Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career

by Sylvia Ann Hewlett

Overview

Who's pulling for you? Who's got your back? Who's putting your hat in the ring? Odds are this person is not a mentor but a sponsor. Mentors can build your self-esteem and provide a sounding board--but they're not your ticket to the top.

If you're interested in fast-tracking your career, what you need is a sponsor--a senior-level champion who believes in your potential and is willing to advocate for you as you pursue that next raise or promotion.

In this powerful yet practical book, economist and thought leader Sylvia Ann Hewlett--author of ten critically acclaimed books, including the groundbreaking Off-Ramps and On-Ramps--shows why sponsors are your proven link to success. Mixing solid data with vivid real-life narratives, Hewlett reveals the "two-way street" that makes sponsorship such a strong and mutually beneficial alliance. The seven-step map at the heart of this book allows you to chart your course toward your greatest goals.

Whether you're looking to lead a company or drive a community campaign, Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor will help you forge the relationships that truly have the power to deliver you to your destination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422187166
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	09/10/2013
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	416,885
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Sylvia Ann Hewlett is the founding president of the Center for Talent Innovation, a nonprofit think tank where she chairs a task force of 75 global companies focused on fully realizing the new streams of high echelon labor in the global marketplace. She is currently ranked #11 on the Thinkers50 list of the world's most influential business thinkers.

Editorial Reviews

"Hewlett's book is full of smart advice, backed up by data, about the impact that a senior-level leader who acts as an advocate can have on others." -- Washington Post

"Over the years, I've certainly had mentors who were generous with their time and kept plentiful boxes of tissues in their offices. I've had supporters and cheerleaders. And I'm grateful for all those who've given me opportunities. But it wasn't until I read about Sylvia Ann Hewlett's new research in her book, Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, that I understood what I had been yearning for all those years was an advocate." -- Washington Post

"This is an easy-to-read, powerfully written book. It has lots of potent examples, and clear advice on the steps to developing sponsorship." -- Globe & Mail

"This is a must-read book for anyone looking for substantive...advice on career advancement." -- Forbes

"Her research, presented, compellingly in her latest book, Forget a Mentor; Find a Sponsor (2013: Harvard Business Review Press)... is not only enlightening, but also practical." -- The Huffington Post

"Hewett, an economist...shows why sponsors, not mentors, are the proven ticket to the top and why women and minorities need them most." -- Irish Times

"an eye-opener for ambitious professionals" -- Chicago Tribune

ADVANCE PRAISE for Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor:

Anne-Marie Slaughter, author, "Why Women Still Can't Have It All"--
"High-potential women need sponsors who will not only provide advice but also actively create opportunities to shine and advance. Hard work and merit are simply not enough."

Cornel West, Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice, Union Theological Seminary--
"A powerful and urgent book. Sylvia Ann Hewlett shows how women and people of color can win sponsors and take their place at decision-making tables."

From the Publisher

09/01/2013
Economist and prolific business and women's issues author Hewlett (founder & president, Ctr. for Talent Innovation; Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success) offers a slim and succinct guide to furthering one's career by identifying sponsors who may act as advocates. Mentorship is well and good, she argues, but finding individuals with the power to help you move up through the ranks is more important. If this strategy sounds like glorified networking, well, it is. After the initial chapter on "embracing your dream" and "building your castle," Hewlett gets down to brass tacks and offers suggestions for recognizing "power players" and turning those players into advocates by showing support and genuine appreciation for their work and by enhancing it. In essence, furthering one's career means helping others further theirs. Hewlett also identifies possible pitfalls along the way: forming connections with sponsors as well as mentors can sometimes be derailed by personality differences, sex, and cultural and racial differences. VERDICT Supported by an array of examples from both her own career and others, Hewlett's points will be of interest to those looking to move up the ladder in a variety of fields.—Sarah Statz Cords, Reader's Advisor Online, Middleton, WI

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