Sponsorship at senior levels

Why do your best people keep getting overlooked?

At senior levels, they won't rise on performance alone.

Someone has to say, "This person is ready and I'm staking my credibility on it."

That's sponsorship.

Sponsorship that rests on praise, mentorship & showcase alone will not get them too far.

If you want your best to be recognised & rewarded higher positions, these are the 4 sponsorship traps to avoid:

1. Investing without advocating

   You give stretch assignments, coaching, and encouragement. You spend hours in one-on-ones. You're generous with feedback.

   But you never put their name forward in rooms they're not in.

2. Assuming visibility will follow performance

   You believe that if they deliver, they'll be noticed. That great work creates its own reputation.

   It doesn't.

   Decisions get made in rooms your people aren't in based on what sponsors say about them. If no one is saying their name with conviction, they're invisible to the people who matter.

3. Over-sponsoring and creating dependency

You open every door, make every introduction, fight every battle. You clear obstacles before they even appear. That's not sponsorship, Its ownership. And it doesn't scale.

4. Sponsoring loyalty over capability

You advocate for the people who've been with you longest. The ones who've earned your trust through years of working together.

But tenure isn't readiness. Loyalty isn't capability.

When you sponsor people who aren't ready, your credibility erodes. And the people who did deserve sponsorship notice — and look elsewhere.

For sponsorship to work in spirit, there are 2 things to consider from the sponsor's point of view:

• Readiness of the person being sponsored

• Ability of the sponsor to advocate in context

Effective sponsorship at senior levels (Elevating sponsorship) looks like this:

• You name them in succession conversations as a 'ready' candidate.

• You say their name in rooms that they do not have access to.

• You connect them to your network with adequate introduction.

• You defend them even though it costs you something.

If it appears one sided, here is what is the 'not so explicit' benefit of being that sponsor

• You earn respect not only from the beneficiary, but also from your organisation

• You have a keen eye for talent that the system starts betting on.

• You can get the best people to work with you.

Reflection questions for sponsors

• Who on your team have you been investing in but not sponsoring?

• Does their readiness match your advocacy?

• What's stopping you from staking your credibility on them?

• What's the one thing you could change?

This is Part 3 of my Leading Leaders series. Stay tuned for the next.

Here you can find Part 1, Part 2.