Be the Mentor and Sponsor Your People Need

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0:37What propels you? Propel with Gatorade Electrolytes. Hey everyone, welcome to Management Tip Unpacked, our new monthly LinkedIn Live series where we'll help you make sense of your career, the workplace, the wider business landscape. I'm Nicole Smith, the Editorial Audience Director at HBR, and joining me today I'm going to have Octavia Goradima. She's a career coach and author of the book Prep, Push, Pivot. I actually just read it, so we're going to dive a little bit into the book at the end. But today we'll be talking about how to show up as a great mentor and sponsor for your team. I'll be starting off with a few questions for Octavia, but I actually want to hear from you as well.

1:16So please just share any questions you have in the chat and tell us where you're from about mentorship and sponsorship in the comments. Hey, Octavia. Hi, Nikki. Thank you so much for having me. Oh, well, you know what? You are a vet at HBRC. I find it to be a great, great pleasure to interview you today about a topic you really care about since we chatted a bit about it, about mentorship and sponsorship. And so the first question I want to ask you is what's the difference? So a mentor is someone who can support, advise and guide you during your career.

1:54Octavia Goredema:A mentor might be someone who works with you at your organization or they may not. It might be someone who is within your industry or within your broader professional networks, but they have expertise or areas of insight that are super helpful or valuable with regards to a next step that you want to make. A sponsor is someone who is an advocate for your career advancement. They act on your behalf to accelerate opportunities for you to take that next step and And as a result, sponsors usually work with you at your organization and are more senior leaders at your organization. So can a sponsor be outside of your organization?

2:50They can be if they have influence in terms of the next step that you want to make and connections to do so. But it's more common for a sponsor to work with you when you're looking to make that next step. Now, a mentor and a sponsor can sometimes be the same thing because sometimes a sponsorship relationship and dynamic began from mentoring or sometimes someone just might be a mentor. And so a mentor can come in several forms.

3:21Octavia Goredema:It might be that you find that person from outside your organization or from initiatives that you're connected with or professional organizations. and mentorship is so valuable because it can provide a sounding board for when you are wanting to talk through opportunities or challenges or perspectives and a mentor can share their perspective on what you're looking to do next based on the path that they have brought themselves. Well, here's the thing. So a lot of the people in the audience are managers, right? This is management tip unpacked. Why should a manager concern themselves, right? Why should they learn how to be a sponsor, a mentor?

4:03Why should they take responsibility? So I'm a career coach and I coach

4:09Octavia Goredema:thousands of professionals every year. I work with companies large and small to provide workshops and group coaching and one-on-one coaching. And there's a consistent theme that I see. the individuals who are motivated and empowered and engaged all have mentors or sponsors or both who have contributed to their advancement and then on the flip side the individual this episode is brought to you by google chrome you think you know a browser but gemini and chrome that's new it can help you with practically anything on the web like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.

4:57Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18 plus. Propel Fitness Water with Gatorade electrolytes, zero sugar and vitamins. Propel hydrates better than water to help you get the most out of your workout and get back to your best self. What propels you? Propel with Gatorade Electrolytes. Those that I work with that are struggling and are not focused and are trying to figure out if they should remain at their organization or what they should do next, more often than not,

5:35Octavia Goredema:they don't have a mentor and they don't have a sponsor. So being a leader, it's so important to recognize what an impact you have and you may not even be in a formalized mentoring program but you have to recognize that other people look to you they look at how you navigate your career they look at how you show up to meetings they look to how you show up in the workplace and you have to realize that if your actions inspire others to learn more or do more or become more or dream bigger, you're a leader. And so you have an opportunity to make an investment in the career development and advancement of others.

6:24Yeah, well, that's one of the reasons why I actually like management is that I get to help other people shape their career or grow or, you know, I feel like that's an advantage of management. But what if I figure out I'm this really great mentor, I feel good about mentoring people, I'm not quite sure if I can be a sponsor, can you be a good mentor and not suited to be a sponsor? So that's a really great question, Nikki, because sponsorship, there's a lot of components that go into it.

6:53Octavia Goredema:First of all, as someone who is looking for that level of support, they have to be really clear about what they're looking to do next, and why they're looking to do that next, and what they may need to help get there. And sponsors others also have to look and see where can I add value how might I be able to support and dependent on what the individual needs there may be opportunities it may be that it lends itself better to a mentoring relationship than actually being able to take the next steps to be a sponsor so there's a lot that goes into it but there are also so many ways that you can be a sponsor of others, often we think about, oh, we need that person to help us get our next promotion or that next opportunity.

7:43But as a sponsor, you can shine a light just in terms of recognizing the accomplishments of someone else, talking about someone else's work, making recommendations in terms of a connection that could be a really powerful catalyst for that person. So a sponsor acts.

8:03Octavia Goredema:A sponsor takes actions that will help your career advancement. And that might come in a variety of different forms. So it can look different, basically. Exactly. Yeah. Well, Claudia from France, she asked us, what are your tips on being a mentor from a distance? So let's talk a little bit about that. How can you be, can you be a good mentor virtually or is it really an in-person engagement? So in a nutshell, absolutely. You can be a great mentor if you are from a distance, if you are remote. And, you know, so much has shifted for so many of us over recent years, but a consistent theme is that visibility matters.

8:49Octavia Goredema:And so if you have already made the commitment to invest your time in supporting someone else, that is powerful. If you are from a distance, I think as a mentor, and it's really important to perhaps give some consideration to the parameters for how you can work with your mentee, how you'll communicate, and talk about that and perhaps lay that out in terms of an outline at the outset. But be prepared to be flexible. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.

9:38Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. Propel Fitness Water. With Gatorade electrolytes, zero sugar and vitamins, Propel hydrates better than water to help you get the most out of your workout and get back to your best self. What propels you? Propel with Gatorade electrolytes.

10:04Octavia Goredema:And also recognize your capacity to and communicate when you perhaps might be busy or when you might not be able to connect. and also be proactive about checking in, in between too. But I don't think being remote is an obstacle. I actually think it can be a real advantage because when you have individuals who have maybe taken on new responsibilities or started at your organisation or early in their career, and if they are working remotely, that visibility might not be where they would like it to be. they might not have the opportunity to forge new connections or to observe how things take place in your place of work.

10:53Octavia Goredema:So those connections that you can make as a mentor will be so valuable. They really will. Well, I want to remind everyone, you can ask Octavia a question. We're going to try to get to as many questions as we can throughout the conversation. Just drop it in the chat. Let Let us know your name, where you're from and your question. But speaking of, so basically I've taken on a manager role, right? And I want to know, is it an expectation that I'd be my employee's mentor or sponsor? Is that a given? Is that a foregone conclusion? Yeah. So that's a great question, Nikki. And you need to look at, well, first of all, does your organization have programs or opportunities or employee resource groups or mechanisms that pair individuals with mentors.

11:41Octavia Goredema:And if so, and if you want to raise your hand for those, that's fantastic. But when you're looking in terms of your day to day and dependent on your capacity and dependent on the number of people that you lead, you may not be able to mentor everyone who asks you or everyone that you want to. But here's the thing. Mentoring can take place in so many different forms. Sometimes we think of it as perhaps an ongoing sustained relationship. And it's fantastic if that happens, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. Even one-off conversations can be so valuable. And here's the thing, for so many professionals, the only time they get asked about their career development and their goals is maybe once a year in their performance reviews.

12:24And that's a real missed opportunity. So if you have perhaps, I don't know, team meetings or one-on-one meetings with your maybe once a quarter. You make time to ask open-ended questions and talk about goals and talk

12:41Octavia Goredema:about what that individual is working towards and give space to share perspectives and have a mentor led conversation even if you perhaps may not be in a formal mentoring relationship. I think you can still find lots of ways to do that. So many organizations have fireside chat opportunities, professional associations, they do the same thing. You can be providing guidance to more than one person when you share how you've done what you do and what you've learned from the process. So don't forget that too. Do you see performance reviews? Because you mentioned performance interviews. Do you see that as a tool for mentoring?

13:26It can be. Of course, it's a really important opportunity to talk about next steps and progress.

13:34Octavia Goredema:But I think it's a missed opportunity if that's the only time when you are having those conversations with the people that are reporting to you or work alongside you. It's a real missed opportunity. I think it's really important to be intentional about career development in between and in the build-up to performance reviews. Now, bandwidth is key. It's not always possible to, as I said, mentor everyone that... This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.

14:19Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility, and availability varies 18+. Propel Fitness Water with Gatorade electrolytes, zero sugar, and vitamins. Propel hydrates better than water to help you get the most out of your workout and get back to your best self. What propels you? Propel with Gatorade Electrolytes.

14:44Octavia Goredema:Works alongside you, but having mentor-focused conversations can happen at regular intervals. Absolutely. Yeah, that makes sense. So Karen from South Carolina in the United States says, how do we communicate value of volunteer experience? So think board positions, you mentoring, that could help with a career transition when it usually isn't ranked in like a traditional job application? Yeah, so I think that's a great question. And often there is so much that we might be doing in our broader lives that impact our work in terms of how we show up as leaders. And I think it's important, maybe your manager or boss doesn't know that you sit on a board.

15:31Octavia Goredema:And if they do, they might not be aware of what you are delivering in that role. And so communicate, share, not just what you're doing, but what your insights are from that work. And often that might provide opportunities for you to not just mentor, but perhaps add value to your organization based from what you're learning. Because I think what we sometimes forget as well, when we're thinking about being a mentor, it's what we're giving and what we're providing. but there's so much that we as leaders also can learn and benefit from. We broaden our networks, we learn new perspectives, we foster new relationships.

16:14All of those things are incredibly valuable. And so it's important for your peers and for your managers to know as well

16:21Octavia Goredema:what you are immersed in. So definitely communicate and share your insights from those roles. OK, well, one more and then I'll ask you some thoughts that I was having. But Bruno from Massachusetts asked, would it be accurate to say that a sponsor is usually a mentor? Do they always have to go hand in hand? They can be both, but not always. It might be. I'll give an example. You know, I started my career in the United Kingdom. I now live and work here in the United States. The reason I'm here in the United States is because someone acted as a sponsor for me and recommended me for a transfer for a role in my company at the time here in the United States.

17:03That person wasn't a mentor to me, but they were proactive in my advancement.

17:10Octavia Goredema:And so it doesn't necessarily have to be that you are a mentor to be an advocate for someone else. They can be separate. Okay, fair, fair enough. So what skills or characteristics should I have if I want to be an effective sponsor? Can I put it, you know, pin it down to a specific skill set or skills or characteristic? Ask questions. Be a great listener. Present ideas and opportunities. A sponsor stretches you. They stretch what you might think could be possible. They open doors. they forge connections they even can plant seeds seeds of ideas for you to explore further and I think if you are a leader who is invested in the advancement of others also in addition to providing accountability don't make assumptions either um just because someone wants to perhaps done something that do the same thing that you have done or it doesn't mean that their experience or their journey to that will be the same as yours um often we are drawn to individuals that there's something about them that we can see they want to watch that's fantastic um but be really Be inclusive about the connections that you make and who you are investing in and don't make assumptions.

18:45This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50 page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability varies 18 plus. Propel Fitness Water with Gatorade electrolytes, zero sugar and vitamins. Propel hydrates better than water to help you get the most out of your workout and get back to your best self.

19:22What propels you? Propel with Gatorade electrolytes. Yeah, that's probably just good advice in general. Yes. So let me ask you this. what questions should I be asking my mentee if I want to be a good mentor?

19:37Octavia Goredema:Oh, I really think it's important for mentees to be clear about their goals and prioritizing their goals. So open-ended questions about what excites you about your role? What are you looking to do more of? Where can I potentially add value to that? And listen to the responses. And remember, as a mentor, it's not necessarily your responsibility to have all of the answers that your mentee might be looking for. There might be some things you're not able to assist with or provide a perspective on, and that's okay. But what I think is really important also to remember is that when you're a mentor, it's one of the few spaces that your mentee will have to talk about things that might be challenging or difficult and have space to fail and to explore what it might look like if things don't work or aren't working the way that they want to.

20:41And one of the most powerful things that you can also do as a mentor is share perhaps where things hadn't worked for you and what you learned from that and how you navigated that and how you moved forward. Because when we're at work, we don't want to make mistakes, right? We're there to solve problems. We're there to add value. We don't want to make mistakes. And often we don't feel we can

21:03Octavia Goredema:actually talk to our peers or our managers about things that aren't working the way that we want them to. And so having a mentor can be a safe space to explore that and to discuss that. And I firmly believe that's where you learn the most. Well, how much do you discuss? Because Eduardo from the Philippine asked, you know, how much do you decide or how much guidance should you give a mentee, right? How much room should you give them to make their own decisions? And like you said, make their own mistakes. How much guidance should I be giving a mentee? Yes, it can be a very difficult one, especially when we're forging relationships and we want the person we're working with to succeed.

21:43Octavia Goredema:But here's the thing. You have to give your mentee space to absorb and to act and what happens next is not in your control but you have done your role as a mentor to provide support and advice and guidance the rest is up to your mentee and only share what you feel comfortable sharing. You are in the best position to judge in terms of what your mentee might need and then what they need to go and explore and do next. Okay, so how do you choose your mentee? Sometimes organizations are very intentional about providing opportunities to pair individuals with mentees sometimes you might be asked out of the blue by somebody if you can provide support so my advice is always trust your gut and also know that a mentoring relationship doesn't have to last forever and if you start working with someone as in a mentor and mentee relationship and it's not quite working for whatever reason that's okay that's okay but you can recognize that and provide some some feedback and some counsel and that person can perhaps find someone who might be better aligned in terms of what they need and you in turn might be able to work with someone who you can best support to i think that's absolutely fine you know i um i've worked at this in in this space in so many components i have been mentored i still am mentored i who says halloween only lasts one day with wayfair one night of halloween becomes a whole season at home.

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24:26Octavia Goredema:I've mentored others. I served on the steering committee to put together mentoring programs. And I think it's really important to recognize that we want to try and make sure that there's a great fit. But sometimes it takes time to figure out if there is a fit and it's OK if there isn't. Well, it sounds like, quite frankly, it just sounds like a big job. What if I feel overwhelmed? What if I feel overwhelmed about this whole now I became a manager and a mentor and maybe I'm a sponsor? How do I deal with the weight of it all? It can sometimes when you're looking at it from the outside, you might think, am I capable of doing all of this?

25:06Octavia Goredema:And I think it's important to recognize your bandwidth and you don't want to burn out and take on responsibilities or perhaps start things that you can't fully invest in. So recognize that there might not be a good time for you to jump into something new if you are completely at capacity. But here's the thing. People look to us sometimes whether we recognize it or not. I mean, think about it, Nikki, there might be people in your professional circle, people that you admire, who they don't realize the impact that they have just on you in terms of you looking to them as role models. So just know that there can be different degrees in terms of how you can support someone, whether it's a one time 30 minute conversation can be so powerful.