How to Find a Sponsor to Fast-Track Your Career
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Set Your Target Range
Your sponsor should rank at least two levels above you—high enough to make impact but close enough to get a line of sight on your work.
He's not your buddy, and he's not your boss. He's not even someone you work with on a daily basis. However, he could very well have a more positive influence on your career than any of those colleagues. He (or she) is called a sponsor, and there is sure to be one in your organization. As a sponsor, this individual is capable of making things happen in your career that you could never do on your own. However, for that to happen, you must make a successful connection. The recent book, Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career (Harvard Business Review Press/available now), examines this emerging trend in-depth. Author Sylvia Ann Hewlett illustrates useful best practices to help you make a meaningful connection to potential sponsor executives—and to take full advantage of the opportunity once you do. The accomplished CEOs and business leaders who, in their earlier years, benefitted by pursuing sponsorships include Brady Dougan of Credit Suisse, Pat Fili-Krushel of NBC Universal News and Sallie Krawcheck of Bank of America. Hewlett is an economist and founding chair and CEO of the Center for Talent Innovation.