“It’s who you know” - Networks and Sponsors: Savvy ways to get ahead

Networks and sponsors are hot topics in our inbox at the moment and are really reminding us of the importance of other people to our career satisfaction and progress.

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In a recent article "Managing Yourself: A recent article “Managing Yourself: A Smarter Way to Network”, authors Rob Cross and Robert Thomas speak of the importance of networks in helping with career success. Importantly, their research suggests that these networks should have certain features to be effective.  They should be balanced  - with connections that “promote career advancement and those that promote engagement and satisfaction”.  Effective networks are about quality of connection rather than quantity of connection, and should contain relationships that assist in gaining and broadening experience and learning new skills, but also help with finding purpose and balance.  The structure of the network is also key - with diverse relationships that cross hierarchy, organisations, functions and geographical location. 

According to Cross and Thomas, the most satisfied and successful leaders have the following people in their networks:

1. People who provide personal support, such as colleagues who help them get back on track when they’re having a bad day or friends with whom they can just be themselves.
2. People who add a sense of purpose, such as bosses and customers who validate their work, and family members and other stakeholders who show them work has a broader meaning.
3. People who promote their work/life balance, holding them accountable for activities that improve their physical health, mental engagement or spiritual well-being.

Some food for thought - do you have these people in your network? If not, where can you find them?

Earlier this year, a new report “The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Though the Last Glass Ceiling” was released by Sylvia Hewlett and her team at Centre for Work-Life Policy.  The “sponsor” relationship is important to the advancement to upper levels of an organisation and the study found that women do not maximise this relationship - either they underestimate the importance of it, or they fail to cultivate it. Many women in the study felt that getting ahead on who you know is a “dirty tactic” and the way to the top is through hard work.Extending beyond the mentor relationship, sponsors can have a big impact on your career and work satisfaction.

So what do sponsors do? Hewlett’s research found that sponsors:

• Advocate for your next promotion
• Call in favours for you
• Expand your perception of what you can do
• Make connections to senior leaders

And how do you find one?

Connecting with a sponsor can happen through being identified as a “protege” or a high potential, by catching the eye of an executive. However, Hewlett recommends that those aspiring to senior roles should take a proactive approach and identify and actively cultivate a sponsor relationship and routinely “ask for career guidance, feedback and stretch assignments”.

Do you have a sponsor?  If not, is there someone in your organisation that you could cultivate a sponsor relationship with?

Source: "The Relationship You Need to Get Right" - HBR Magazine October 2011
Source: “The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Though the Last Glass Ceiling” - Center for Work-Life Policy