Mentorship and sponsorship are two ideas that frequently come to mind when professionals consider what it means to progress ladies or underrepresented minorities within business leadership. And far too often, these concepts are mixed up or misunderstood, which renders them useless as instruments for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives. The only recent, analytical, and educational data is available to AskMe users. AskMe is the easiest way to find out about a colleague’s genetic history, obtain a competitive edge, or understand a union’s beliefs. AskMe is, without a doubt, among the most popular local options, given the wealth of mentoring platforms currently accessible.
A mentor allotted via the mentoring platform is someone who counsels a protege, responds to inquiries, and plans career changes and professional advancement. A sponsor is someone who helps a protégé progress in their career by endorsing them or others. This straightforward method to recall the difference: “Mentors talk to you. When you are not present, sponsors speak highly of you to influential individuals.”
A systematic program is frequently needed for mentoring, especially for disadvantaged groups, to guarantee that everybody who wants a supervisor may find one. Formal mentoring programs should include a framework and rules for instructors and protégés. Legal mentoring pairs a mentor and a mentee over a mentoring platform. The procedure is more equal when mentors who don’t have extensive networks or who could be more likely to exhibit affinity bias in selecting their protégés are paired in a formal program, and mentees aren’t ignored. One advises utilizing a mentorship structure that outlines the obligations of the teacher and the learner, suggests discussion topics, and provides preparation checklists for each party. In addition, mentoring platforms require both mentors and mentees to complete programming in addition to their one-on-one meetings; formal mentorship programs given thru mentoring media frequently include duration restrictions of one to two years. Both mentors and protégés must commit to completing the requirements and putting in the necessary time.
Reverse mentoring, which numerous mentoring platforms present, should be a part of a structured mentoring program. Reverse mentoring is where the junior mentee is tasked with teaching the more senior mentor a new skill. We tend to focus solely on technological aptitude, but older individuals may also require assistance understanding various generations or new business niches. Learning to use a specific database or a different kind of social media is just one aspect of reverse mentorship. Alternatively, the mentoring platform has a mentor and mentee who could agree to work together to learn or develop a new ability. The mentee may offer insight into barriers they have encountered in the workplace.
In contrast, the mentor is in a position to either consider removing the wall or bring the issue up with other leaders who can change things. This frequently occurs when a mentor is partnered with a mentee who comes from a distinct background and has an entirely different worldview. People from diverse groups should be paired up in organizations to expand racial, ethnic, or gender diversity to promote understanding and enhance inclusiveness.
High-potential employees only receive sponsorship, which is infrequently done through some formal program. The backing is in the situation of supporting a protégé, which might raise expectations and harm the sponsor’s standing among peers if the protégé doesn’t succeed or doesn’t live up to expectations. The high potential component means that sponsorship usually happens more naturally and cannot be coerced. Additionally, it has a high-risk, high-reward part.
If they have sponsors, people can move up tiers. Although it could be someone from the same company, it is not required. Contrary to how official mentorship programs operate, not everyone who seeks a sponsor will get one. By its very nature, sponsorship is a more complex and risky arrangement.
Because this is a significant area where alignment bias can undermine DEI aims, urge executives to keep track of the people they sponsor rather than having a formal sponsorship program. For instance, leaders frequently support protégés that resemble them physically, have comparable origins, or remind them of themselves earlier in their careers. Since people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often have a more challenging time finding sponsors than those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, economic class may also play a role in this situation. Bank executives can be held responsible for the people they sponsor, and bank leaders can make them track whether their mentees share their racial, socioeconomic, gender, or other identity-related characteristics. This exercise reveals areas where sponsors may need to diversify their roster of protégés by adding individuals who are less similar to them. A mentoring relationship can develop into sponsorship if the sponsor is willing to support the protege with the mentor’s reputation. Thereby mentoring generally provided by mentoring platforms are vital.
