerful people and the stretch opportunities that will command their

attention, and she makes it her business to get her protg promoteda com-

mitment that entails calling in favors and expending relationship capital. But

subsequent research surfaced a powerful third role for sponsors. To protect theinvestment shes made in her protg, a sponsor must also provide air cover

from naysayers and competitors so that the protg can take risks and do the

growing required of someone plunged into a stretch assignment. Protection

can also take the form of providing support or advice so the protg navigates

the unknown successfully. Neale understood this in granting Phillips free rein

to shape and conduct research that would bear both their names. She gave her

both the stretch assignment and the freedom to take risks in carrying it out.

Our definition of a sponsor has evolved to look like this:

Youll see that many of the

secondary functions a sponsor

assumes are similar to what a

mentor signs on to fulfill. For

instance, a sponsor, like a mentor,

expands the protgs perception

of what he/she can do. A sponsor

provides honest, critical feedback,

including advice on how you

present yourselfways to boost

your executive presence, or at

least not make awful blunders. But

while mentors can certainly be

counted on to boost your spirits,

enlarge your vision, and make you

presentable (reviewing with you the watch-outs, as Donna Wilson, global

diversity director at Johnson & Johnson, puts it), their guidance simply wont

be as honed as that of a sponsor, because theyre nowhere near as vested in

the outcome. Sponsors link their reputations with yours: theyre not going to

waste time delivering feel-good advice. Your success, or failure, redounds on

them, so theyre going to make darn sure you learn what you need to make

both of you look good.

This puts them in a whole other league when it comes to feedback. Phillips

recalls how Neale stepped in to polish her communication skillssomethingno one else had ever dared to do. I had a lot of slang; I had a lot of bad speech

habits. For example, I pronounced the word ask incorrectly, Phillips explains.

Margaret told me, Youre saying the word wrong, Kathy. Its ask, not aks.

Reflects Phillips, a lot of white people would be concerned they might be

seen as racist if they were to point these things out to an African-American

colleague, but she realized the impact of what I was saying on other people

and on me.

Figure 1.3:What is a sponsor?

A sponsor is a senior leader who,at a minimum:

Believes in me and goes out on alimb on my behalf

Advocates for my next promotion

Provides air cover

And comes through on at least twoof the following fronts:

Expands my perception of what I can do

Makes connections to senior leaders

Promotes my visibility

Provides stretch opportunities

Gives advice on presentation of self

Makes connections to clients/customers

Gives honest/critical feedback onskill gaps



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At the same time, it was Neale who supported Phillips in her decision to wear

her hair naturallyaffirmation that shored up Phillips self-confidence in a

profound way. Phillips had endured the chemical processes to straighten her

kinky hair to the point where she felt she couldnt tolerate it anymore, so she

stopped. Margaret said, I love your hair. I think you should wear it like that

more often, Phillips remembers. She gave me the most support of anyone in

my life. Even my mother was like, What are you doing to your hair? Margarethelped me stick to my guns, to say to my critics, I dont really care what you

guys think. This is who I am. For meI was all of twenty-fivethat was a

terribly important message.

Sponsorship Impacts Both Parties CareersInThe Sponsor Effect,we were able to quantify the impact sponsorship has on a

career. A significant majority of those with sponsors70 percent of men and

68 percent of womensay they are satisfied with their rate of advancement.

Among those who do nothave sponsors, theres much less satisfactionamong

men and women without sponsors, only 57 percent

said they were satisfied with their career progress.

The difference between those two groups translatesinto a sponsor effect of 23 percent for men and 19

percent for women.1

This finding led us to measure the sponsor effect

on professionals of color. We found sponsorship

made an even more dramatic difference in the

careers of multiculturals. They are 65 percent more

likely than their unsponsored cohort to say theyre

satisfied with their career progress. This satisfaction

has a noticeable effect on their loyalty to their

organization. People of color who have sponsors

are 57 percent less likely overall than unsponsored

people of color to have plans to quit within a year.

African-Americans are particularly affected by the commitment a sponsor

represents: only eight percent of those with sponsors have one foot out the

door, whereas 27 percent of unsponsored African-American professionals say

they have plans to quit within a year.2

Our 2012 research also revealed a protg effect, putting a number on the

impact a protg has on her sponsors career. While the protg effect is rather

modest for Caucasians (individuals who sponsor are 11 percent more likely

to say theyre satisfied with their rate of advancement than individuals who

do not sponsor), its impressive for sponsors of color, who are overall are 30percent more likely to be satisfied with their rate of advancement than people

of color who do not have protgs. Hispanic sponsors are the most positively

affected. Those with protgs are more than 65 percent more likely to be

satisfied with their rate of advancement than Hispanics without.3

Cultivating protgs enhances not only your own career outcome, it turns out,

but also your experience of leadership. This makes a lot of sense: consider

how much more effective (and less overworked) you are as a leader if you have

Women Men

Figure 1.4:Protgs who are satisfied with rate of advancement(By gender)

68%

57%

Withoutsponsors

Withsponsors

70%

57%

Withoutsponsors

Withsponsors



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an A team to turn to whenever a crisis

looms or a deadline threatens or a massive

opportunity knocks. Consider, too, how

organizations assess leadership potential

and it becomes clear why developing

a posse of protgs establishes you as

leadership material: helping juniorpeople evolve into major producers for

the firm is what leaders do. So if youve

succeeded in grooming a number of people

for your position, youve made it that

much easier for your superiors to promote

you, as you will not leave a vacuum they

have to fill.

Who Has Sponsorship?The bottom line: everybody wins when

sponsorship flourishes. Promising young

men and women get the opportunities

and support they need to prove their

potential; seasoned leaders get the

manpower, loyalty, and complementary

skills they need to meet their targets,

fulfill their vision, and build their legacy.

The reciprocity and two-way exchange of

sponsorship is what guarantees that both

parties in this relationship forge ahead.

The problem is, not everyone has access to

sponsorship.

As our first report established, a mere

13 percent of women have sponsorship.

Figures are low for men as well (19 percent

lay claim to having a sponsor), but we

found that men benefit from a larger

network of sponsor-like friendships, or

relationships with sponsor potential,

because theyre inherently more

intentional in their approach to workplace

relationships. The enduring power of the Old Boys Club demonstrates how

deep this divide is between men and women.4

But multicultural employees, our subsequent surveys reveal, suffer an

even greater scarcity of sponsorship. Caucasians are 63 percent more likely

to have powerful advocates than people of color. Multicultural talent has

mentors aplenty; theyre arguably over-mentored. Yet mentorship alone

cannot deliver the goods. Mentors will make time for you, but sponsors will

create opportunities for you. Mentors will coach you privately; sponsors

will champion you publicly. Mentors will hold your hand and stiffen your

Figure 1.5:Protgs who are satisfied with rate of advancement (By ethnicity)

67%

Without sponsors With sponsors

45%

35%30%

53% 55%61%

43%

Caucasian African-American Asian Hispanic

Figure 1.6:One foot out the door (Likely to quit within a year)

12%

Without sponsors With sponsors

15%27%

14%13% 8%

11%13%


Figure 1.7:Sponsors who are satisfied with rate of advancement

62%

Without protg With protg

56%

43% 41%

51% 48%

76%

46%




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15

Chapter 2

RoadblocksTHE PERILS OF PASSIVITY

W

hat you deserve in a career isnt necessarily what you get,

observes Jennifer Christie, chief diversity officer at American

Express. What you get, more often than not, is what you make others

aware you want. All too often, highly engaged, highly qualified women

and people of color stay mum, knuckle down, and work harder, believing

their performance will do all the talking.

It doesnt. And a world of opportunitystretch assignments, promotions, and

sponsorshippasses them by.

Christie knows the syndrome well and recalled an experience she had while

working in Washington, DC. She was suddenly asked to take an interim role

working directly for the head of her organization due to the unexpected illness

of her leader. It was a seemingly golden opportunity for Christie to prove her

capabilities. But no sooner had she taken on this new role than she found

herself in the midst of an ugly power struggle between her former leader and

the leader she was now reporting to. My former leader who was convalescing

would call me and ask me to feed him information about my new leader so hecould block him from making certain moves, she recalls. I refused to do it. I

said I cant be duplicitous. He was very aggressive about me helping him with

his agenda, but I didnt because that was the right thing to do.

Six months later, my former leader had recovered and returned to the office,

Christie continues, and he annihilatedme. He removed me from every meeting,

told staff to exclude me from key decisions; he wiped my job off the planet. I

went to the head of the agency, to whom I had been loyal while reporting to

him, thinking hed return the favor. He just shrugged his shoulders. Ive got too

many battles, I cant take this on, he told me. And here Id killedmyself for him.

In hindsight, Christie realizes the mistake she made was leaving too muchunsaid for too long. He had no idea what Id done for him, she observes. I

should have gone to him, after that first call, and said, Look, heres what I am

being asked to doso that he could see what I was up against and where my

loyalties lay. It was an opportunity to build trust, but instead of approaching

the relationship as a potential pathway to sponsorship, I just assumed hed

have my back.



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16

People dont always know what youre thinking and doing, she adds. Its up

to you to spell out what you want and what help you need from them. Your

careers too important to leave it up to someone else to connect the dots.

The Tiara SyndromeWhen Christie relates this story at the sponsorship workshops she conducts

for American Express, there is head-nodding all around the table. At TimeWarner, women even have a name for it: the Tiara Syndrome. Its as though

youre expecting that someones going to reach out with a magic wand and

poof! crown you with a promotion, a participant in the firms Breakthrough

Leadership program explained.

Yet in the face of clear evidence that this strategy doesnt work (the

captains of Fortune 1000 industry are still overwhelmingly white and

male), why do driven, capable professionals cling to it? What explains

the disconnect between what women say they wantand 59 percent

say they aspire to hold a top joband how they go about getting it?

Our research reveals that women are far more inclined than men toperceive the corporate hierarchy as a meritocracy. More than three-

quarters of our female survey respondents believe that promotion is

strictly a function of hard work, long hours, and strong credentials.

Nearly three-quarters of women who have advanced think its

their track record that won them a promotion; less than half credit

personal connections. The majority (83 percent) of

male respondents, in contrast, believe that who you

know counts for a lot, at least as much as how well

you do your job. Fifty-seven percent chalk up their

last promotion to personal connections.5

Indeed, women insisttheir advancement be a function

of their performance, as leveraging work relationships

strikes them as unfair or unseemly. At the end of

the day, I want to be judged on the quality of my

work and how I affect the bottom linenot by who

I know or how well I manipulate relationships, one

female investment banker told us in a focus group

CTI conducted. Women consider colleagues as friends,

making it very difficult for them to ask for favors or

propose aquid pro quo. Forty-five percent of our female respondents (versus 36

percent of male respondents) say they have difficulty asking a colleague for

help in closing a deal, and 38 percent (versus 31 percent of men) struggle inasking a friend or colleague for help landing a job.6

Finally, women prefer to keep their head down and focus on their daily task

load because its saferthan entering into any sort of transactional relationship

with the opposite sex. Lest they be accused of sleeping their way to the top,

they assiduously avoid any interaction that might be misconstruedfrom

asking for a stretch opportunity to providing push-back, from requesting

a raise to offering strategic insights. Better to say nothing and hope the

other party divines your intentions and rewards your good works than

Figure 2.1:Aspire to a top job (Director leveland above)

Women Men

59%65%

Figure 2.2:How did you get your most recent promotion?

Women Men

Personal connections Credentials and track record

57%48%

66%72%



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17

say something that might suggest theres some kind of dealor

intimate debtto be paid.

The Complication of ColorAs difficult as it is for women to become proactively contractual in

their work relationships, its even harder for people of color. Again,

ambition is not the issue: while 54 percent of Caucasians overallaspire to hold a top job, a stunning 72 percent of Hispanics, 65 per-

cent of African-Americans, and 63 percent of Asians say they want

the brass ring. But a host of factors conspire to muzzle them when

it comes to asking for an opportunity or proposing aquid pro quo.

Antoinette*7a managing director in a financial services

multinational, describes an agonizing but eye-opening meeting

with her boss that she initiated years ago, when she was an

associate in the IT department. Like Christie, she had stepped

in to fill in for her manager, whod gone out on maternity leave.

When her manager informed the department head she wasnt

returning, the department head turned to Antoinette to discusswhether I should have another woman manage you, or hire

someone from outside. Antoinette listened in mute shock. Why

did he not consider her? After all, shed been doing the job for

months. After a sleepless night, she marched into his office and

put her feelings on the table. It was his turn to be shocked. Quite

honestly, it didnt occur to me, he said.

Antoinette never again made the mistake of assuming too much.

To this day, however, she remembers her fear of appearing to

be the stereotypical angry black woman. To do the things you

need to do to in order to advance, as a woman of color youre

constantly worrying about how youre perceived, she says. Even

now, I replay in my mind what I said to my boss: did I say, Why

wasnt I considered? Because that sounds like Im pulling the race

cardand I certainly didnt want to do that.

Her outspokenness won her the job, but more importantly, it put her on the

radar of potential sponsors. Today, inside and out of her firm, Antoinette has

a high-level circle of supporters, people who take my success personally

including the CEO, who calls her to discuss everything from succession

plans to his sons college plans. Sponsorship has made all the difference in

her career trajectory, she will tell you, but it was speaking up that made all

the difference in winning her first sponsor. My boss asked me one day, Doyou think youve been driving the bus or that you just got on a good bus?

Antoinette reflects. She replied, I got on a great bus, because many people

here are open-minded enough to allow me to shine through as who I am.

Then she asked him if he remembered that moment when she had asked to

be considered for her managers roleif he remembered it as a contentious

moment. Not at all, he told her. Which just makes my point, Antoinette

concludes. Whether youre on a great bus or a bad bus,you still do have to drive.

If you find powerful, impressive people sitting with you, youd better latch on

for dear life. Youd better speak up, and leverage the hell out of those people.

Figure 2.3:Respondents who have difficultyasking a colleague for help...

Women Men

Closing abusiness deal

Landing a job

36%45%

31%38%

Figure 2.4:Aspire to a top position in theirprofession

65%

CaucasianAfrican-AmericanAsianHispanic

54%

63%72%



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Our research suggests race may have been a factor, though not in ways

you might think. What may have doomed this sponsorship was a deep

undercurrent of distrust, one energized by unspoken assumptions

and unchallenged perceptions. Distrust eats away at multicultural

protgs confidence in their career prospects, which in turn eats

away at their engagement and commitment. As protgs disengage

or remain on the periphery, their sponsors withhold or withdrawtheir commitment. With both parties skeptical or distrustful of the

other, sponsorship founders, and multiculturals move onfueling

the multicultural perception that Caucasians cant be trusted to back

people of color all the way to the top.

Our 2012 research confirms that quite a few professionals of color are

marooned on the periphery, eager to engage but cynical about their

prospects to belong. Forty percent of African-Americans say they feel

like outsiders in their corporate cultures; 42 percent of Asians say they

have to work harder than their colleagues to feel included.8

We also probed the perceptions that keep them there. For instance, didrespondents think it was true that a person of color would never rise

to the top of their company? Ten percent of Caucasians in our cohort

said yes. More than twice as many Hispanics (21 percent) agreed, as

did 29 percent of Asians in our survey. Among African-Americans, the

number shot up to 35 percent.9These figures found traction in our

focus groups, too. Why go through all the motions to play this game,

when you know youre not going to be one of the winners? one black

actuary told us.

The second perception we tested was around sponsors belief that

protgs of color were less qualified than their Caucasian counterparts.

Seven percent of Caucasian executives admitted to thinking this. We

were surprised to learn, however, that 11 percent of African-Americans,

18 percent of Asians, and 19 percent of Hispanics share this view.

In fact, overall, multicultural executives are more likelythan white

executives to think that protgs of color are less qualified (by which

they mean less competent, less reliable, and less connected to key

players and market opportunities).10

Finally, we asked if protgs were as distrustful of multicultural

sponsors as sponsors were of multicultural protgs. While 23 percent

of Caucasians we surveyed conceded there were disadvantages to

having a sponsor of color, a shocking 67 percent of African-Americansagreed (with 55 percent of Hispanics and 46 percent of Asians

in accord).11Focus groups helped us make sense of this finding:

professionals of color prefer a white sponsor because they perceive

multicultural sponsors to have less traction in the organization

making them a risky bet for effective advocacy.

Figure 2.8:Tink there are disadvantages tohaving a sponsor of color

67%


23%

55%

46%

Figure 2.6:A person of color would never geta top position at my company nomatter how able or high performing

35%

10%

29%

21%


Figure 2.7:Tink protgs of color are lessqualified (Director level and above)

11%7%

18% 19%


Figure 2.5:Feel like an outsider tocorporate culture

40%

26%32%

26%




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Routes Around the RoadblockThese perceptions have dire implications for sponsorship. Professionals of

color simply arent likely to seek, win, or benefit from sponsorship so long as

they remain distrustful of those in power and those who might offer them a

leg up. And potential sponsors, witnessing the disengagement that distrust

drives, will resist going out on a limb for protgs of color.

The irony is that sponsorship has the power to cure this distrust. Ken

Chenault, CEO of American Express, tells how Lou Gerstner (retired CEO of IBM

who served as head of American Expresss travel-related services) changed

his career trajectory by offering him his sponsorship. As someone who was

different from the majority of the people in the company, Chenault relates,

I was thinking, Ill stay here for five years, get the experience, and move

onto something else. And Lou said, You can go really far in this company.

Here are the areas that you need to work on. Gerstners robust sponsorship

simultaneously raised Chenualts aspirations, and set him up for success.

Having Gerstner as a sponsor gave him credibility. Gerstner didnt waver,

and Chenault gave him 110 percent in terms of both loyalty and stand-out

performance. Its a stunning testament to the impact of sponsorship on high-

potential talent of color.

As well see in the next two sections, protgs and sponsors have, in fact,

found ways around these roadblocks. The Protg Road Mapparticularly

Steps 3 through 6offers women a strategic path out of the passivity trap

that mentorship can engender. The Sponsor Road Map, in turnspecifically

Step 8provides leaders with the tactics they need to dispel distrust and

build an effective rapport with professionals of color. Not everyone, it is true,

will prove worthy of sponsorship, as Sarah points out. But everyone intent on

turbocharging their career will have the know-how necessary to become a

contender in the leadership competition. And thats what makes sponsorship a

meritocracy: when everybody, and not just the white guys, gets in on the game.



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Part Two:Road Maps

21



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Chapter 3

Road Map for ProtgsSTEP ONE: EMBRACE YOUR DREAM ANDDO A DIAGNOSTIC

Two years ago, Aimee George Leary, director of talent development, diversity

and strategy at Booz Allen Hamilton, took on an additional role at the firm,

one that required she partner closely with a key market leader. She was to

assess his talent challenges, which revolved predominantly around senior

staff, and devise a solution. Rather than apply traditional HR processes and

tactical delivery, George Leary took a more strategic approach to building theleadership pipeline, one that would be both forward-looking and replicable. In

collaboration with business leaders and several of the human capital teams,

she put in place a plan that could predict the next cadre of leaders across the

market. In addition, she provided leadership oversight for key programs that

would accelerate top-talent development.

As it turned out, this was precisely the approach required to meet the needs of

the business. Indeed, it was quickly recognized as a best practice and adopted

across all markets at the firm.

Impressed, the market leader to whom shed been assigned asked George

Leary if shed given some thought to her own development plan. What do youwant? he asked. Implicit in his question was an offer to help her reach her

goals.

George Leary didnt have a ready answer. I knew this was a stretch role; I

knew it was an important opportunity, she observes. But I was so focused on

getting the job done I never thought of whereI wanted it to take me.

The Vision ThingRegular interactions with her sponsor and direct leaders have subsequently

enabled George Leary to define her professional goals and work towards them.

But the irony of this incident wasnt lost on her:how is it that someone who

prides herself on her strategic skills and vision had no long-term vision or strategy for

her own career?

In fact, many highly driven, super-capable women find themselves rowing

furiously toward a far shore without any specific destination in mind. Our

research shows theyve got loads of ambition: more full-time white-collar

female workers at large companies aspire to a top job today than ever before.

Among Boomer women, 57 percent consider themselves ambitious; 64 percent



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of Gen Xers describe themselves that way; and a stunning 77 percent of Gen

Y women in the workforce subscribe to that notion. But when we look at

ambition by age range, we note a fall-off in ambition: 39 percent of young

women (ages 28-40) say theyre very ambitious, but by the ages of 45-55

when they should be taking on that top jobonly 31 percent still hunger for

it. This drop-off reflects the penalty paid by women who take leave to raise

children or care for elders. It suggests as well that, absent a clear idea of whatthey want, women are far more vulnerable to mid-career assaults on their

commitment and drive.

Women who dohave a dream, it should be noted, absolutely tear up

the track. Cherie Blair, QC, envisioned herself among the elite Queens

Counsel as soon as she started practicing lawa dream that buoyed

her through the tumult of being the wife of Britains prime minister

and giving birth to four children. Performance-art trailblazer Roselee

Goldberg was so passionately clear on her vision for the Royal College

of Art that, straight out of college, she was made the esteemed

institutions director of exhibitions. Mellody Hobson, the youngest

of six children born to a single mother, is today president of ArielInvestments, managing over $3 billion in assetsan achievement

she attributes to being desperate to understand money and rescue

herself from the dire circumstances that marked her childhood.

Of the 15 percent of CEOs who are women, every one can describe

not just the passion that propelled her to her current post but also

the guiding star on her internal horizon that guided her through countless

storms and setbacks. They all knew what they wanted, and that made all the

difference in what they could achieve.

Determine the DestinationIts never too late to fix on a star and embrace it. If youre a stand-out

performer, people will be eager to help you do just that. In George Learys

example, the two years that she spent crafting and implementing a strategic

leadership development plan for the executive helped her gain his career and

development guidanceand eventual sponsorship.

Yet because homing in on what you want out of your career is time-

consuming, intimate work, its best abetted by someone otherthan your

sponsor, earlier in your careera mentor, for example. Only with a mentor

can you afford to share the good, the bad, and the ugly (sponsors should see

your best side, lest you give them reason to fear theyve invested unwisely).

Mentors know the lay of the land; more importantly, theyve successfully

navigated it, and our research shows the vast majority of women (85 percent)and multicultural professionals (81 percent) need navigational help. Mentors

can help you understand the unwritten rules, provide a map for the uncharted

corridors to power, and reveal the business behind the business. They cannot

make your dream happen. But in helping you identify what it is you want, they

prepare you to attract people who can and, once youve got theirattention,

make the most of the leverage they offer.

Figure 3.1:Women who consider themselvesambitious

Gen X

64%57%

77%

Gen Y Boomer



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Know ThyselfStart with a self-diagnostic. Again, you neednt do this in a vacuummany

mentoring programs incorporate a bevy of assessment tools and sessions

with professionals trained in interpreting them. But in the absence of formal

assessment, you can and must take your own measure.

What are your strengths, and how have you proven them?

What credentials or experiences set you apart? What inherent or acquired differences lend you a distinctive brand or

value-added that others may not bring to the table?

What accomplishment has given you joy and won you accolades? What

gives you satisfaction that you want to do more of it?

How does the mission or mandate of your organization overlap with your

own set of values or goals?

Assess Your OrganizationKnowing what you bring to the mission is half the diagnostic. The other half is

sizing up the context in which youll be leveraging those strengths. Heres what

you need to consider:

Is your firm flat(few titles, no apparent ladder) or hierarchical? If there is

a ladder, how is it constructed?

What do titles mean in terms of what you do, where you do it, and whom

you manage?

What deliverables will get you promoted? These arent necessarily spelled

out in your job description. Innovating a solution, bagging a new client,

opening up a new market, finding ways to cut costson any scale, in any

context, these are sure-fire tickets.

Where are the sandbars? You knowthose dead-end departments or

non-mission-critical missions where you could find yourself marooned for

a long time? Identify them now so that when you do win a sponsor, you

know right where to focus his/her efforts.

Close Skill GapsOnce youve homed in on a goal and mapped the terrain youve got to navi-

gate, assess your credentials and experience for gaps that could hold you

backand close them. If youve set your sights on a C-suite position, for

example, youll need line experience. Jeanne Rosario, an engineer who is today

vice president and general manager for GE Aviation, turned down a big promo-

tion while she was raising her two kidsbut never allowed her part-time sta-

tus to take her off-track. She used this period to garner critical line experience

in engine design and systems leadership, including a stint in the firms Six

Sigma program, because shed noted that everyone whod gotten promoted into

a strategic leadership role had done time on the line. When she was readyto resume full-time work, her colleagues vouched for experience in the core

business and she became general manager of the engine systems division.



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STEP TWO: SCAN THE HORIZON FORPOTENTIAL SPONSORS

At many pharmaceutical companies, it is understood that a medical doctor

(MD degree) is required for top management positions in research and

development. With a graduate degree in pharmacy, Janet Loesberg, vicepresident, Global Medical, Bristol-Myers Squibb, knew her path would have

to be different. In order to break out of the marzipan layer, she would have

to create the right networks and secure the right advocacy. Loesberg asked

her manager for advice on finding a mentor in R&D, and when her manager

connected her with a high-level male executive, she was thrilled. Loesberg

remembers thinking, Ill develop a relationship, learn from him, and hell also

be in a good position to advocate for me.

Thats how I thought it would work, Loesberg says. But honestly, how could

it? Here we spent our quarterly meetings talking about company philosophy,

strategy, and changes, when I really should have been providing him with

information on my work and giving him insights from my organization that he

could use.

Sitting and WaitingEventually, Loesberg did just that: after an internal meeting on sponsorship

helped her see what was required on her part, she had a conversation with

this executive about sponsorship and, earlier this year when a crucial position

opened up, asked for his backing. She got itand won the promotion.

But Loesberg is one of the lucky ones. Too often, our research shows, middle

managers mistake supporters for advocates. Unclear on the difference

between mentors and sponsors, they waste precious time waiting foropportunities and connections their supporters simply arent positioned

or prepared to provide. When we asked employees if they had people

whose support they could count on, some 48 percent of female

respondents and 68 percent of multicultural respondents said they

did. These numbers surprised us. If so many female and multicultural

employees had the backing of senior leaders, why did so few of them

actually progress into leadership? The truth became apparent in the

follow-up question we posed. Listing key deliverables, we asked, Which

of these does your sponsor do for you?And the number of respondents who

claimed to have sponsors plummeted: from 48 percent to 13 percent for

women, and from 68 percent to 8 percent for multiculturals.12

And this confusion turns out to be only half the problem. Among those

who doappreciate the difference between supporters and sponsors, a

significant number go after the wrong leaders for sponsorshipleaders who

simply dont have the juice, or the wherewithal to get them where they

want to go. They target people they like, or people they arelike, rather than

form strategic alliances. In short, they seek out role models. Among female

survey respondents, 42 percent say they are looking to ally themselves with

collaborative, inclusive leaders, because those are leaders whom they relate

ll ll

Figure 3.2:Full-time, high-earning employees inlarge companies who...

51%

Havea sponsor Tinkthey have a sponsor

13%8%

68%

Caucasian Multicultural



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27

to and hope to emulate. But the

vast majority of leaders arent

inclusive collaborators. Forty-five

percent of men and women at

U.S. companies say the dominant

style of leadership at their firm

is Classic, the Churchillian typewho values loyalty from his

lieutenants above all. Twenty

percent perceive their top

management to be Competitive

hard-edged, hard-driving guys

who value bottom-line results

(think Jack Welch). A mere

28 percent of respondents say

their company is headed by a collaborative leader. In short, what female and

multicultural talent values and seeks in a sponsor is at serious odds with

whats on offer in the executive suite.13

Whom You Should Target The most powerful person in your orbit.While still an undergraduate at

Harvard, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebooks No. 2, won the attention of Lawrence

Summers, an academic powerhouse who was subsequently tapped to run

the World Bank. When he left for Washington, he took her with him as

his research analyst. When he moved over to the U.S. Treasury, he made

Sandberg (who was all of 29 years old) his Chief of Staff. Summers, who

is perhaps best known for pointing out that women lack the intellectual

wattage to be the worlds top scientists, was probably not someone whose

style Sandberg hoped to emulate. But did he have juice? Oceans of it.

The person whose job you hope to inherit. When she was a young member of aprinting firms sales force, Debbie Storey, chief of diversity at AT&T, sought

the counsel of Buster Horne, a vice president nearing retirement. Horne

managed all the key client relationships, including those at BellSouth,

the firms bread-and-butter account. Storey sought to earn his respect

and win his advocacy by demonstrating that, like him, she put the clients

satisfaction first, going so far as to overhaul processes for publishing

BellSouths phone books to reduce late delivery and expensive corrections.

When Storey was promoted to take over the sales organization, a cadre

of 30-year sales veterans, all of whom were men, she knew that Hornes

sponsorship had been critical in that decision. Over and over he was the

voice at the executive table for me, she recalls. He saw me fulfilling his

legacy, because I was someone who recognized the value of relationshipsand the importance of delivering results.

How to Make the Ask Suggest collaborating on a piece of research or project of interest to that person.

Go out of your way to make clear how much number-crunching and

legwork as well new ideas you plan to contribute, says Katherine Phillips,

a distinguished professor at the Columbia Business School.

Figure 3.3:Te Mismatch

Women dont go after the right leader

17%

Composition of leadership Preference of female protges

45%

16%20%

Classic:Old-school/hierarchical

(values loyalty)

Competitive:Hard-edged/

hard-driving (valuesbottom-line results)

28%

Collaborative:Inclusive/peoplefocused (values aspeak-up culture)

6%

Charismatic:Inspirational/creative

(values big picture)

24%

42%



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Propose a quid pro quo.Identify ways in which your special currency might

help your sponsor solve business challenges. Explain what you are looking

for in the way of advocacy: introductions to other department heads,

stretch opportunities within your own division, lateral moves to gain

experience, or promotions. Stress ways in which your alliance will work to

your sponsors benefit.

Id like this role. Will you put my name forward? If your target sponsor

demurs, ask if he/she can direct you to a more appropriate leader. Ask if

he/she will introduce you.

Ask for advice on a selective basisand convert that relationship into a two-way

street. Rosalind Hudnell recalls how she repeatedly asked Carlene Ellis,

Intels first female VP, for advice on managerial issues. Weve really got to

find you a mentor, Ellis responded, because Im already overscheduled.

Hudnell persisted, framing her requests around very small time

commitments, such as coffee in the cafeteria. Gradually, coffee breaks

became lunch dates, lunch chats became dinner conversationsand the

relationship became sponsorship.

How to Win Over Your Targets Demonstrate gumption and initiative.Its really rather simple: leaders wish

to invest in and cultivate those who demonstrate passion, intent, courage,

creativity, tenacity, and resilience. How you pursue a sponsor can telegraph

all of these things. Consider how Joanna Coles, a senior editor at More

magazine, went after Cathie Black, then CEO of Hearst and a powerhouse

in the media industry. Coles struggled to get a meeting scheduled and

through sheer persistence, succeeded. She prepped and primped and

turned up in Blacks office all ready to strut her stuff, only to be told that

Black was heading to the airport to attend a board meeting and needed

to cancel. Undeterred, Coles took a cab, caught up with Blacks limo, and

jumped in to share the ride to JFK. The ruse worked: Black, impressed by

Coles determination and ambition, committed to helping her navigate

Hearst for the leadership role she sought. (Coles is today at the helm of

Cosmopolitan.)

STEP THREE: DISTRIBUTE YOUR RISK

If tomorrow your division leader got the axe or left for a better job, how secure

would your job be?

Leadership churn is something Gabriella,* a broadcasting executive, knows a

thing or two about. Six years ago, the firms head of HR wooed her away from

a production role to join her in the C-suite, driving a transformational talent

strategy. Four years into their partnership, the firm ushered in a new CEO, who

promptly cleaned house. The HR chief survivedthus assuring Gabriellas

survival. I remember thinking, Okay, shes obviously bulletproof, so Im set



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for the long haul, Gabriella recalls. I figured at her age, she wasnt going

anywhere, so I could ride out her career at the network.

Then came the bombshell. A year after the CEO transition, Gabriellas sponsor

announced she was leaving the network to head up global talent for the

networks biggest competitor.

While Gabriella retained her job, she lost her clout: her sponsors job was split

into two, putting her three reports away from the new CEO. All the people who

knew what I did and how well I performed are gone, she observes. Its hard, at

this stage, recognizing Ive got to start over in terms of building up that equity.

One is Never EnoughWhen it comes to seeking out sponsors, bear in mind

that in todays globalized economy, you simply cannot

afford to put all your eggs in one basket. A sponsor

can save your job only so long as his own footing is

secure. And to look at whats happened to the Old

Guard in, say, financial services, leadership churn isthe new normal.

Yet men and women continue to find themselves

in the straits Gabriella describes, because having

secured that one powerful advocate theyre no longer

motivated to build out a safety net. Of our survey

respondents who claim to have sponsors, the majority

(56 percent of men and 49 percent of women) has

oneand only one. (Interestingly, the tendency to

cultivate a super alliance and hang on for dear life is

highest among Latinos: 69 percent say they have only one sponsor.)

The 2+1 RuleHow many do you need? The consensus in focus groups is what weve come

to call the two-plus-one rule: inside your organization, you need two sponsors,

and outside, you need one. I dont think you can navigate without an internal

sponsor, notes Ana Duarte McCarthy, Citis chief of diversity. I believe you

need at least two, because should one leaveand one could absolutely leave at

any timeyoull feel it. She counsels that one of your internals be in your line

of sight, the other in another division.

The third should be an outsider: either a former insider you worked with whos

moved on, or someone youve gotten to know in a different context who cannonetheless speak to your professional strengths if called upon. Anne Erni,

who heads up Leadership, Learning, and Diversity at Bloomberg, found her

berth at the global business and financial information/news company after

her previous position, and her firm, imploded in the financial crisis of 2008.

For years in her diversity role at Lehman Brothers, shed maintained a collegial

relationship with Melinda Wolfe, who had key talent roles first at Goldman

Sachs and then at Bloomberg. Oftentimes they competed for the same Wall

Street talent. When Lehman went bust, Wolfe convinced her executive circle

Figure 3.4:Protgs who have only one sponsor

WomenMen

56%49% 51% 53% 53%

69%




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at Bloomberg to create a role for Erni in succession planning. Melinda was

a real advocate for me with senior decision-makers and the chairman of the

company, says Erni. She not only sponsored me for the role, but when it came

down to getting an offer for full-time hire, she was the voice in the room that

made it happen.

When targeting sponsors in-house, Task Force members agree, look for twolevels of separation. The person two levels above should be someone with

influence within the organization, and a different view when it comes to

potential stretch opportunities than someone closer, such as your manager.

Other Good Bets A superior whom youve worked for, but whos not your boss. Target the leader

of, say, the womens network, or the head of your affinity group. (If youre

not already a member, heres a perfect reason to join.) Barbara Adachi,

head of Human Capital for Deloitte Consulting LLP, identifies two women

as her protges, both of whom found her, she says, through WIN,

Deloittes professional womens network, which Adachi also recently led.

And dont overlook opportunities to be a mentor, as these relationshipswill make you visible to a wide range of leaders across divisions.

External leaders.Cultivate professional ties outside of work. Join an industry

group, or get active in a philanthropic cause or non-profit board. Stay

current or renew ties with your alumni group or fraternity or sorority. Run

for a school board position, a community organizer role, a lay leadership

post in your church, or other local office. These provide invaluable

leadership training, but they also give you visibility so that leaders in the

larger community can take note of your passion, your drive, and your

unique skills or experience. Deb Elam, vice president and chief diversity

officer at GE, makes herself available to young talent through the National

Black MBA Association and Jack & Jill of America. Shes active as well

in the national executive board of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the

Fairfield County chapter of The Links Inc. Elam is passionate about her

causes, which give her the opportunity to leverage skills and knowledge

shes acquired in the course of a 25-year GE career. They also represent an

extensive network of influentials outside the firm who recognize Elam as

a leader.

Former sponsors.Once you cultivate a sponsor, never let her go. You never

know when you may need to reach back and re-activate the alliance.

Eleanor Mills, a columnist and associate editor at The Sunday Times, recalls

how her very first sponsor and editor, Sarah Baxter, provided her an escapehatch from the Saturday edition of the Times, where Mills had assumed

a managerial role that proved pretty bruising and a poor platform for

her skills. Baxter created a dream job to lure her back, making Mills

enormously glad shed lunched often with her old editor. Sometimes you

find yourself in a place where the fit is all wrong and the only reasonable

thing to do is pull the plug, Mills reflects. Thats when youll be grateful

you kept in touch with that first sponsor.



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STEP FOUR: UNDERSTAND THAT ITS NOT ALLABOUT YOU

Early in her career, working in sales at Motorola, Therese* was assigned a

mentor through a talent development program. Delighted to be chosen for

what she perceived to be a fast track to management, Therese punctuallyshowed up for the monthly meetings, took careful notes, and tried to be a

good student.

In retrospect, shes horrified at her utter passivity. I didnt even take

responsibility for scheduling the meetings! she says. But Therese, now an HR

executive at a Swiss multinational, recognizes that passivity is endemic to

mentoring programs, not just at Motorola but at every firm intent on retaining

and developing its most promising employees. Theres this gift mindset

among high-potentials, she explains. You just wait for that next installment

of advice. Its all about you.

The Mentoring MindsetMentors provide support and counsel to struggling up-and-comers because

they enjoy sharing what theyve learned. They give without expecting to get.

Sponsors, in contrast, expend their time and energy for you and extend

you their networks because youre expending it right back. When you feel

that two-way energy, Barbara Adachi explains, thats when you know its

sponsorship. Thats why my protgs are protgs. Its a two-way street when I

feel it runs both ways.

Thats why senior managers overwhelmingly extend their advocacy to those

who show initiative. Seventy-two percent of executives and C-suite leaders say

theyre looking for protgs who assume responsibility and are self-directed.Sponsors also want, of course, a protg who can get things done (as 41

percent indicate), and whos willing to do what it takes to do them

(45 percent want a protg who delivers 110 percent). But proactivity in a

protg is paramount.

Figure 3.5:What qualities or attributes do you look for in a protg? (Executives)

45%

72%

44% 41% 38% 38%

Assumesresponsibility

and is self-directed

Delivers110% effort

Is loyal: Devotedand discreet

can be absolutelytrusted and keeps

me informed

Hits deadlinesand gets

things done

Is creative andinnovative

Offers a skill-setand brings a per-spective different

than mine



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Alas, not every would-be protg gets this. As many of our Task Force members

have observed, years of corporate mentoring initiatives have lulled women and

people of color into thinking their career trajectory is in other, more capable

hands. No sooner are they tapped for development than they sit back and

wait for the magic to happen. They telegraph that expectation, which acts as a

turn-off to high-level leaders who simply cant afford to take on more mentees,

however doggedly HR flogs them to do so. Its a vicious cycle, one that ensuressponsorship remains an Old Boys Club phenomenon.

Honor the PactHeres how to signal youll be a contributing party to the relationship:

Deliver outside your job description. One attorney in our Task Force describes

how, as an associate on the brink of taking maternity leave, she canvassed

her network and called in every favor to generate a small book of new

clients for the firm. Booking clients is a partners job, but by demonstrating

she could do it she returned from maternity leave to find herself on an

accelerated partner track.

Give whats needed without needing to be asked.Jennifer Christie tries to makea habit of not just figuring out what she needs to do every day and the

goals she wants to achieve: she also thinks about what her sponsors are

working on, and what they need to maintain their relationships with their

leaders. If you proactively give them information or do something you

know will help them be successful when they dont ask for it, they will

know you have their back and are not just standing in front of them with a

hand out.

Make the small gesture. Warm soup on a cold day, a note of condolence

in the wake of a personal loss, a celebratory bouquet of flowers, and

even a cup of coffee the way she likes it telegraph that her concerns are

top of mind for you. You wont appear the suck-up if you execute with

discretionand genuine feeling.

STEP FIVE: COME THROUGH ON TWOOBVIOUS FRONTS

Barbara Adachi never misses an opportunity to talk up her first sponsor at

Deloitte. Originally her fellow partner at Deloitte Consulting, Mike Fucci

eventually became her bossbut only after hed helped her become the firms

first female regional managing director, lobbying for her appointment withtheir mutual boss, Ainar Aijala, from the opposite coast, even flying out to San

Francisco to show Adachi what she needed to know to succeed.

What motivated Fucci to go to such lengths on her behalf? His generosity,

Adachi offers, and his genuine interest in developing talent for the firm. But

then she acknowledges that Fucci perceived in her someone as committed

to the business and as fervent about the mission as he was. We had vastly

different styles, she says, but our values were the same. What made him



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take a risk on my promotion wasnt only my loyalty to himeven though he

knew Id never let him downbut my loyalty to the firm. Id never leave, not

for double the money. He knew whatever role Ainar put me in, Id give it my

absolute best.

On two essential fronts, that is, Adachi came through: She could be absolutely

trusted, and absolutely trusted to deliver.

The One-Two PunchAmbitious men and women certainly grasp the power of

solid performancehitting deadlines, delivering on targets,

and driving superior resultsin winning sponsorship. They

understand, too, that sponsors want someone to lean on

who wont let them down, wont talk behind their back, and

wont allow others to impugn their reputation. But what they

dont seem to get is that sponsors back people who will over-

deliver for the firm, not just the sponsor, because theyre

loyal to the mission rather than simply to the relationship.

(This is why sponsorship, when its done right, cannot bebranded nepotism.) In fact, about a third of high-potentials,

overall, manage to come through on both fronts: 35 percent

of women and 29 percent of men, our research shows.

How to Deliver on Both Fronts Take something huge off your target sponsors plate. Adachi describes how one

of her protgs approached her at a WIN meeting. She said, Barbara,

Im Alison Gorman, and Id like to help you in any way that I can, Adachi

recalls. Then she got right in there and helped me with one my biggest

projects, which was formulating a strategy for WIN. Working on that

project together, I could see she was as passionate as I was. So even

though shes in another division, I was able to be a voice at the table when

she came up for partnership.

Put your passion to work. Pfizer Global Access, a program that brings health

care to the worlds working poor, is the outgrowth of a group of employees

keen to donate their own time to help realize Pfizers mission worldwide.

When Global Access forged an alliance with Grameen Bank, employees

swarmed to fill the volunteer positions. Not only did the program serve

the underserved, however; everybody involved in its success enjoyed

tremendous visibility with Pfizers leadership.

Do the incredible favor. Rosa Ramos-Kwok, a managing director at Morgan

Stanley in IT, was all set to fly to California to receive an award whenthe company experienced a data center incident. An hour before her

departure, she called her project manager and told him she was canceling

her trip to see him through the crisis. Thank you for always being there,

he told her. And years later, he remembered how she helped him. When

Ramos-Kwok was struggling to pull out of a career stall, he worked with

her to devise strategies that might get her promoted, ultimately helping

her to land the managing director position.

Fi

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