Why Every Woman In Tech Needs A Male Sponsor

There I was, minding my own business one day, when an employer reached out. He had spoken to the powers that be, recommending me for a promotion. I would be getting a bump in my salary at the end of that month. I was stunned. We had not had this conversation. In fact, there wasn’t any opening at the time. It was much later in my career when I understood what had just happened. I had found myself a (male) sponsor.

The word ‘sponsor’ in Kenya weirds everyone out. It does not mean what the rest of the world thinks it means. Yes, it is about the support of a benefactor, usually a man, but what he giveth, he can also taketh with the swipe of a card or the ping of an mpesa message if the girl or woman does not ‘please’ him. Neither does it mean the money that changes hands in the support of an event such as F1 or the Premier League.

This is a great place to start a conversation that has been neglected in tech circles. Sponsorship. What, many ask, is sponsorship, and why is it so critical – in my book, superseding mentorship?

Sponsorship is when someone, more often a man in a position of influence, power and authority, chooses to spend his “social capital” or the act of “using one’s influence to advocate for a protégé.”

A 2010 a research report, The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through The Last Glass Ceiling, by Harvard Business Review, declared it the falling of the last bastion of patriarchy, stating, “What’s keeping them (women) under this last glass ceiling? What we uncover in this report is not a male conspiracy, but rather, a surprising absence of male (and female) advocacy. Women who are qualified to lead simply don’t have the powerful backing necessary to inspire, propel, and protect them through the perilous straits of upper management. Women lack, in a word, sponsorship.” Sponsors are defined in Financial Times as ‘someone two rungs up the corporate ladder who advocates a person’s promotion.”

Reuters states, “A sponsor is akin to a godmother or godfather in the professional realm. This person, who often holds a leadership position within your firm, will support you unconditionally, endorsing you and elevating your visibility within it. They point out opportunities for career development and business growth, acting as a powerful advocate for your professional advancement.”

In 2013, ForbesWomen’s The Answer To Women’s Advancement: Male Sponsors answered the question as to why it has to be a man. “There are not enough senior women to sponsor other women looking to advance in their careers. And the few women who have made it to the top already have their hands full. Without passing judgment on them, it is important to acknowledge that many – if not most – have not helped other women advance.”

Ouch.

Now, if you have been a female mentor, this might feel like a sucker punch. After all, you have probably spoken up on behalf of your mentee at some point, considering it part of your KPIs as a mentor. You have guided, taught, calmed the nerves of and maybe even hired someone who you considered a protégé. But – here is the distinction between sponsorship and mentorship: influence. Mentors provide advice. Sponsors provide opportunities. It is widely believed that women are overmentored and undersponsored. Let’s face it, though. Male sponsors are quite critical in the tech space, seeing how they largely run the show. For every woman in tech, there are three men. Fewer if you’re looking at leadership. Basically, it’s looking like women in tech can’t get promoted without men sponsoring them.

Female sponsors are not unheard of. When Annie Young-Scrivner, now the CEO of one of the top beauty brands in the world, Wella Company, worked at PepsiCo, she benefited from the sponsorship of Indra Nooyi, then CEO, who would invite her to attend meetings in China that proved to be valuable learning and exposure experiences. Nooyi, as we all know, was quite formidable. Women who sponsor, it seems, have to be exceptional.

A sponsor is an intermediary between you – the sponsee – and they who wield power across management, with C-suite executives and right down to the board. Sponsors sway other people’s opinions, thoughts and perspectives of and about you. Mentorship is about the protégé (mentee) and the mentor. Sponsorship is about the sponsor, the sponsee, and the third party or parties they talk you up to. Sponsors need to be a repository of opportunities. They have an ear close to the ground, taking advantage of opportunities on your behalf, connecting you to them or others who can give or create opportunities.

Why Sponsorship Is The Missing Link

If you are a performer at work, you might be hoping your work speaks for you. It does if someone a rung or two above you notices it. Else, without the power of executive presence, personal branding or self-promotion, you get overlooked for promotions and high-stakes projects. It means someone above you needs to get decision-makers to see your potential. If a woman has a sponsor, she is far more likely to receive promotions and take on leadership roles. The Reuters article highlights how a sponsor in a law firm, for example, can help overcome internal biases by increasing a protégé’s visibility and advocating for high-impact projects.

Many women find themselves repeatedly having to prove their worth before being considered for promotions or high-visibility projects. A sponsor can mitigate this “prove-it-again” bias by putting their personal credibility on the line, effectively vouching for a woman’s readiness and potential. An endorsement that can significantly accelerate career progression by effectively cutting through layers of scepticism. That active endorsement leads to tangible career leaps.

The Amplification Of A Sponsee

Pick up a gramophone. There is an oft-repeated sentiment. What do people say about you when you are not in the room? This is where a sponsor shines. You advocate. As an influential person who gets in the room with other equally influential people, you are in a position to sing praises, telling those with power about the marvellous things a protégé or sponsee is doing, zeroing in on their exceptional skill and talent.

There is another layer to sponsorship, which is perhaps why it may not be as prolific as mentorship. A sponsor puts their reputation on the line. Sponsorship does require one to use their influence for good, but it also leaves them open. If the protégé does not deliver, the sponsor can be impacted.

Chances are, you have been sponsored in the past. If someone wrote you a letter of recommendation or referred you to someone, they ‘boosted’ you. Sponsors also have a quality about them that rubs off on you when they recommend you. It enhances your reputation in other people’s eyes. In fact, this sponsor’s reach can be so encompassing that it gravitates you towards or inside their powerful network.

There is one last avenue of sponsorship, but you don’t really want it. When an influential person defends you against others. The reason this loses its lustre is that it comes from a position of less. It costs a sponsor to defend a sponsee, attempting to advocate from an existing negative position to a positive one.

The Flavours (ABCD) Of Sponsorship According To HBR  

What Makes You Attractive To The Sponsor?

Men who have sponsored both women and men look for certain qualities: exceptional results, high potential, and focused drive, coupled with strong loyalty and a unique personal brand. What I had done to draw the attention of my sponsor, I came to learn, was keep him abreast of my successes, achievements and even a few disappointments. When I had interesting thoughts and strategies over his dilemmas, I looped him in as I also executed and implemented ideas along the way. The Harvard Business Review refers to it as a sponsee “adopting a proactive and confident stance in relation to their sponsor.”

There is a disadvantage here that cannot be overlooked. Women who self-promote irk people, leaving them with the ick. Aside from this, She Can Code puts its finger on another stumbling block. Sponsorship can be the equivalent of the “old boys’ club” where a powerful individual in the industry or your company puts your name forward for new roles and promotions. Yet, as Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of (Forget A Mentor) Find A Sponsor: The New Way To Fast Track Your Career, observed, “Often women languish in the ‘marzipan layer’ of companies – the sticky middle slice of management where so many driven and talented people get stuck. But our research at the Centre for Talent Innovation shows that sponsors, not mentors, put you on the path to power and influence by affecting three things: pay raises, high-profile assignments and promotions.”

Sponsors will not just knock doors for you, they will knock them down.

How To Find A Sponsee/Protégé

• Start where you are: Evaluate relationships with your underlings as a direct manager or a skip-level leader. Look at someone who already impresses you. Don’t wait to be asked. Take the initiative and assess opportunities.
• Identify potential proteges: Look for women who are making moves in your organisation, or if you want to extend your influence further, suss out the industry. Champion talent. Ask yourself: Who in your organisation have you not only noticed, but is bringing something unique to the table? Make sure it is someone you are willing to risk your reputation for.
• Cultivate genuine connections: Build and maintain meaningful connections with underlings. Keep an eye out for whoever is taking on challenging projects, contributing to key discussions, and consistently demonstrating excellence. Besides, relationship-building is part of your job; genuine rapport is the foundation of a strong sponsorship relationship.
• Be direct: When the time is right, clearly articulate the career goals in mind and support your sponsee. Reward initiative and commitment by observing their readiness. Then let them know exactly what opportunities you’re targeting.

Sponsor women who demonstrate your high performance through results. Make sure their work aligns with the strategic priorities of the organisation. Note, in particular, women who keep you updated on their progress, ask for feedback, and show that they are proactive about seizing new opportunities. Building this kind of relationship is a two-way street. Both the sponsor and sponsee need to engage in thoughtful discussions and be prepared to offer insights that can add value to their work.

Strathmore Business School’s Empowering Women: The Power Of Mentorship & Sponsorship In The Workplace pretty much sums it up thus. “There are companies who have official sponsorship programmes, but these are not always effective. It’s much more authentic and helpful if you develop a sponsor organically. It’s not easy to find a sponsor, but more often, it’s a mentor or a manager who becomes your advocate. Not every mentor can become a sponsor, because they need to have the appropriate influence, but they can still be helpful in one way or another.”