The Elevator Up: How Sponsorship Can Lift Women In Leadership

Karin Wellbrock
October 16, 2023

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Picture yourself scaling a mountain equipped with the finest gear and an experienced guide. You’d assume success is guaranteed, but what if the summit requires a unique key your guide doesn’t possess? This scenario aptly describes the hurdles women face in the corporate world. Despite Japan’s increased emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the proportion of women in leadership roles remains stagnant.

According to a global consulting firm, 65% of female leaders have mentors, yet reports from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company indicate a glaring gap in sponsorship. This article aims to explore this missing link and provide actionable insights for fostering a culture of sponsorship.

The Difference Between Mentorship and Sponsorship: A Crucial Distinction

Mentorship and sponsorship are often used interchangeably, but they serve fundamentally different roles. Mentors are like career advisors, offering counsel, guidance, and emotional support. In contrast, sponsors are your advocates in high-stakes corporate environments. They don’t just offer advice; they use their leverage to endorse you, presenting you as the ideal candidate for new opportunities and responsibilities. Thus, while a mentor may help outline your roadmap, a sponsor actively navigates you toward your destination.

Why Sponsorship is Imperative for Women Targeting the C-Suite

For women aspiring to C-suite prominence, navigating the corridors of decision-making can be fraught with challenges. These obstacles often manifest as entrenched power dynamics and unconscious biases that inadvertently create barriers to effective leadership participation. Enter the sponsor—a transformative agent in this equation. Unlike mentors who primarily offer guidance and advice, sponsors wield their own influence as leverage for your ascension. They don’t just champion you in backroom discussions; they bring you into the room where decisions are made, legitimizing your seat at the table.

In high-stakes corporate arenas, having a sponsor can be the difference between being a participant and a spectator in key dialogues. This individual goes beyond endorsing your qualifications; they stake their own reputation on your capability, acting as an active advocate in proposing and supporting your inclusion in leadership roles. Thus, sponsorship isn’t a fancier version of mentorship; it’s a strategic countermeasure to systemic impediments that often hinder women from breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. It’s not just about having someone who believes in you; it’s about having someone who acts on that belief to tangibly further your career.

Building a Sponsorship Culture: A Master Plan to Catapult Women to the C-Suite

The subject at hand is not merely the importance of sponsorship, but the critical task of seamlessly integrating this instrument into an organization’s core ethos. This is not an endeavor to be lightly or whimsically approached; it necessitates rigorous commitment and actionable strategies.

Leadership Endorsement: The senior leadership’s endorsement of sponsorship is a non-negotiable first step. This is not a peripheral program but a cornerstone initiative. When a CEO publicly sponsors an emerging talent, it acts as a potent, unspoken gesture that resonates throughout the enterprise. The message is unequivocal: the promotion of women in leadership positions is not merely aspirational; it is intrinsically tied to the company’s core values and objectives.

Democratizing Decision-making: The inclusion of women in strategic dialogues is not just a moral imperative; it is sound business practice supported by empirical research. A diverse executive team, enriched by the contributions of women, results in more robust decision-making. Sponsors serve as critical gatekeepers, ensuring that women are integrated into pivotal discussions as a strategic investment in the organization’s intellectual capital.

Articulated Pathways to Elevation: Career progression, particularly to the C-suite, must not be an ambiguous endeavor. Transparently outlining the criteria for senior roles serves a dual purpose: It provides aspiring female executives with a roadmap, while equipping sponsors with the requisite guidelines to effectively shepherd these talents toward their ultimate career goals.

In summary, while mentorship offers theoretical blueprints, sponsorship supplies the tangible building blocks essential for the actualization of women in C-suite roles. The question is not whether, but how swiftly we can instigate this foundational transformation. Are we prepared to embark on this vital journey?

Energizing Your Sponsorship Initiative: A Triad of Strategic Approaches to Actualize Aspirations

As we now turn to operationalizing sponsorship, a three-pronged strategy offers actionable paths to invigorate your organizational culture:

Develop a Sponsor-Match Framework: Envision a professional pairing system, akin to a dating app, but engineered for career advancement. A carefully curated Sponsor-Match program serves as a catalyst, aligning emerging talents with veteran executives whose career goals, ethical guidelines, or strategic aims are in harmony.

Facilitate Advanced Sponsorship Training: Let’s dispel a myth—excellent sponsors aren’t born; they’re developed. Initiating a sponsorship academy with advanced modules enables a more nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in effective sponsorship. Empower your experienced leadership with the requisite skills to not merely support but actively elevate their protégés.

Implement Accountable Metrics: Introducing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) allows us to quantify aspirational goals. Whether the objective is the expedited promotion of sponsored women, diversification of leadership, or other key metrics, it is imperative to measure these aspects rigorously. Because, as the business axiom goes, what is measured can be managed.

Concluding Remarks: The Onus is on the Corporate Sphere

If the dialogue is still mired in the lack of female leadership, then it’s time for a conversational pivot. The pertinent question is one of action: What initiatives will you spearhead? While mentorship opens doors, sponsorship dismantles the walls that often act as barriers. We advocate for a seismic shift—from a mentor-centric to a sponsor-driven model. Are you prepared for genuine transformation?

Should you find the proposition of sponsorship compelling but its inception daunting, consider leveraging the expertise of a leadership coach. View them as architects helping to transition your conceptual frameworks into operational realities.

If the prospect of cultivating not just leaders, but sponsors within your organization captivates you, we invite you to delve deeper. Kay Group Asia’s ‘Exceptional Leader by Design’ program addresses this precise paradigm shift. To explore how our program can be tailored to meet your unique needs, please contact Karin Wellbrock at karin.wellbrock@kaygroup-asia.com. Let’s start a conversation.

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About the Author

Karin Wellbrock

Karin is a Partner and the Chief Operating Officer at Kay Group K.K. in Japan. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) recognized by the International Coaching Federation. With nearly three decades of experience in international management consulting and coaching, Karin brings a human-centric approach to executive coaching and leadership development. She has worked for Deloitte, NEC Electronics, and UNESCO in Europe, North America, and Asia.