The Art of Sponsorship

Sponsorship has superpower capabilities to cut through established patterns of systemic and unconscious bias. It is by far the most effective intervention a company can make to advance women and under-represented groups.

Research shows that only a handful of employees succeed in winning sponsorship. And for those that do, research shows that sponsors rarely do their job well.

For both parties to reap the benefits of a sponsor relationship, sponsors first need a clear understanding of what’s expected of them. Often leaders think they are engaged in sponsorship, but they are actually playing the role of a mentor - belief in their protégé’s leadership potential rather than advocating for their protégé’s potential.

For Employees, sponsorship is a way of ascending in their career, and it’s particularly essential for women and women of color. Harvard Business Review has shown that Black workers who received sponsors said sponsorship “opened doors to worlds they couldn’t reach on their own,” spoke up for them “in rooms where they were not present,” and had their back so that they could “reach for risky goals without fear of being fired.”

Salima Valji teaches a virtual workshop

Outcomes of this workshop:

  • Sponsors will leave the workshop with actionable strategies and a sponsorship plan they can implement right away.

  • Leaders will leave feeling inspired with a new tool for breaking through the glass ceiling.

Two senior leaders learn the art of sponsorship

This program is designed for:

  • Senior leaders who want to learn the art of sponsorship and implement this powerful allyship tool

  • Women and people of under-represented groups who are interested in breaking through the glass ceiling

Two women discuss life confidently

This 90-minute virtual workshop is split into three parts:

  1. Learn

    • The difference between mentorship and sponsorship

    • What sponsorship looks like in action

    • Sponsorship dividends – benefits of cultivating sponsorship relationships

    • How to cultivate performance currency and relationship currency

    • A four-step framework for being intentional in identifying opportunities for sponsorship and using social connections to lift up those who might otherwise go unnoticed

  2. Discuss

    • How to find and approach a sponsor in today’s hybrid world

  3. Panel

    • Hear from leaders within Siemens Energy on their sponsorship experiences

“Salima’s keynote on Allyship & Sponsorship was educational, inspiring and useful for our organization… The feedback from the audience has been overwhelmingly positive where many of the members started applying the knowledge within their development plans. Salima’s preparation was thorough and systematically in tune with the aim of our event and it has been a pleasure to work with Salima. I would strongly recommend her.”

- Mineta Galijasevic, Chair of Global Leadership of Women Network at Siemens Energy