Mentor vs Sponsor: Why Not Both?

People have long wondered — mentorship vs sponsorship, which is right for my organization or my career? Organizations have turned to both as tools to boost their employees’ careers and professional development.

Whether mentor vs sponsor, the two practices have a lot in common, but they do have different definitions and functions. While both can have a big impact in their own way, they can be even more effective when organizations use them together, especially for underrepresented groups.

The words mentor vs sponsor are not synonymous. It’s important to note the two words serve distinct roles in one’s professional journey. Below are the differences between a mentor vs sponsor and how one can determine which one is right for their professional development.

What is Mentorship?

Mentorship typically involves a senior person sharing their knowledge and providing guidance for those who are early in their careers, according to Gallup. They act as sounding boards, help mentees build skills and offer advice in making savvy decisions within a context of trust and confidentiality.

Mentors “shine as you start to define your dream. They can see and put into words for you what you may not see about yourself or be able to articulate. They can help you determine your strengths: what you do exceptionally well and what sets you apart,” says Sylvia Ann Hewlett, President and CEO of the Center for Talent Innovation, in an interview with Forbes.

What is Sponsorship?

Sponsorship goes beyond advising to action. Sponsors are often in a position of power and take an active role in an individual’s career advancement and growth—whether that’s through crucial introductions and actively promoting or defending them.

According to Rosalind Chow, associate professor of organizational behavior and theory at Carnegie Mellon University, sponsorship is often defined as “spending one’s social capital or using one’s influence to advocate for a protégé.” While mentorship generally involves the mentor and mentee, sponsorship is a “three-way relationship between sponsors, protégés, and an audience,” Chow says.

7 key differences between mentors vs. sponsors

Any debate that pits mentor vs sponsor misses the point; both are important in moving careers forward and contribute to an organization’s company culture and productivity. Here are some of the ways in which sponsors and mentors provide value to individuals and organizations.

 

	Mentors	Sponsors
Role	Guides and shares knowledge with mentees and provides support and advice as needed throughout the mentees’ careers.	Plays an active part in the protégé’s career, whether that be through introductions or actively recommending them for promotions and opportunities.
Nature of relationship	Can be formal or informal depending on what programs exist within organizations. Mentors and mentees can typically define it in a way that is specific to them.	Typically formed in an organic, informal structure. Sponsors take active roles to further the protégé’s career, and in turn, have a greater stake in their success.
Suitability	Mentors typically have more experience and seniority than mentees, but they don’t necessarily need to. Arrangements like mentoring circles or reverse mentorship pairs mentors/mentees who are at the same level or mentors who have less seniority than their mentees.	Sponsors need to be in a position of power and influence within the organization. This might mean being in a leadership role with decision-making powers, or a senior person with close professional relationships with the company’s decision-makers.
Benefits to employees	Mentees gain a support system and a sounding board to talk through their issues at work, while mentors get to hone their leadership skills in a low-stakes environment.	Protégés benefit from having someone advocate for them in a formal setting, while sponsors can bolster their reputation by identifying the next generation of talent and potential leaders.
Benefits to organizations	Mentorship provides an opportunity for employees to build meaningful relationships—both professionally and personally. Research shows that employees who reported having at least one friend at work experience greater satisfaction and are much more likely to be engaged and productive at work.	Sponsorship can provide an informal talent pipeline for the company. In addition, employees who have the opportunities to learn, grow, and advance within the organization are more likely to be loyal, productive, and high-performing.
Time commitment	Mentors and mentees can decide on a frequency that works for them. Some might opt to meet on a regular basis, while others may decide that an as-needed approach is more appropriate.	Sponsors will often meet and communicate with their protégés on an as-needed basis, typically when there is an opportunity that the protégé wants to pursue.
Experience required	The level of experience depends on the nature of the mentoring relationships. In traditional arrangements, for example, mentors should have more work experience than mentees. However, in the instances of reverse mentoring, the mentor may have less experience at the organization yet possess more subject-matter expertise and knowledge.	Sponsors are more experienced than their protégés in almost every way.

Some sponsorships can start as mentoring relationships. Sometimes a mentor can introduce their mentee to a potential sponsor within their organization. Other times, mentoring and sponsoring relationships are completely separate.

However, creating a strong mentoring culture within an organization often provides a suitable foundation for both mentorship and sponsorship.

What is coaching vs mentorship vs sponsorship?

While mentorship and sponsorship focus on the long-term growth and support of the employee, coaching targets specific goals. For example, you might engage a media coach to help a new executive learn how to participate in interviews, panel discussions and other media opportunities.

A coach teaches a specific skill or provides support in achieving a goal. Typically, they come from outside the organization and work with the employee for a limited period of time.

A mentor provides long-term support with a wider focus. For example, leadership development mentoring connects high-potential employees with top performers and managers. These mentors can offer support across a variety of areas.

A sponsor uses their experience, knowledge and social capital to help an employee advance in their career. Again, sponsors may start out as mentors and grow from there.

Coaching has clear goals and objectives

Coaching is often time-limited and intensive. To succeed, coaching initiatives must have clear goals and objectives, buy-in from the executive team and a means of tracking success.

Coaching alongside sponsorship and mentorship

Like mentorships and sponsorship, coaching is far from an exclusive proposition. You may choose to develop coaching programs alongside mentorship and sponsorship programs in order to achieve a suite of short- and long-term objectives.

Can a mentor also be a sponsor?

A mentor can become a sponsor by taking a more active role in an employee’s career. Once they do so, the employee becomes a protege and benefits from more direct intervention. Typically, this happens after the mentor and mentee have worked together for at least a few months and developed a rapport. It’s essential to build trust first because the sponsor will be putting their reputation on the line.

Once the relationship has evolved, it’s no longer strictly a mentorship dynamic. The sponsor may continue to provide guidance and moral support, but the focus has changed. As an example, picture an employee who is applying for a more senior role within the organization. A mentor will support the employee by offering insight into the requirements of the job and the culture of the organization. A sponsor may provide that same support, but they will also advocate on behalf of the employee with senior leadership.

Tips for Building a Successful Sponsorship Program

Sponsors can open doors for their proteges in a variety of ways. They might connect them with opportunities in the organization, advocate directly for their advancement with stakeholders or increase their visibility by sharing their wins with a wider audience.

In taking these steps, sponsors put their reputations on the line in a way that mentors do not. Therefore, designing sponsorship programs carefully is especially important to ensure the best results for participants and the company. Below are some best practices for an effective sponsorship program.

Set expectations

Clearly outline the objectives and goals of the sponsorship program to both parties involved. Define expectations regarding support, commitment and communication to ensure mutual understanding and alignment from the start.

Build a roadmap

Develop a roadmap that outlines potential steps and skills required for the protégé to achieve success. Identify milestones, training opportunities and networking events that can help the protégé acquire the necessary experience and skills, ensuring they are well-prepared to capitalize on opportunities as they arise.

Create feedback loops

Once the sponsors and protégés have set the expectations, they need to agree on a feedback system to ensure they’re meeting those expectations. That way, they can make the necessary changes that keep the protégé on the right track.

Get executive buy-in

To succeed, sponsorship programs must have support from leadership. Ideally, these initiatives should occupy a space in a broader culture of learning. The organization should weave sponsorship and mentorship into its core values along with individual goals and KPIs.

Set goals and metrics

What drives your sponsorship program? Identify your goals and set metrics to define success. Set realistic targets and KPIs and make sure your program objectives are specific and time-bound. A little precision during the planning process will yield more measurable, actionable results down the line.

Fight unconscious bias

“If you constantly look for role models who look like you, then there won’t be any firsts,” said former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at The Women’s Conference 2008. “Sally Ride would not have been the first woman astronaut had she been looking for a woman to follow.”

Formal sponsorship programs are a way to mitigate this bias by encouraging leaders to work with employees from different backgrounds. However, companies must measure diversity in these initiatives and educate participants about organizational goals.

Build trust

Sponsorship initiatives thrive or fail on the strength of the relationships involved. Giving sponsors and proteges a chance to participate in the matching process can go a long way. It’s also important to allow sponsor pairs to develop a rapport before moving forward. Sponsors will feel more comfortable advocating for their proteges once they’ve built trust.

The Importance of Mentorship and Sponsorship for Underrepresented Employees

If still deciding on sponsorship vs mentorship, know that both are powerful tools for cultivating diversity and equity for underrepresented groups, including women, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), and LGBTQIA employees. These groups are sorely underrepresented in senior leadership positions, and often, they don’t receive the mentoring or sponsorship opportunities that can be so valuable for positive engagement and rising in the ranks.

Women

According to a Leanin.org survey, women are 24 percent less likely than men to get advice from senior leaders. Meanwhile, 62 percent of women of color feel that they are being held back by not having an influential mentor. Sponsorship and mentorship help women expand their networks, gain crucial skills and break through gender barriers.

BIPOC

As of the end of 2020, almost 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs were white males. With few BIPOC leaders at the top level, it can be a challenge for aspiring executives of color to visualize themselves in these positions. Engaging with a mentor or sponsor who offers encouragement and paints a picture of possibility can be invaluable in helping a mentee aim higher.

LGBTQIA+

According to McKinsey research, LGBTQIA women are more than twice as likely as straight women to feel as though they cannot share their life outside of work with colleagues. On the other side, LGBTQIA women who are out at work tend to be happier with their careers and workplaces than those who are closeted. Mentorships can offer a relationship of trust in which LGBTQIA employees can be honest about who they are, feel supported and engage more at work.

When to implement a sponsorship vs. mentorship program

Whether or not it’s best for your organization to implement a sponsorship vs. mentorship program depends on a number of factors.

Review the needs of employees

Every employee will have a different career path, and different needs when it comes to personal and professional development. If your employees require a lot of guidance to meet their career advancement goals, they can benefit from a structured mentoring program. On the other hand, if you have an organization full of employees who normally go above and beyond but aren’t always aware of opportunities that can impact their career growth, a sponsorship program may be best.

Examine talent shortages

You should also assess your employees’ needs against what your organization requires. If you’re noticing a talent shortage in a specific area, a mentoring program that develops and upskills employees can help fill this gap. If talented employees are not staying on and growing their careers with the company, a sponsorship program can help create a leadership pipeline.

Assess support networks and informal relationships

Lastly, examine the existing support network and productive relationships that already exist—whether that be formal or informal. In an ideal company culture, mentoring and sponsorship relationships can form organically. Figure out where your company’s gaps are, and decide which support would warrant the company’s resources.

Why Do You Need Both Mentors and Sponsors?

Because sponsorship may evolve out of mentorship, you may think that your organization can do with just one type of initiative. However, it’s worth continuing to invest in mentorship for its own merits.

Mentorship offers unique possibilities for two-way learning and support. Sponsorship, with its laser focus on career promotion, might not offer as fertile ground for learning new skills or developing peer relationships. However, it does offer unique possibilities for connecting high-potential employees with opportunities.

Traditionally, mentor/sponsor relationships have been formed by chance or by self-selection in which sponsors often choose people who are like them, excluding many others who are equally worthy of sponsorship.

Intentional sponsorship or mentorship programs help ensure that deserving employees get the opportunity to learn from senior leaders and receive recognition and opportunities—no matter their background or identity.

Enabling Formal Sponsorship Programs with Mentoring Software

Whether you’re just getting started with employee sponsorship or looking for ways to measure the success of existing initiatives, mentoring software can help. Easily track essential metrics that will demonstrate ROI to leadership while reducing your administrative burden and offering easy-to-scale, personalized experiences to participants.

Mentoring software can help organizations build more effective matches to support employees at every step of the sponsorship journey.