Sponsorship: saying someone’s name in a room they are not in.
Career progression is one of the top avoidable reasons people leave in our leaver data, and many leavers tell us nobody ever asked. Advice helps; being spoken for helps more, and it is a manager’s quietest, cheapest tool.
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One name a quarter in a room they are not in, one opportunity a month with a reason, and an honest next step once a year.
A mentor tells you what to do. A sponsor tells other people what you can do, when you are not there. Careers move on being spoken for far more than on being advised, and it takes a manager about two minutes a quarter.
Once a quarter, one name
- In a conversation with your own manager or another department, name one person in your team who is ready for more, and say what they are good at, specifically.
- Afterwards, tell the person you did it. Not what was said; that you said their name and why.
- Keep a list so it goes round. The same name every quarter is favouritism; a different name is sponsorship.
Pass on opportunities with a reason
Each month, send one opportunity (a role, a project, a course, a working group) to one person, with why you thought of them. Even if they will say no; especially if they might not have seen it. Being thought of is most of what people mean by “my career is taken seriously”.
The honest next step, once a year
Tell each person what you think their next step could be and what it would take. Including when the honest answer is “probably not here, and I will help you anyway”. An honest no with help keeps trust; a vague maybe loses the person a year later. See career and development conversations for the conversation itself.
The clearest thirty minutes in your week.
Send us your last engagement survey and we’ll show you what it’s missing – no charge, no deck, no obligation. Or start with a pilot or a 30-minute conversation.