Sponsor Effect - Center For Talent Innovation

Sponsor Effect 2.
0:
Road Maps for Sponsors
and Protgs
THIS IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin

with Barbara Adachi
Research Sponsors: American Express, AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton,

Deloitte, Freddie Mac, Genentech, and Morgan Stanley
Task Force for Talent Innovation

CO-CHAIRS
MEMBERS
American Express
Bloomberg LP
Booz Allen Hamilton
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Cisco Systems
Deloitte
Ernst & Young
GE
Goldman Sachs
Intel Corporation
Johnson & Johnson
NBCUniversal
Time Warner
Unilever plc
AIG
AllianceBernstein
ArcelorMittal
AT&T
Bank of America

Merrill Lynch
Barclays plc
BlackRock
Boehringer Ingelheim USA
Booz & Company
Boston Scientific
BP
BT Group*
Central Intelligence Agency
Chubb
Citi*
Covidien
Credit Suisse*
Depository Trust & Clearing
Corporation
Deutsche Bank
EMD Serono
Federal Reserve Bank

of New York
Fidelity Investments
Freddie Mac
Gap Inc.
Genentech
General Mills
Genpact
Google
* Steering Committee
As of November 2012
Hess Corporation
Hewlett-Packard
HSBC Bank plc
International Monetary Fund
Interpublic Group
Knoll*
KPMG LLP
Marie Claire
McGraw-Hill Companies
McKesson Corporation
McKinsey & Company
Moodys Foundation*
Morgan Stanley
New York Times Company
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
Pfizer Inc.*
QBE North America
Schlumberger
Siemens AG
Sodexo
Standard Chartered Bank
Swiss Reinsurance Co.
Thomson Reuters
Towers Watson
Tupperware Brands
UBS*
United Nations DPKO/DFS/OHRM
Vanguard
Viacom
White & Case LLP
Withers LLP
Sponsor Effect 2.0:

Road Maps for Sponsors
and Protgs
Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin
with Barbara Adachi
Center for Talent Innovation

Research Sponsors: American Express, AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton,
Deloitte, Freddie Mac, Genentech, and Morgan Stanley

FOUNDER AND CHAIR
Sylvia Ann Hewlett
LEAD SPONSORS
Barbara Adachi
Deloitte
CO-CHAIRS
American Express
Jennifer Christie
Anr Williams
Jennifer Christie
American Express
Bloomberg LP
Anne Erni
Melinda Wolfe
Booz Allen Hamilton
Aimee George Leary
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Erika DEgidio
Cisco Systems
Cassandra Frangos
Sandy Hoffman
Deloitte
Barbara Adachi
Ernst & Young
Carolyn Buck Luce
Karyn Twaronite
GE
Deborah Elam
Goldman Sachs
Gail Fierstein
Intel Corporation
Rosalind Hudnell
Johnson & Johnson
Anthony Carter
NBCUniversal
Patricia Fili-Krushel
Patricia Langer
Craig Robinson
Time Warner
Lisa Garcia Quiroz
Ripa Rashid
Unilever plc
Leena Nair
Aimee George Leary

Booz Allen Hamilton
Monica Poindexter
Genentech
Dwight Robinson
Freddie Mac
Keisha Smith
Morgan Stanley
Debbie Storey
AT&T
Anr Williams
American Express
About the Authors

Sylvia Ann Hewlett is an economist and the founding President and CEO of the
Center for Talent Innovation, a nonprofit think tank where she chairs the Task Force
for Talent Innovation75 global companies focused on fully realizing the new streams
of talent in the global marketplace. She also directs the Gender and Policy Program
at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Dr. Hewlett is a
member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum Council
on Womens Empowerment. The author of 10 Harvard Business Review articles and 11
critically acclaimed nonfiction books, including Off-Ramps and On-Ramps, and Winning the
War for Talent in Emerging Markets (Harvard Business Review Press), she is ranked #11 on
the Thinkers 50 listing of the worlds top business thinkers. Her writings have appeared
in the New York Times and Financial Times, and shes a featured blogger on HBR.org. She is
a frequent guest on television, appearing on Oprah, Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Charlie
Rose, the Today Show, and CNN Headline News. Dr. Hewlett has taught at Cambridge,
Columbia, and Princeton universities. A Kennedy Scholar and graduate of Cambridge
University, she earned her PhD in economics at London University.
Melinda Marshall, Vice President and Senior Fellow, oversees the Centers
publications and drives its research on sponsorship and innovation. She is a journalist
and editor whose experience ranges from wire-service reporting to national humor
columnist. She has published nine books in collaboration, and is the author of the
award-winning Good Enough Mothers: Changing Expectations for Ourselves. Her articles have
appeared in 18 national magazines, including the Harvard Business Review, Parenting,
Ladies Home Journal, and the New York Times. A magna cum laude graduate of Duke
University, she earned her Masters in human rights studies at Columbia University.
Laura Sherbin, Executive Vice President and Director of Research, heads up CTIs
survey research, and plays a key role in CTIs advisory arm, Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Associates. She is an economist specializing in workforce issues and international
development. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of International and
Public Affairs at Columbia University. She has led CTI research projects including
Off-Ramps and On-Ramps in Japan and Germany and is coauthor of several Harvard
Business Review articles and reports, including The Athena Factor and The Sponsor Effect.
She is a graduate of the University of Delaware and earned her PhD in economics from
American University.
Barbara Adachi is the National Managing Director, Human Capital, for Deloitte
Consulting LLP. From 2007 to 2012, she has served as the National Managing Principal
for Deloitte LLPs award-winning Womens Initia-tive (WIN). Ms. Adachi led the Northern
Pacific region WIN activities for five years and Deloitte Consulting LLPs Human Capital
Practice for the West region for eight years. She joined Deloitte in 1990 to start the Bay
Area Human Capital practice, specializing in total rewards, health benefits strategy,
and plan designand still serves clients. She is also on the board of Deloitte Consulting
LLP. Ms. Adachi has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Business
by San Francisco Business Times, and Women Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity, and
has also received the Asian Women in Business Leadership Award. Ms. Adachi serves on
several boards, including American Heart Association, Professional Business Women of
California Advisory Council, Santa Clara University HR Leadership Advisory Board, and
Forbes Executive Womens board.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the study sponsorsAmerican Express, AT&T,
Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Freddie Mac, Genentech, and Morgan Stanley
for their generous support. We are deeply grateful to the co-chairs of the Task
Force for Talent InnovationBarbara Adachi, Anthony Carter, Jennifer Christie,
Erika DEgidio, Deborah Elam, Anne Erni, Gail Fierstein, Patricia Fili-Krushel,
Cassandra Frangos, Sandy Hoffman, Rosalind Hudnell, Patricia Langer, Aimee
George Leary, Carolyn Buck Luce, Leena Nair, Lisa Garcia Quiroz, Ripa Rashid,
Craig Robinson, Karyn Twaronite, Anr Williams, and Melinda Wolfefor their
vision and commitment.
We appreciate the efforts of the Center for Talent Innovation staff members, in
particular, Joseph Cervone, Lauren Leader-Chive, Fabiola Dieudonn, Courtney
Emerson, Christina Fargnoli, Catherine Fredman, Tara Gonsalves, Corliss
Groves, Lawrence Jones, Anne Mathews, Peggy Shiller, and Karen Sumberg
for their research support and editorial talents. We also want to thank Bill
McCready, Stefan Subias, and the team at Knowledge Networks who expertly
guided the research and were an invaluable resource throughout the course of
this study.
Thanks to the private-sector members of the Task Force for Talent Innovation
for their practical ideas and collaborative energy: Elaine Aarons, Rohini Anand,
Renee Anderson, Antoine Andrews, Diane Ashley, Nadine Augusta, Terri Austin,
Ann Beynon, Anne Bodnar, Daina Chiu, Chevy Cleaves, Tanya Clemons, Ilene
Cohn, Joanna Coles, Desiree Dancy, Nicola Davidson, Whitney Delich, Nancy
Di Dia, Lance Emery, Linda Emery, Traci Entel, Nicole Erb, Michelle GadsdenWilliams, Trevor Gandy, Heide Gardner, Tim Goodell, Laurie Greeno, Kathy
Hannan, Kara Helander, Ginger Hildebrand, Kathryn Himsworth, Ann Hollins,
Kate Hoepfner-Karle, Celia Pohani Huber, Annalisa Jenkins, Nia JoynsonRomanzina, Eman Khalifa, Denice Kronau, Frances Laserson, Janice Little,
Yolanda Londono, Lori Massad, Donna-Marie Maxfield, Ana Duarte McCarthy,
Beth McCormick, Mark McLane, Piyush Mehta, Carmen Middleton, Birgit Neu,
Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, Fiona Pargeter, Pamela Paul, Sherryann Plesse,
Monica Poindexter, Kari Reston, Jennifer Rickard, Dwight Robinson, Jacqueline
Rolf, Keisha Smith, Michael Springer, Debbie Storey, Eileen Taylor, Geri Thomas,
NV Tiger Tyagarajan, Lynn Utter, Cassy Van Dyke, Vera Vitels, Anne Weisberg,
Jo Weiss, Margaret Luciano-Williams, Meryl Zausner, and Fatemeh Ziai.
Thanks also to James Charrington, Ken Chenault, Joanna Coles, Brady Dougan,
Kent Gardiner, Linda Huber, Michael Kacsmar, Janet Loesberg, Eleanor Mills,
Kerrie Peraino, Katherine Phillips, David Richardson, Jeanne Rosario, Mark
Stephanz, and Donna Wilson.
ii
Contents
About the Authors i

Acknowledgments ii
Abstract 1
Introduction: Why This Guide 3
Part One: Challenges 5

Chapter 1: The Two-Way Street 7
Chapter 2: Roadblocks 15
Part Two: Road Maps 21

Chapter 3: Road Map for Protgs 23
Chapter 4: Road Map for Sponsors 47
Part Three: Initiatives 67

Methodology 79
Task Force for Talent Innovation 80
Index of Exhibits 83
Endnotes 84
iii
iv
Abstract
Sponsorship can be a game changer. Our research (The Sponsor Effect, Harvard
Business Review Research Report, December 2010) shows that men and
women who have powerful advocates tend to get the stretch assignments and
ask for the raises that translate into career mobility. Sponsors lever qualified
women and people of color out of the marzipan layer into top leadership roles,
while protgs confer on their advocates a host of benefits, extending their
capacity to deliver and burnishing their brand in the C-suite.
To win sponsorship, however, one must know how the game is played. Synthesizing our key learnings from four surveys, dozens of focus groups, and scores
of interviews, Sponsorship 2.0 comprises two road maps, one for the junior
party intent on cultivating advocacy, the other for the leader who recognizes
he/she will need a powerful posse to fulfill his/her own mission and vision:
The Road Map for Protgs:
Embrace your dream and do a diagnosticof yourself, your company, and the
path ahead. Close skill gaps.
Scan the horizon for potential sponsors. Target the ones with juice, or the
power to get you to your goal.
Distribute your risk. Cultivate two sponsors internally (one in your line of
sight, the other external to your function) and one outside the company.
Understand that its not all about you. Sponsors invest in those who perceive
and proactively address their challenges. Ask not what your sponsor can
do for you, but what you can do for your sponsor.
Come through on two obvious fronts. Outstanding performance and

unswerving loyaltyto the businessmake you a core asset to any senior
leaders team.
Deliver a distinct personal brand. Draw on your difference. Tap your gender
smarts, cultural background, social media savvy, or quant skills to
distinguish your contribution and drive value that sets you apart.
Exude executive presence. Polish your presentation of self as well as your

presentation skills. Demonstrate EQ to read the room; demonstrate
poise under pressure to command it. Show teeth when necessary. Assert
integrity when no one else dares.
Make yourself a safe bet. Articulate that you wantand can takehonest
feedback. Telegraph relentless professionalism. And dont mix business
with pleasure with members of the opposite sex.
Lead with a yes. Even whenespecially whenyoure inclined to say no to

a stretch opportunity, make it clear that you value any chance to prove
yourself and are willing to go the extra mile. Then negotiate terms if
you need to.
Nail the tactics. Figure out the blocking and tackling needed to gain internal
and external visibility, build your buzz, and make the ask.
The Road Map for Sponsors:

Understand whats in it for you. Sponsoring dedicated, diverse high-performers will boost your capacity, burnish your brand, and grow your legacy.
Embrace the talent imperatives of 2012. Professionals whose background,

skills, and perspective differs from your own will maximize your
innovative capacity in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Seek out a diversified portfolio. Choose your posse for their similar values and
complementary skill sets.
Differentiate between protgs and mentees. Mentees demand your time;

protgs give you back your day. Sponsorship is an investment that pays
dividends; mentorship is a gift.
Come through on two obvious fronts. Push your protg into opportunities
that will get him/her seen and known by high-echelon leaders. And push
for his/her promotion (or job security during economic downturns).
Provide air cover. Protect your investment. Provide the support (and defense)
necessary to ensure your protgs success, especially in assignments that
require she/he take risks.
Build trust. Establish personal and social connection. Make yourself

accessible; respond generously to vulnerability. Share stories of roots.
Make the relationship safe. Help make sponsorship a leadership capability in

your corporate culture so that opposite-sex alliances are more the norm
than the exception. Ensure corporate policies punish illicit affairs, which
poison the well for everyone.
Give critical feedback. First seek permission from your protg to impart the
bad news as well as the good. Then help close skill gaps: give them the
experience they lack and the feedback they wont hear from anyone else.
Nail the tactics. Assess your talent needs and proactively diversify and
develop your protg portfolio. Intentionally deploy your posse to
maximize business opportunities.
Sponsorship is ultimately up to the individual, as it depends on trust. Yet
companies can foster sponsorship by creating the environment in which it
goes viral. The most effective programs, as our initiatives demonstrate, 1) make
clear the sponsorship imperative; 2) generate awareness and understanding of
the sponsorship dynamic; and 3) create opportunities for senior management
to meet and engage with up-and-comers. Coupled with a proactive individual
mindset, these programs help ensure that the most diverse, as well as most
qualified, talent gets in on the gameand changes the face of leadership.
Introduction
Why This Guide
n 2010, the Center for Work-Life Policy (now the Center for Talent
Innovation) offered a startling explanation for womens failure to capture
the topmost jobs in corporate America: women lacked sponsors, powerful
advocates who would expend relationship capital on their behalf to open
doors, turn heads, and deliver the brass ring.
The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling (a Harvard Business
Review Research Report, published in December 2010 with the support of
American Express, Deloitte, Intel, and Morgan Stanley) unleashed a tidal wave
of reaction among the 75 global corporations that make up CTIs Task Force
for Talent Innovation. Diversity and HR professionals set to work spreading
the word and crafting initiatives, eager to jumpstart sponsor relationships
between their high-potentials and senior executives. We took our presentation
on the road, bringing our findings to companies as different as Alcoa and
Tupperware, addressing audiences as diverse as the IMF and the NFL. Did our
data have implications for employees in the UK as well as the U.S.? Lloyds
Banking Group commissioned Sponsorship: UK to find out. Were professionals of
color contending with specific challenges around this relationship? American
Express, Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Deloitte, Intel, Morgan Stanley,
and NBCUniversal underwrote Vaulting the Color Bar: How Sponsorship Levers
Multicultural Professionals into Leadership to learn more.
In the end, CTI surveyed more than 10,000 professionals in large corporations
in both the U.S. and the UK, convened with over a hundred employees and
managers in focus groups, and interviewed dozens of Fortune 500 executives
protgs and sponsors at all levels, across all industry sectors. With three
reports, we created an extraordinarily intricate portrait of sponsorship,
showing how it differs from mentorship; how it impacts pay, retention, and job
satisfaction; and how and why it eludes the very people whom it could most
help, specifically women and multicultural professionals.
Yet as complete as that portrait is, we recognized that it doesnt answer the
question every reader, audience member, and HR professional has put to us:
Now that I get it, how do I make it happen for me?
That answer is in your hands. Sponsor Effect 2.0 is a how-to, the first such guide
to emerge from CTI. It lays out a comprehensive strategy for individuals keen
to become more intentional about cultivating and deploying their networks.
It maps a path to the top for the protg; it plots a course for sponsors who
recognize theyll need a powerful posse to fulfill their mission and vision. Importantly, it builds on our key take-aways from two years of in-depth research:
sponsorship is ultimately up to the individual, and not his or her company, to
cultivate and deploy. After four exhaustive inquiries, we can say with confidence that sponsorship thrives when both parties feel genuinely committed to
the alliance and trust each other. Although it can be encouraged, its a relationship that cannot be imposed or conjured by others. Companies that try to
do too much risk entrenching the very passivity theyre trying to overcome in
developing their high-potential women and people of color.
This is not to say companies dont have a roleand a vital one at that. As
well see in the Initiatives section (page 67) of this guide, companies can foster
sponsorship in a variety of ways. Certainly leadership can commit to creating
the environment in which sponsorship goes viral. Effective programs generate awareness and understanding of the sponsorship dynamic; create opportunities for senior management to meet/engage with high-potential women
and people of color; and may even incentivize sponsorship by building it into
performance reviews.
But while HR can set up the sponsorship machinery, its individuals who must
work the levers. Thats why youll find not simply a road map but an exhaustive list of tactics for each party, to ensure that both sponsors and protgs
know exactly how to operationalize the strategy weve mappedand succeed
at every step
Sponsorship, our research shows, can be a game changer. With this guide,
women and men whove been languishing in middle management or stalling
near the top will find exactly what they need to turbocharge their career. Not
everyone can win sponsorship, as not everyone will deserve it. For that individual whos got it all but hasnt yet put it all together, however, this guide might
just make the difference.
Part One:
Challenges
Chapter 1
The Two-Way Street
few months into her doctoral research at Northwestern University,

Katherine Phillips learned that her advisor, Margaret Neale, had
accepted a position at Stanford Business School. Neale met with Phillips
to discuss the opportunity, which Neale believed would bring national
attention to her work on organizational team performancetheir mutual
research focus.
I said, Its been great working with you, but I dont want to follow you to
Stanford because I love it here, Phillips recalls. And she leveled her gaze at
meMargaret has a lot of presenceand said, Oh, no. You have to at least
apply to Stanford and consider it, because three months from now, when the
decision has to be made, you might feel differently.
Phillips in fact followed Neale to Stanford, where she earned her Ph.D. Over
the next 15 years, through joint research projects and job changes, the two
developed an extraordinary alliance. Neale supported Phillips in myriad
ways, from finding pockets of money to sustain her as she worked toward
her degree, to writing walk-on-water referral letters when Phillips began
looking for a tenured position at other universities. Neale also helped her
build her reputation in the field, inviting her onto papers with other faculty
members and giving her free rein in the research they did together. When
colleagues questioned Phillips credentials, Neale took them to task; when
Phillips faltered in her dissertation, Neale goaded her to keep at it. From the
beginning, it was very clear she was in my corner, says Phillips. She was both
tough on me and supportive, so that I felt I never had to worry.
Phillips, for her part, worked tirelessly on behalf of her benefactor. She
impressed Neale with not only her work ethic but also the originality of
her ideas, which were informed by a completely different background and
life experience. Frequently Phillips served as Neales sounding board and
even rudder. Id say to her, Lets think about this from the other persons
perspective, because there usually was validity to that other persons
perspective, Phillips notes. And she appreciated that. I remember her
introducing me once and saying, Kathy is my balance.
The alliance burnished both of their brands. In 2011, Phillips won a seat on the
Columbia Business School faculty as the Paul Calello Professor of Leadership
and Ethics, and Neale received Stanford Business Schools Davis Award for
lifetime achievementthe first female faculty member to do so. We both
helped and supported each other, Phillips observes. Margaret has a lot of
very strong relationships with her protgs and mentees, but I think our
relationship is special.
What is Sponsorship?
What makes sponsorship specialand distinct from mentorshipis its
reciprocity. As with mentorship, one party is certainly more senior than the
other, at least at first. But sponsorship benefits both parties equally. Both
sponsor and sponsee work to ensure each others success and have each
others back. And while it may appear as though the senior member gifts the
junior with her attention and leverage, in fact it is the junior member who
drives the relationship by demonstrating that she deserves that attention and
leverage. Sponsorship isnt given. Its earned.
As obvious as this might seem now, it wasnt when we started this research
in early 2010. Our initial data helped us generate a robust definition of a
sponsor: we confirmed that a sponsor used up chips and publicly advocated
for the protgs promotion, which is why every up-and-comer needed such a
person in their corner. But what several focus groups, another national survey,
and dozens of interviews brought into focus was the role of the protg. Men
and women who had sponsors, we found, approached career-building with
a distinctively proactive mindset, and they consistently exhibited go-getter
behaviors. They didnt sit back to bask in the glow of being identified as highpotentials; they understood that securing the commitment and backing of a
sponsor depended on them taking the initiative. Indeed, they understood that
to be considered for leadership positions, they had to act like leaders, driving
results, proving themselves trustworthy and reliable, and bringing a distinctive
skill set or personal brand to the inner circle.
What the Protg Does
With the results of our 2012 survey, our definitions for both sponsor and
protg now reflect both the hefty role of the protg in securing sponsors as
well as the hefty benefits that accrue to sponsors.

Performance is the protgs critical first deliverable. This should come as
no surprise: what marks an individual as high potential is typically his/
her ability to deliver superior
Figure 1.1:
results consistently, no matter
What is a protg?
the challenges or circumstances.
And comes through on at least two
A protg is a high potential
Winning a key piece of business,
of the following fronts:
employee who, at a minimum:
innovating a solution, or otherwise
Trustworthy and discreet
Out-performscontributes 110%
driving results with bottom-line
Covers my back
Is loyal to me and the organization
impact is what will get you noticed
Promotes my legacy
Contributes a distinct personal brand
by those in power. A third of U.S.
Brings value-addeddifferent
managers and nearly half of UK
perspective/skill-sets
managers say they want to sponsor
Leads with a yes
a producer, a go-getter who hits
deadlines and offers 24/7 support,
Burnishes my brand across the
organization
our research shows. Its all about
understanding the companys
Builds my A team
overall goals and then making things happen, innovating, driving change, says
Debbie Storey, chief of diversity at AT&T. Theyve got to demonstrate through
effective leadership that they can consistently drive teams to achieve results.
But if performance is what will get you courted, loyalty is what will win
you devotion. Thirty-seven percent of male managers (and 36 percent of
female managers) say they value loyalty in a protg. Thats more than they
value someone whos collaborative or visionary or even highly productive.
Sponsorship thrives in a soil of trust, after all, and loyalty is what establishes
trust. Consider what Phillips move to Stanford telegraphed to Neale: I
will follow you even if it means uprooting my family and leaving my friends and
reconsidering my professional path. Phillips demonstrated loyalty in other ways,
as well, decoding for Neale why graduate students at Stanford seemed remote
(Theyre afraid of you, Phillips clarified) and offering suggestions as to how
to engage them. A loyal protg is well attuned to the buzz and vigilant about
keeping her sponsor apprised of it. As one UK-based banker observed, Protgs
can provide insights about whats happening lower down in the organization,
because when youre at a senior level, youre less likely to get those honest
messages about what people think of you.
100
100
Figure 1.2:
Die-hard loyalty and stellar performance
80What do you look for in a protg? (Manager
80
level)
are mission-critical. Yet as our 2012 research
makes clear, if thats all you bring, youre
60
60
in danger of remaining a protg. Playing
37%
40 36%
40
the part of an excellent second can doom
33% 31%
you to a permanent Number-Two slot in the
19% 16%
20
20
organization. Sure, youll risebut always
as your sponsors lieutenant. Kerrie Peraino,
0
0
cauc
aa
asian
hisp
set
cauc
aa
international human resources head for
Loyalty
Producer
Collaborator
American Express, believes women are
Women
Men
particularly vulnerable to this outcome
because theyre good at looking out for
others interests but bad at looking out for
their own. The first senior guy who comes along snaps them up, Peraino
observes. And without questioning what they might get out of the alliance,
they give him everything theyve got. The longer this goes on, the more
permanent their lieutenancy becomes, until no one can even imagine them in
the leadership roleleast of all themselves.
12%
asian
hisp
15%
set
Visionary
To position themselves for leadership, protgs must therefore contribute

something the leader prizes but may intrinsically lack. This could be gender
smarts or cultural fluency on a team thats mostly white males; it could be
social-media skills on a team unaccustomed to connecting via the Internet, or
language skills on an international assignment.
Or, as Phillips discovered, it can be the very difference that you might
otherwise be inclined to downplay. As an African-American, Phillips provided
a unique perspective on organizational dynamics, one that helped drive
new directions in Neales research as well as establish a name for Phillips in
corporate as well as academic circles.
What the Sponsor Does

With our first round of research, we established that a sponsor does essentially two things: she goes out on a limb for her protg, connecting him/her to
other powerful people and the stretch opportunities that will command their
attention, and she makes it her business to get her protg promoteda commitment that entails calling in favors and expending relationship capital. But
subsequent research surfaced a powerful third role for sponsors. To protect the
investment shes made in her protg, a sponsor must also provide air cover
from naysayers and competitors so that the protg can take risks and do the
growing required of someone plunged into a stretch assignment. Protection
can also take the form of providing support or advice so the protg navigates
the unknown successfully. Neale understood this in granting Phillips free rein
to shape and conduct research that would bear both their names. She gave her
both the stretch assignment and the freedom to take risks in carrying it out.
Our definition of a sponsor has evolved to look like this:
Youll see that many of the
Figure 1.3:
secondary functions a sponsor
What is a sponsor?
assumes are similar to what a
mentor signs on to fulfill. For
And comes through on at least two
A sponsor is a senior leader who,
of the following fronts:
at a minimum:
instance, a sponsor, like a mentor,
expands the protgs perception
Expands my perception of what I can do
Believes in me and goes out on a
limb on my behalf
of what he/she can do. A sponsor
Makes connections to senior leaders
provides honest, critical feedback,
Advocates for my next promotion
Promotes my visibility
including advice on how you
Provides air cover
Provides stretch opportunities
present yourselfways to boost
Gives advice on presentation of self
your executive presence, or at
Makes connections to clients/customers
least not make awful blunders. But
while mentors can certainly be
Gives honest/critical feedback on
skill gaps
counted on to boost your spirits,
enlarge your vision, and make you
presentable (reviewing with you the watch-outs, as Donna Wilson, global
diversity director at Johnson & Johnson, puts it), their guidance simply wont
be as honed as that of a sponsor, because theyre nowhere near as vested in
the outcome. Sponsors link their reputations with yours: theyre not going to
waste time delivering feel-good advice. Your success, or failure, redounds on
them, so theyre going to make darn sure you learn what you need to make
both of you look good.
This puts them in a whole other league when it comes to feedback. Phillips
recalls how Neale stepped in to polish her communication skillssomething
no one else had ever dared to do. I had a lot of slang; I had a lot of bad speech
habits. For example, I pronounced the word ask incorrectly, Phillips explains.
Margaret told me, Youre saying the word wrong, Kathy. Its ask, not aks.
Reflects Phillips, a lot of white people would be concerned they might be
seen as racist if they were to point these things out to an African-American
colleague, but she realized the impact of what I was saying on other people
and on me.
10
At the same time, it was Neale who supported Phillips in her decision to wear
her hair naturallyaffirmation that shored up Phillips self-confidence in a
profound way. Phillips had endured the chemical processes to straighten her
kinky hair to the point where she felt she couldnt tolerate it anymore, so she
stopped. Margaret said, I love your hair. I think you should wear it like that
more often, Phillips remembers. She gave me the most support of anyone in
my life. Even my mother was like, What are you doing to your hair? Margaret
helped me stick to my guns, to say to my critics, I dont really care what you
guys think. This is who I am. For meI was all of twenty-fivethat was a
terribly important message.
Sponsorship Impacts Both Parties Careers
In The Sponsor Effect, we were able to quantify the impact sponsorship has on a
career. A significant majority of those with sponsors70 percent of men and
68 percent of womensay they are satisfied with their rate of advancement.
Among those who do not have sponsors, theres much less satisfactionamong
men and women without sponsors, only 57 percent
said they were satisfied with their career progress.
Figure 1.4:
The difference between those two groups translates
100Protgs
100 who are
100 satisfied
100 with rate of advancement
(By gender)
into a sponsor effect of 23 percent for men and 19
80
80
80
80
percent for women.1
70%
68%
60
57%
60
60
60
57%
This finding led us to measure the sponsor effect

on professionals of color. We found sponsorship
40
40
40
40
made an even more dramatic difference in the
20
20
20
20
careers of multiculturals. They are 65 percent more
likely than their unsponsored cohort to say theyre
0
0
0
0
cauc
aacauc asianaa
cauc hisp
asian
aa cauc
sethisp
asianaa set
hispasian set hisp
set
satisfied with their career progress. This satisfaction
Without
With
Without
With
has a noticeable effect on their loyalty to their
sponsors
sponsors
sponsors
sponsors
organization. People of color who have sponsors
Women
Men
are 57 percent less likely overall than unsponsored
people of color to have plans to quit within a year.
African-Americans are particularly affected by the commitment a sponsor
represents: only eight percent of those with sponsors have one foot out the
door, whereas 27 percent of unsponsored African-American professionals say
they have plans to quit within a year.2
Our 2012 research also revealed a protg effect, putting a number on the
impact a protg has on her sponsors career. While the protg effect is rather
modest for Caucasians (individuals who sponsor are 11 percent more likely
to say theyre satisfied with their rate of advancement than individuals who
do not sponsor), its impressive for sponsors of color, who are overall are 30
percent more likely to be satisfied with their rate of advancement than people
of color who do not have protgs. Hispanic sponsors are the most positively
affected. Those with protgs are more than 65 percent more likely to be
satisfied with their rate of advancement than Hispanics without.3
Cultivating protgs enhances not only your own career outcome, it turns out,
but also your experience of leadership. This makes a lot of sense: consider
how much more effective (and less overworked) you are as a leader if you have
11
100
Figure 1.5:
100
Protgs who are satisfied with rate of
advancement (By ethnicity)
80
80
67%
53%
60
61%
55%
60
45%
43%
35%
40
40
20
20
wo c
with c
Caucasian
set
wo aa
with aa
African-American
Without sponsors
wo a
with a
Asian
set
wo hisp with hisp
Hispanic
With sponsors
100
100
80
80
60
30%
Figure 1.6:
60
One foot out the door (Likely to quit within a year)
40
40
27%
20
15%
wo c
13%
12%
with c
Caucasian
set
wo aa
20
wo a
13%
8%
with a
Asian
set
11%
wo hisp with hisp
Hispanic
Figure 1.7:
Sponsors who are satisfied with rate 100
of advancement
76%
80
56%
Who Has Sponsorship?

The bottom line: everybody wins when
sponsorship flourishes. Promising young
men and women get the opportunities
and support they need to prove their
potential; seasoned leaders get the
manpower, loyalty, and complementary
skills they need to meet their targets,
fulfill their vision, and build their legacy.
The reciprocity and two-way exchange of
sponsorship is what guarantees that both
parties in this relationship forge ahead.
The problem is, not everyone has access to
sponsorship.
62%
51%
60
As our first report established, a mere

13 percent of women have sponsorship.
40
Figures are low for men as well (19 percent
20
lay claim to having a sponsor), but we
found that men benefit from a larger
0
wo c
with c
set
wo aa
with aa
wo a
with a
set
wo hisp with hisp
network of sponsor-like friendships, or
Caucasian
African-American
Asian
Hispanic
relationships with sponsor potential,
Without protg
With protg
because theyre inherently more
intentional in their approach to workplace
relationships. The enduring power of the Old Boys Club demonstrates how
deep this divide is between men and women.4
43%
40
14%
With sponsors
80
60
African-American
Without sponsors
100
with aa
20
an A team to turn to whenever a crisis

looms or a deadline threatens or a massive
opportunity knocks. Consider, too, how
organizations assess leadership potential
and it becomes clear why developing
a posse of protgs establishes you as
leadership material: helping junior
people evolve into major producers for
the firm is what leaders do. So if youve
succeeded in grooming a number of people
for your position, youve made it that
much easier for your superiors to promote
you, as you will not leave a vacuum they
have to fill.
48%
41%
46%
But multicultural employees, our subsequent surveys reveal, suffer an

even greater scarcity of sponsorship. Caucasians are 63 percent more likely
to have powerful advocates than people of color. Multicultural talent has
mentors aplenty; theyre arguably over-mentored. Yet mentorship alone
cannot deliver the goods. Mentors will make time for you, but sponsors will
create opportunities for you. Mentors will coach you privately; sponsors
will champion you publicly. Mentors will hold your hand and stiffen your
12
backbone; sponsors will do battle for you, confronting your detractors and
clearing a path so you can move forward. Theres a world of difference between
someone who talks about leadership roles and someone who will see that
100
100
you get one.
80
80
Figure 1.8:
So: why are those whom sponsorship could most benefitwomen
Full-time employees in large companies
and people of colorleast likely to have it? We explored this
60
60
who have a sponsor
question at length in both The Sponsor Effect and Vaulting the Color
40
Bar. We probed the myth of the meritocracy, the puzzle of womens 40
ambivalence, and the threat of illicit affairs, all of which contribute
19%
20
20
13%
to womens distaste for (and avoidance of) instrumental alliances. We
examined the issue of distrust, which for people of color can poison 0
0
USW
USW
USM
USM
set
UKW
set
UKW
UKM
UKM
both the prospects of finding a sponsor and being one. We also looked
Women
Men
at leadership, looks, and executive presencesuch a tripwire for
both female and multicultural professionals that were devoting a
whole report to it (Executive Presence). All of these issues help explain
why the Old Boys Club remains white and male: not because those in it wish
to exclude women and people of color, but because its human nature to act
within ones comfort zone, making overtures and going out on a limb for
people you feel you know or can trust because theyre like you.
These issues can and must be addressed, by individuals as well as human

resource professionals. Weve prepared this report to provide precisely that
guidance, in the Road Map section. But firstbecause understanding the
problem is the first step in solving itwere going to recap what our data
affirms are the real roadblocks for women and people of color: an entrenched
passivity, and a reflexive distrust.
13
14
Chapter 2
Roadblocks
The Perils of Passivity
hat you deserve in a career isnt necessarily what you get,

observes Jennifer Christie, chief diversity officer at American
Express. What you get, more often than not, is what you make others
aware you want. All too often, highly engaged, highly qualified women
and people of color stay mum, knuckle down, and work harder, believing
their performance will do all the talking.
It doesnt. And a world of opportunitystretch assignments, promotions, and
sponsorshippasses them by.
Christie knows the syndrome well and recalled an experience she had while
working in Washington, DC. She was suddenly asked to take an interim role
working directly for the head of her organization due to the unexpected illness
of her leader. It was a seemingly golden opportunity for Christie to prove her
capabilities. But no sooner had she taken on this new role than she found
herself in the midst of an ugly power struggle between her former leader and
the leader she was now reporting to. My former leader who was convalescing
would call me and ask me to feed him information about my new leader so he
could block him from making certain moves, she recalls. I refused to do it. I
said I cant be duplicitous. He was very aggressive about me helping him with
his agenda, but I didnt because that was the right thing to do.
Six months later, my former leader had recovered and returned to the office,
Christie continues, and he annihilated me. He removed me from every meeting,
told staff to exclude me from key decisions; he wiped my job off the planet. I
went to the head of the agency, to whom I had been loyal while reporting to
him, thinking hed return the favor. He just shrugged his shoulders. Ive got too
many battles, I cant take this on, he told me. And here Id killed myself for him.
In hindsight, Christie realizes the mistake she made was leaving too much
unsaid for too long. He had no idea what Id done for him, she observes. I
should have gone to him, after that first call, and said, Look, heres what I am
being asked to doso that he could see what I was up against and where my
loyalties lay. It was an opportunity to build trust, but instead of approaching
the relationship as a potential pathway to sponsorship, I just assumed hed
have my back.
15
People dont always know what youre thinking and doing, she adds. Its up
to you to spell out what you want and what help you need from them. Your
careers too important to leave it up to someone else to connect the dots.
The Tiara Syndrome
When Christie relates this story at the sponsorship workshops she conducts
for American Express, there is head-nodding all around the table. At Time
Warner, women even have a name for it: the Tiara Syndrome. Its as though
youre expecting that someones going to reach out with a magic wand and
poof! crown you with a promotion, a participant in the firms Breakthrough
Leadership program explained.
100
100
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
USW
Figure 2.1:
Aspire to a top job (Director level
and above)
65%
59%
Yet in the face of clear evidence that this strategy doesnt work (the
captains of Fortune 1000 industry are still overwhelmingly white and
male), why do driven, capable professionals cling to it? What explains
the disconnect between what women say they wantand 59 percent
say they aspire to hold a top joband how they go about getting it?
Our research reveals that women are far more inclined than men to
perceive the corporate hierarchy as a meritocracy. More than threequarters of our female survey respondents believe that promotion is
strictly a function of hard work, long hours, and strong credentials.
USW
USM
USM
set
UKW
set
UKW
UKM
UKM
Women
Men
Nearly three-quarters of women who have advanced think its
their track record that won them a promotion; less than half credit
personal connections. The majority (83 percent) of
Figure 2.2:
male respondents, in contrast, believe that who you
How did
you
get
your
most
recent
promotion?
100
100
know counts for a lot, at least as much as how well
you do your job. Fifty-seven percent chalk up their
80
80
72%
last promotion to personal connections.5
66%
60
57%
48%
60
40
40
20
20
cauc
aacauc asianaa
Personal connections
Women
Men
Indeed, women insist their advancement be a function

of their performance, as leveraging work relationships
strikes them as unfair or unseemly. At the end of
the day, I want to be judged on the quality of my
work and how I affect the bottom linenot by who
hisp
asian sethisp
set
I know or how well I manipulate relationships, one
Credentials and track record
female investment banker told us in a focus group
CTI conducted. Women consider colleagues as friends,
making it very difficult for them to ask for favors or
propose a quid pro quo. Forty-five percent of our female respondents (versus 36
percent of male respondents) say they have difficulty asking a colleague for
help in closing a deal, and 38 percent (versus 31 percent of men) struggle in
asking a friend or colleague for help landing a job.6
Finally, women prefer to keep their head down and focus on their daily task
load because its safer than entering into any sort of transactional relationship
with the opposite sex. Lest they be accused of sleeping their way to the top,
they assiduously avoid any interaction that might be misconstruedfrom
asking for a stretch opportunity to providing push-back, from requesting
a raise to offering strategic insights. Better to say nothing and hope the
other party divines your intentions and rewards your good works than
16
say something that might suggest theres some kind of deal or

intimate debt to be paid.
The Complication of Color
As difficult as it is for women to become proactively contractual in
their work relationships, its even harder for people of color. Again,
ambition is not the issue: while 54 percent of Caucasians overall
aspire to hold a top job, a stunning 72 percent of Hispanics, 65 percent of African-Americans, and 63 percent of Asians say they want
the brass ring. But a host of factors conspire to muzzle them when
it comes to asking for an opportunity or proposing a quid pro quo.
100
100
Figure 2.3:
Respondents who have difficulty
80
80
asking
a colleague for help...
60
60
45%
40
40
20
20
cauc
38%
36%
cauc
aa
Closing a
business deal
31%
asian
aa
Women
Antoinette* a managing director in a financial services

multinational, describes an agonizing but eye-opening meeting
with her boss that she initiated years ago, when she was an
associate in the IT department. Like Christie, she had stepped
in to fill in for her manager, whod gone out on maternity leave.
When her manager informed the department head she wasnt
returning, the department head turned to Antoinette to discuss
whether I should have another woman manage you, or hire
someone from outside. Antoinette listened in mute shock. Why
did he not consider her? After all, shed been doing the job for
months. After a sleepless night, she marched into his office and
put her feelings on the table. It was his turn to be shocked. Quite
honestly, it didnt occur to me, he said.
asian
hisp
hisp
set
set
Landing a job
Men
Figure 2.4:
Aspire to a top position in their
100 100 100 100
profession
80
80
80
80
72%
65%
60
54%
60 60
60
40
40
40
40
20
20
20
20
Antoinette never again made the mistake of assuming too much.

To this day, however, she remembers her fear of appearing to
be the stereotypical angry black woman. To do the things you
need to do to in order to advance, as a woman of color youre
constantly worrying about how youre perceived, she says. Even
now, I replay in my mind what I said to my boss: did I say, Why
wasnt I considered? Because that sounds like Im pulling the race
cardand I certainly didnt want to do that.
63%
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set
Caucasian
African-American
Asian
Hispanic
Her outspokenness won her the job, but more importantly, it put her on the
radar of potential sponsors. Today, inside and out of her firm, Antoinette has
a high-level circle of supporters, people who take my success personally
including the CEO, who calls her to discuss everything from succession
plans to his sons college plans. Sponsorship has made all the difference in
her career trajectory, she will tell you, but it was speaking up that made all
the difference in winning her first sponsor. My boss asked me one day, Do
you think youve been driving the bus or that you just got on a good bus?
Antoinette reflects. She replied, I got on a great bus, because many people
here are open-minded enough to allow me to shine through as who I am.
Then she asked him if he remembered that moment when she had asked to
be considered for her managers roleif he remembered it as a contentious
moment. Not at all, he told her. Which just makes my point, Antoinette
concludes. Whether youre on a great bus or a bad bus, you still do have to drive.
If you find powerful, impressive people sitting with you, youd better latch on
for dear life. Youd better speak up, and leverage the hell out of those people.
17
set
DISTRUST
When Sarah,* an executive recruiter for a financial services firm, persuaded
Deanna* to join the firm as an SVP in the marketing division, she felt shed hit
a home run for her own career. I saw in Deanna our next superstar, she says.
I already had figured her into our succession plan.
Six months later, however, Sarah couldnt help noticing that Deanna had yet
to generate any followership. Members of her team wouldnt vouch for her
skill sets; those whom she reported to had no sense of her value-added. She
was friendly enough, but relationships here arent forged by where you go to
brunch or happy hour, Sarah explains. Theyre formed around the trust and
integrity you develop working tightly together on a project. And she hadnt
developed thatnot with the people she was leading, not with her peers, and
not with me.
Concerned, Sarah called Deanna into her office. You need to ask questions,
she began. Youre brand new to the organization: people expect you to ask
questions. Because when you dont, the perception is, either you dont care or
youre a know-it-all, and Im sure thats not the message you mean to send.
Deanna nodded. Unconvinced, Sarah persisted. The meet-and-greets arent
about getting coffee, she said. Theyre about learning what members of
your team are up to so you can get your job done. You cant work the matrix
if you dont know whos doing what. Deanna insisted she understood. Sarah
reiterated her offer of support.
Another three months went by, during which Sarah started to hear grumbling
from business leaders who questioned why Deanna sat in on their meetings.
Aware her own reputation was on the line, Sarah again called a meeting with
her protge. You need to find something to say in every meeting you go to, or
people are going to wonder why youre there, she said. This is a contributing
kind of place, and theyre looking to you to tell them what they need to know.
Deanna promised to do better, and Sarah believed shed gotten through.
But nothing changed. At meetings, Deanna remained silent, even when Sarah
provided the entre. After her year-end review, with no improvement to point
to, and with evidence mounting that Deanna just wasnt getting her job done,
Sarah was forced to let her go. It was a horrible situation, she says. To this
day, I ask myself why it all had to unravel as it did. Did Deanna feel that if she
asked questions she wouldnt be seen as qualified? Why couldnt she tell me
when she felt in over her head? Why did she keep insisting she had everything
under control until it was painfully clear she did not? Sarah closes her eyes,
shakes her head, and adds, The whole experience has made me realize
that not everyone, no matter how many directives you provide, is capable of
earning sponsorship.
How Race Complicates Sponsorship
This is a story of failed sponsorship. Sarah could not secure a place for Deanna
in the firm because Deanna would neither engage in nor conform to the
company culture. But was Deanna indeed incapable of earning sponsorship,
orgiven that she was African-Americanwas something else at work here?
18

100 100 100 100
Our research suggests race may have been a factor, though not in ways
you might think. What may have doomed this sponsorship was a deep
undercurrent of distrust, one energized by unspoken assumptions
and unchallenged perceptions. Distrust eats away at multicultural
protgs confidence in their career prospects, which in turn eats
away at their engagement and commitment. As protgs disengage
or remain on the periphery, their sponsors withhold or withdraw
their commitment. With both parties skeptical or distrustful of the
other, sponsorship founders, and multiculturals move onfueling
the multicultural perception that Caucasians cant be trusted to back
people of color all the way to the top.
80
Figure
2.5:
80 80 80
Feel like an outsider to
corporate culture
60
60
60
60
40
40
40
40
40%
32%
26%
20
20
20
26%
20
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set
set
Caucasian
African-American
Asian
Hispanic
100 100 100 100
Our 2012 research confirms that quite a few professionals of color are
marooned on the periphery, eager to engage but cynical about their
prospects to belong. Forty percent of African-Americans say they feel
like outsiders in their corporate cultures; 42 percent of Asians say they
have to work harder than their colleagues to feel included.8
We also probed the perceptions that keep them there. For instance, did
respondents think it was true that a person of color would never rise
to the top of their company? Ten percent of Caucasians in our cohort
said yes. More than twice as many Hispanics (21 percent) agreed, as
did 29 percent of Asians in our survey. Among African-Americans, the
number shot up to 35 percent.9 These figures found traction in our
focus groups, too. Why go through all the motions to play this game,
when you know youre not going to be one of the winners? one black
actuary told us.
80
60
40
Finally, we asked if protgs were as distrustful of multicultural

sponsors as sponsors were of multicultural protgs. While 23 percent
of Caucasians we surveyed conceded there were disadvantages to
having a sponsor of color, a shocking 67 percent of African-Americans
agreed (with 55 percent of Hispanics and 46 percent of Asians
in accord).11 Focus groups helped us make sense of this finding:
professionals of color prefer a white sponsor because they perceive
multicultural sponsors to have less traction in the organization
making them a risky bet for effective advocacy.
40
40
40
20
20
20
35%
29%
21%
20
10%
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set
100 100
80
60
40
The second perception we tested was around sponsors belief that

protgs of color were less qualified than their Caucasian counterparts.
Seven percent of Caucasian executives admitted to thinking this. We
were surprised to learn, however, that 11 percent of African-Americans,
18 percent of Asians, and 19 percent of Hispanics share this view.
In fact, overall, multicultural executives are more likely than white
executives to think that protgs of color are less qualified (by which
they mean less competent, less reliable, and less connected to key
players and market opportunities).10
Figure
2.6:
80 80 80
A person of color would never get
a top position at my company no
60 60 60
matter
how able or high performing
20
80
80
80
Figure
60 60 2.7:
60
Think protgs of color are less
qualified
(Director level and above)
40 40 40
20
20
20
7%
0
set
Caucasian
African-American
Asian
100 100
Hispanic
18%
19%
11%
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set
Caucasian
African-American
Asian
Hispanic
set
Figure 2.8:
Think there are disadvantages to
having a sponsor of color
100 100 100 100
80
80
80
80
67%
60
60
60
60
40
40
40
40
55%
46%
23%
20
20
20
20
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set
Caucasian
African-American
Asian
Hispanic
19
set
Routes Around the Roadblock

These perceptions have dire implications for sponsorship. Professionals of
color simply arent likely to seek, win, or benefit from sponsorship so long as
they remain distrustful of those in power and those who might offer them a
leg up. And potential sponsors, witnessing the disengagement that distrust
drives, will resist going out on a limb for protgs of color.
The irony is that sponsorship has the power to cure this distrust. Ken
Chenault, CEO of American Express, tells how Lou Gerstner (retired CEO of IBM
who served as head of American Expresss travel-related services) changed
his career trajectory by offering him his sponsorship. As someone who was
different from the majority of the people in the company, Chenault relates,
I was thinking, Ill stay here for five years, get the experience, and move
onto something else. And Lou said, You can go really far in this company.
Here are the areas that you need to work on. Gerstners robust sponsorship
simultaneously raised Chenualts aspirations, and set him up for success.
Having Gerstner as a sponsor gave him credibility. Gerstner didnt waver,
and Chenault gave him 110 percent in terms of both loyalty and stand-out
performance. Its a stunning testament to the impact of sponsorship on highpotential talent of color.
As well see in the next two sections, protgs and sponsors have, in fact,
found ways around these roadblocks. The Protg Road Mapparticularly
Steps 3 through 6offers women a strategic path out of the passivity trap
that mentorship can engender. The Sponsor Road Map, in turnspecifically
Step 8provides leaders with the tactics they need to dispel distrust and
build an effective rapport with professionals of color. Not everyone, it is true,
will prove worthy of sponsorship, as Sarah points out. But everyone intent on
turbocharging their career will have the know-how necessary to become a
contender in the leadership competition. And thats what makes sponsorship a
meritocracy: when everybody, and not just the white guys, gets in on the game.
20
Part Two:
Road Maps
21
22
Chapter 3
Road Map for Protgs

Step One: Embrace Your Dream and
Do a Diagnostic
Two years ago, Aimee George Leary, director of talent development, diversity
and strategy at Booz Allen Hamilton, took on an additional role at the firm,
one that required she partner closely with a key market leader. She was to
assess his talent challenges, which revolved predominantly around senior
staff, and devise a solution. Rather than apply traditional HR processes and
tactical delivery, George Leary took a more strategic approach to building the
leadership pipeline, one that would be both forward-looking and replicable. In
collaboration with business leaders and several of the human capital teams,
she put in place a plan that could predict the next cadre of leaders across the
market. In addition, she provided leadership oversight for key programs that
would accelerate top-talent development.
As it turned out, this was precisely the approach required to meet the needs of
the business. Indeed, it was quickly recognized as a best practice and adopted
across all markets at the firm.
Impressed, the market leader to whom shed been assigned asked George
Leary if shed given some thought to her own development plan. What do you
want? he asked. Implicit in his question was an offer to help her reach her
goals.
George Leary didnt have a ready answer. I knew this was a stretch role; I
knew it was an important opportunity, she observes. But I was so focused on
getting the job done I never thought of where I wanted it to take me.
The Vision Thing
Regular interactions with her sponsor and direct leaders have subsequently
enabled George Leary to define her professional goals and work towards them.
But the irony of this incident wasnt lost on her: how is it that someone who
prides herself on her strategic skills and vision had no long-term vision or strategy for
her own career?
In fact, many highly driven, super-capable women find themselves rowing
furiously toward a far shore without any specific destination in mind. Our
research shows theyve got loads of ambition: more full-time white-collar
female workers at large companies aspire to a top job today than ever before.
Among Boomer women, 57 percent consider themselves ambitious; 64 percent
23
of Gen Xers describe themselves that way; and a stunning 77 percent of Gen
Y women in the workforce subscribe to that notion. But when we look at
ambition by age range, we note a fall-off in ambition: 39 percent of young
women (ages 28-40) say theyre very ambitious, but by the ages of 45-55
when they should be taking on that top jobonly 31 percent still hunger for
it. This drop-off reflects the penalty paid by women who take leave to raise
children or care for elders. It suggests as well that, absent a clear idea of what
they want, women are far more vulnerable to mid-career assaults on their
commitment and drive.
Figure 3.1:
Women who consider themselves
100 ambitious
100
100
80
77%
80
80
60
60
60
40
40
40
20
20
20
0
USW
0
USW
USM
64%
Gen Y
57%
USW
USM
set
Gen X
USM
set
UKW
UKW
set
UKM
Boomer
UKW
UKM
Women who do have a dream, it should be noted, absolutely tear up

the track. Cherie Blair, QC, envisioned herself among the elite Queens
Counsel as soon as she started practicing lawa dream that buoyed
her through the tumult of being the wife of Britains prime minister
and giving birth to four children. Performance-art trailblazer Roselee
Goldberg was so passionately clear on her vision for the Royal College
of Art that, straight out of college, she was made the esteemed
institutions director of exhibitions. Mellody Hobson, the youngest
of six children born to a single mother, is today president of Ariel
Investments, managing over $3 billion in assetsan achievement
she attributes to being desperate to understand money and rescue
UKM
herself from the dire circumstances that marked her childhood.
Of the 15 percent of CEOs who are women, every one can describe
not just the passion that propelled her to her current post but also
the guiding star on her internal horizon that guided her through countless
storms and setbacks. They all knew what they wanted, and that made all the
difference in what they could achieve.
Determine the Destination
Its never too late to fix on a star and embrace it. If youre a stand-out
performer, people will be eager to help you do just that. In George Learys
example, the two years that she spent crafting and implementing a strategic
leadership development plan for the executive helped her gain his career and
development guidanceand eventual sponsorship.
Yet because homing in on what you want out of your career is timeconsuming, intimate work, its best abetted by someone other than your
sponsor, earlier in your careera mentor, for example. Only with a mentor
can you afford to share the good, the bad, and the ugly (sponsors should see
your best side, lest you give them reason to fear theyve invested unwisely).
Mentors know the lay of the land; more importantly, theyve successfully
navigated it, and our research shows the vast majority of women (85 percent)
and multicultural professionals (81 percent) need navigational help. Mentors
can help you understand the unwritten rules, provide a map for the uncharted
corridors to power, and reveal the business behind the business. They cannot
make your dream happen. But in helping you identify what it is you want, they
prepare you to attract people who can and, once youve got their attention,
make the most of the leverage they offer.
24
Know Thyself
Start with a self-diagnostic. Again, you neednt do this in a vacuummany
mentoring programs incorporate a bevy of assessment tools and sessions
with professionals trained in interpreting them. But in the absence of formal
assessment, you can and must take your own measure.
What are your strengths, and how have you proven them?
What credentials or experiences set you apart?
What inherent or acquired differences lend you a distinctive brand or
value-added that others may not bring to the table?
What accomplishment has given you joy and won you accolades? What
gives you satisfaction that you want to do more of it?
How does the mission or mandate of your organization overlap with your
own set of values or goals?
Assess Your Organization
Knowing what you bring to the mission is half the diagnostic. The other half is
sizing up the context in which youll be leveraging those strengths. Heres what
you need to consider:
Is your firm flat(few titles, no apparent ladder) or hierarchical? If there is
a ladder, how is it constructed?
What do titles mean in terms of what you do, where you do it, and whom
you manage?
What deliverables will get you promoted? These arent necessarily spelled
out in your job description. Innovating a solution, bagging a new client,
opening up a new market, finding ways to cut costson any scale, in any
context, these are sure-fire tickets.
Where are the sandbars? You knowthose dead-end departments or
non-mission-critical missions where you could find yourself marooned for
a long time? Identify them now so that when you do win a sponsor, you
know right where to focus his/her efforts.
Close Skill Gaps
Once youve homed in on a goal and mapped the terrain youve got to navigate, assess your credentials and experience for gaps that could hold you
backand close them. If youve set your sights on a C-suite position, for
example, youll need line experience. Jeanne Rosario, an engineer who is today
vice president and general manager for GE Aviation, turned down a big promotion while she was raising her two kidsbut never allowed her part-time status to take her off-track. She used this period to garner critical line experience
in engine design and systems leadership, including a stint in the firms Six
Sigma program, because shed noted that everyone whod gotten promoted into
a strategic leadership role had done time on the line. When she was ready
to resume full-time work, her colleagues vouched for experience in the core
business and she became general manager of the engine systems division.
25
Step Two: Scan the Horizon for

Potential Sponsors
At many pharmaceutical companies, it is understood that a medical doctor
(MD degree) is required for top management positions in research and
development. With a graduate degree in pharmacy, Janet Loesberg, vice
president, Global Medical, Bristol-Myers Squibb, knew her path would have
to be different. In order to break out of the marzipan layer, she would have
to create the right networks and secure the right advocacy. Loesberg asked
her manager for advice on finding a mentor in R&D, and when her manager
connected her with a high-level male executive, she was thrilled. Loesberg
remembers thinking, Ill develop a relationship, learn from him, and hell also
be in a good position to advocate for me.
Thats how I thought it would work, Loesberg says. But honestly, how could
it? Here we spent our quarterly meetings talking about company philosophy,
strategy, and changes, when I really should have been providing him with
information on my work and giving him insights from my organization that he
could use.
Sitting and Waiting
Eventually, Loesberg did just that: after an internal meeting on sponsorship
helped her see what was required on her part, she had a conversation with
this executive about sponsorship and, earlier this year when a crucial position
opened up, asked for his backing. She got itand won the promotion.
But Loesberg is one of the lucky ones. Too often, our research shows, middle
managers mistake supporters for advocates. Unclear on the difference
between mentors and sponsors, they waste precious time waiting for
Figure 3.2:
opportunities and connections their supporters simply arent positioned
100Full-time, high-earning employees in
or prepared to provide. When we asked employees if they had people
large companies who...
whose support they could count on, some 48 percent of female
80
68%
respondents and 68 percent of multicultural respondents said they
did. These numbers surprised us. If so many female and multicultural
60
51%
employees had the backing of senior leaders, why did so few of them
40
actually progress into leadership? The truth became apparent in the
follow-up question we posed. Listing key deliverables, we asked, Which
20 13%
8%
of these does your sponsor do for you? And the number of respondents who
claimed to have sponsors plummeted: from 48 percent to 13 percent for
0
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multi sp multi think
Caucasian
Multicultural
women, and from 68 percent to 8 percent for multiculturals.12
Have a sponsor
Think they have a sponsor
26
And this confusion turns out to be only half the problem. Among those
who do appreciate the difference between supporters and sponsors, a
significant number go after the wrong leaders for sponsorshipleaders who
simply dont have the juice, or the wherewithal to get them where they
want to go. They target people they like, or people they are like, rather than
form strategic alliances. In short, they seek out role models. Among female
survey respondents, 42 percent say they are looking to ally themselves with
collaborative, inclusive leaders, because those are leaders whom they relate
100 100
100
100
Figure 3.3:
to and hope to emulate. But the
The Mismatch
vast majority of leaders arent
80 80
80
80
Women dont go after the right leader
inclusive collaborators. Forty-five
percent of men and women at
60 60
60
60
45%
42%
U.S. companies say the dominant
40 40
40
40
style of leadership at their firm
28%
24%
20%
is Classic, the Churchillian type
17%
16%
20 20
20
20
who values loyalty from his
6%
lieutenants above all. Twenty
0
0
0
0
W W M M set set W W M M
W
W M
M set set W
W M
M
Collaborative:
Competitive:
Charismatic:
Classic:
percent perceive their top
Inclusive/people
Hard-edged/
Inspirational/creative
Old-school/
management to be Competitive
focused (values a
hard-driving (values
(values big picture)
hierarchical
speak-up culture)
bottom-line results)
(values loyalty)
hard-edged, hard-driving guys
who value bottom-line results
Composition of leadership
Preference of female protges
(think Jack Welch). A mere
28 percent of respondents say
their company is headed by a collaborative leader. In short, what female and
multicultural talent values and seeks in a sponsor is at serious odds with
whats on offer in the executive suite.13
Whom You Should Target
The most powerful person in your orbit. While still an undergraduate at

Harvard, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebooks No. 2, won the attention of Lawrence
Summers, an academic powerhouse who was subsequently tapped to run
the World Bank. When he left for Washington, he took her with him as
his research analyst. When he moved over to the U.S. Treasury, he made
Sandberg (who was all of 29 years old) his Chief of Staff. Summers, who
is perhaps best known for pointing out that women lack the intellectual
wattage to be the worlds top scientists, was probably not someone whose
style Sandberg hoped to emulate. But did he have juice? Oceans of it.
The person whose job you hope to inherit. When she was a young member of a
printing firms sales force, Debbie Storey, chief of diversity at AT&T, sought
the counsel of Buster Horne, a vice president nearing retirement. Horne
managed all the key client relationships, including those at BellSouth,
the firms bread-and-butter account. Storey sought to earn his respect
and win his advocacy by demonstrating that, like him, she put the clients
satisfaction first, going so far as to overhaul processes for publishing
BellSouths phone books to reduce late delivery and expensive corrections.
When Storey was promoted to take over the sales organization, a cadre
of 30-year sales veterans, all of whom were men, she knew that Hornes
sponsorship had been critical in that decision. Over and over he was the
voice at the executive table for me, she recalls. He saw me fulfilling his
legacy, because I was someone who recognized the value of relationships
and the importance of delivering results.
How to Make the Ask
Suggest collaborating on a piece of research or project of interest to that person.
Go out of your way to make clear how much number-crunching and
legwork as well new ideas you plan to contribute, says Katherine Phillips,
a distinguished professor at the Columbia Business School.
27
Propose a quid pro quo. Identify ways in which your special currency might
help your sponsor solve business challenges. Explain what you are looking
for in the way of advocacy: introductions to other department heads,
stretch opportunities within your own division, lateral moves to gain
experience, or promotions. Stress ways in which your alliance will work to
your sponsors benefit.
Id like this role. Will you put my name forward? If your target sponsor
demurs, ask if he/she can direct you to a more appropriate leader. Ask if
he/she will introduce you.
Ask for advice on a selective basisand convert that relationship into a two-way
street. Rosalind Hudnell recalls how she repeatedly asked Carlene Ellis,
Intels first female VP, for advice on managerial issues. Weve really got to
find you a mentor, Ellis responded, because Im already overscheduled.
Hudnell persisted, framing her requests around very small time
commitments, such as coffee in the cafeteria. Gradually, coffee breaks
became lunch dates, lunch chats became dinner conversationsand the
relationship became sponsorship.
How to Win Over Your Targets
Demonstrate gumption and initiative. Its really rather simple: leaders wish
to invest in and cultivate those who demonstrate passion, intent, courage,
creativity, tenacity, and resilience. How you pursue a sponsor can telegraph
all of these things. Consider how Joanna Coles, a senior editor at More
magazine, went after Cathie Black, then CEO of Hearst and a powerhouse
in the media industry. Coles struggled to get a meeting scheduled and
through sheer persistence, succeeded. She prepped and primped and
turned up in Blacks office all ready to strut her stuff, only to be told that
Black was heading to the airport to attend a board meeting and needed
to cancel. Undeterred, Coles took a cab, caught up with Blacks limo, and
jumped in to share the ride to JFK. The ruse worked: Black, impressed by
Coles determination and ambition, committed to helping her navigate
Hearst for the leadership role she sought. (Coles is today at the helm of
Cosmopolitan.)
Step Three: Distribute Your Risk

If tomorrow your division leader got the axe or left for a better job, how secure
would your job be?
Leadership churn is something Gabriella,* a broadcasting executive, knows a
thing or two about. Six years ago, the firms head of HR wooed her away from
a production role to join her in the C-suite, driving a transformational talent
strategy. Four years into their partnership, the firm ushered in a new CEO, who
promptly cleaned house. The HR chief survivedthus assuring Gabriellas
survival. I remember thinking, Okay, shes obviously bulletproof, so Im set
28
for the long haul, Gabriella recalls. I figured at her age, she wasnt going
anywhere, so I could ride out her career at the network.
Then came the bombshell. A year after the CEO transition, Gabriellas sponsor
announced she was leaving the network to head up global talent for the
networks biggest competitor.
While Gabriella retained her job, she lost her clout: her sponsors job was split
into two, putting her three reports away from the new CEO. All the people who
knew what I did and how well I performed are gone, she observes. Its hard, at
this stage, recognizing Ive got to start over in terms of building up that equity.
One is Never Enough
When it comes to seeking out sponsors, bear in mind
that in todays globalized economy, you simply cannot
afford to put all your eggs in one basket. A sponsor
can save your job only so long as his own footing is
secure. And to look at whats happened to the Old
Guard in, say, financial services, leadership churn is
the new normal.
100 100 100 100

Figure 3.4:
Protgs who have only one sponsor
100 100
80
60
40
80
60
49%
40
80
56%
60
40
80
80
80
60 60
51%
60
40
40
69%
53%
53%
40
Yet men and women continue to find themselves

20 20
20 20 20 20
in the straits Gabriella describes, because having
secured that one powerful advocate theyre no longer
0
0
0
0
0
0
women
women
men menasian asianhisp hisp
cauc set
cauc set
cauc
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aa asian
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asian hisp
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motivated to build out a safety net. Of our survey
Women
Caucasian
respondents who claim to have sponsors, the majority
Men
African-American
Asian
(56 percent of men and 49 percent of women) has
Hispanic
oneand only one. (Interestingly, the tendency to
cultivate a super alliance and hang on for dear life is
highest among Latinos: 69 percent say they have only one sponsor.)
hisp
set set
The 2+1 Rule

How many do you need? The consensus in focus groups is what weve come
to call the two-plus-one rule: inside your organization, you need two sponsors,
and outside, you need one. I dont think you can navigate without an internal
sponsor, notes Ana Duarte McCarthy, Citis chief of diversity. I believe you
need at least two, because should one leaveand one could absolutely leave at
any timeyoull feel it. She counsels that one of your internals be in your line
of sight, the other in another division.
The third should be an outsider: either a former insider you worked with whos
moved on, or someone youve gotten to know in a different context who can
nonetheless speak to your professional strengths if called upon. Anne Erni,
who heads up Leadership, Learning, and Diversity at Bloomberg, found her
berth at the global business and financial information/news company after
her previous position, and her firm, imploded in the financial crisis of 2008.
For years in her diversity role at Lehman Brothers, shed maintained a collegial
relationship with Melinda Wolfe, who had key talent roles first at Goldman
Sachs and then at Bloomberg. Oftentimes they competed for the same Wall
Street talent. When Lehman went bust, Wolfe convinced her executive circle
29
set
at Bloomberg to create a role for Erni in succession planning. Melinda was

a real advocate for me with senior decision-makers and the chairman of the
company, says Erni. She not only sponsored me for the role, but when it came
down to getting an offer for full-time hire, she was the voice in the room that
made it happen.
When targeting sponsors in-house, Task Force members agree, look for two
levels of separation. The person two levels above should be someone with
influence within the organization, and a different view when it comes to
potential stretch opportunities than someone closer, such as your manager.
Other Good Bets
A superior whom youve worked for, but whos not your boss. Target the leader
of, say, the womens network, or the head of your affinity group. (If youre
not already a member, heres a perfect reason to join.) Barbara Adachi,
head of Human Capital for Deloitte Consulting LLP, identifies two women
as her protges, both of whom found her, she says, through WIN,
Deloittes professional womens network, which Adachi also recently led.
And dont overlook opportunities to be a mentor, as these relationships
will make you visible to a wide range of leaders across divisions.
External leaders. Cultivate professional ties outside of work. Join an industry

group, or get active in a philanthropic cause or non-profit board. Stay
current or renew ties with your alumni group or fraternity or sorority. Run
for a school board position, a community organizer role, a lay leadership
post in your church, or other local office. These provide invaluable
leadership training, but they also give you visibility so that leaders in the
larger community can take note of your passion, your drive, and your
unique skills or experience. Deb Elam, vice president and chief diversity
officer at GE, makes herself available to young talent through the National
Black MBA Association and Jack & Jill of America. Shes active as well
in the national executive board of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the
Fairfield County chapter of The Links Inc. Elam is passionate about her
causes, which give her the opportunity to leverage skills and knowledge
shes acquired in the course of a 25-year GE career. They also represent an
extensive network of influentials outside the firm who recognize Elam as
a leader.
Former sponsors. Once you cultivate a sponsor, never let her go. You never
know when you may need to reach back and re-activate the alliance.
Eleanor Mills, a columnist and associate editor at The Sunday Times, recalls
how her very first sponsor and editor, Sarah Baxter, provided her an escape
hatch from the Saturday edition of the Times, where Mills had assumed
a managerial role that proved pretty bruising and a poor platform for
her skills. Baxter created a dream job to lure her back, making Mills
enormously glad shed lunched often with her old editor. Sometimes you
find yourself in a place where the fit is all wrong and the only reasonable
thing to do is pull the plug, Mills reflects. Thats when youll be grateful
you kept in touch with that first sponsor.
30
Step Four: Understand that Its Not All

About You
Early in her career, working in sales at Motorola, Therese* was assigned a
mentor through a talent development program. Delighted to be chosen for
what she perceived to be a fast track to management, Therese punctually
showed up for the monthly meetings, took careful notes, and tried to be a
good student.
In retrospect, shes horrified at her utter passivity. I didnt even take
responsibility for scheduling the meetings! she says. But Therese, now an HR
executive at a Swiss multinational, recognizes that passivity is endemic to
mentoring programs, not just at Motorola but at every firm intent on retaining
and developing its most promising employees. Theres this gift mindset
among high-potentials, she explains. You just wait for that next installment
of advice. Its all about you.
The Mentoring Mindset
Mentors provide support and counsel to struggling up-and-comers because
they enjoy sharing what theyve learned. They give without expecting to get.
Sponsors, in contrast, expend their time and energy for you and extend
you their networks because youre expending it right back. When you feel
that two-way energy, Barbara Adachi explains, thats when you know its
sponsorship. Thats why my protgs are protgs. Its a two-way street when I
feel it runs both ways.
Thats why senior managers overwhelmingly extend their advocacy to those
who show initiative. Seventy-two percent of executives and C-suite leaders say
theyre looking for protgs who assume responsibility and are self-directed.
Sponsors also want, of course, a protg who can get things done (as 41
percent indicate), and whos willing to do what it takes to do them
(45 percent want a protg who delivers 110 percent). But proactivity in a
protg is paramount.
100
80
Figure 3.5:
What qualities or attributes do you look for in a protg? (Executives)
100
100
100
100
100
80
80
80
80
80
60
60
72%
60
60
60
45%
60
44%
41%
40
40
40
40
40
40
20
20
20
20
20
20
women
0
men women
asian
Assumes
responsibility
and is selfdirected
men
hisp
asian
set
Delivers
110% effort
0
hisp
cauc
set
aa
Is loyal: Devoted
and discreet
can be absolutely
trusted and keeps
me informed
cauc
asian
0
aa
hisp cauc
asian
set
Hits deadlines
and gets
things done
38%
38%
0
aa
hisp cauc
asian
set
aa
hisp
Is creative and
innovative
asian
set
hisp
set
Offers a skill-set
and brings a perspective different
than mine
31
Alas, not every would-be protg gets this. As many of our Task Force members
have observed, years of corporate mentoring initiatives have lulled women and
people of color into thinking their career trajectory is in other, more capable
hands. No sooner are they tapped for development than they sit back and
wait for the magic to happen. They telegraph that expectation, which acts as a
turn-off to high-level leaders who simply cant afford to take on more mentees,
however doggedly HR flogs them to do so. Its a vicious cycle, one that ensures
sponsorship remains an Old Boys Club phenomenon.
Honor the Pact
Heres how to signal youll be a contributing party to the relationship:
Deliver outside your job description. One attorney in our Task Force describes
how, as an associate on the brink of taking maternity leave, she canvassed
her network and called in every favor to generate a small book of new
clients for the firm. Booking clients is a partners job, but by demonstrating
she could do it she returned from maternity leave to find herself on an
accelerated partner track.
Give whats needed without needing to be asked. Jennifer Christie tries to make
a habit of not just figuring out what she needs to do every day and the
goals she wants to achieve: she also thinks about what her sponsors are
working on, and what they need to maintain their relationships with their
leaders. If you proactively give them information or do something you
know will help them be successful when they dont ask for it, they will
know you have their back and are not just standing in front of them with a
hand out.
Make the small gesture. Warm soup on a cold day, a note of condolence
in the wake of a personal loss, a celebratory bouquet of flowers, and
even a cup of coffee the way she likes it telegraph that her concerns are
top of mind for you. You wont appear the suck-up if you execute with
discretionand genuine feeling.
Step Five: Come Through on Two

Obvious Fronts
Barbara Adachi never misses an opportunity to talk up her first sponsor at
Deloitte. Originally her fellow partner at Deloitte Consulting, Mike Fucci
eventually became her bossbut only after hed helped her become the firms
first female regional managing director, lobbying for her appointment with
their mutual boss, Ainar Aijala, from the opposite coast, even flying out to San
Francisco to show Adachi what she needed to know to succeed.
What motivated Fucci to go to such lengths on her behalf? His generosity,
Adachi offers, and his genuine interest in developing talent for the firm. But
then she acknowledges that Fucci perceived in her someone as committed
to the business and as fervent about the mission as he was. We had vastly
different styles, she says, but our values were the same. What made him
32
take a risk on my promotion wasnt only my loyalty to himeven though he

knew Id never let him downbut my loyalty to the firm. Id never leave, not
for double the money. He knew whatever role Ainar put me in, Id give it my
absolute best.
On two essential fronts, that is, Adachi came through: She could be absolutely
trusted, and absolutely trusted to deliver.
The One-Two Punch
Ambitious men and women certainly grasp the power of
solid performancehitting deadlines, delivering on targets,
and driving superior resultsin winning sponsorship. They
understand, too, that sponsors want someone to lean on
who wont let them down, wont talk behind their back, and
wont allow others to impugn their reputation. But what they
dont seem to get is that sponsors back people who will overdeliver for the firm, not just the sponsor, because theyre
loyal to the mission rather than simply to the relationship.
(This is why sponsorship, when its done right, cannot be
branded nepotism.) In fact, about a third of high-potentials,
overall, manage to come through on both fronts: 35 percent
of women and 29 percent of men, our research shows.
100
80
60
100
Figure 3.6:
Protgs who deliver...
55%
54%
45%
80
50%
60
40
40
20
20
cauc
aa
Loyalty
asian
Women
hisp
set
Performance
35%
cauc
29%
aa
asian
Both loyalty and

performance
Men
How to Deliver on Both Fronts

Take something huge off your target sponsors plate. Adachi describes how one
of her protgs approached her at a WIN meeting. She said, Barbara,
Im Alison Gorman, and Id like to help you in any way that I can, Adachi
recalls. Then she got right in there and helped me with one my biggest
projects, which was formulating a strategy for WIN. Working on that
project together, I could see she was as passionate as I was. So even
though shes in another division, I was able to be a voice at the table when
she came up for partnership.
Put your passion to work. Pfizer Global Access, a program that brings health
care to the worlds working poor, is the outgrowth of a group of employees
keen to donate their own time to help realize Pfizers mission worldwide.
When Global Access forged an alliance with Grameen Bank, employees
swarmed to fill the volunteer positions. Not only did the program serve
the underserved, however; everybody involved in its success enjoyed
tremendous visibility with Pfizers leadership.
Do the incredible favor. Rosa Ramos-Kwok, a managing director at Morgan

Stanley in IT, was all set to fly to California to receive an award when
the company experienced a data center incident. An hour before her
departure, she called her project manager and told him she was canceling
her trip to see him through the crisis. Thank you for always being there,
he told her. And years later, he remembered how she helped him. When
Ramos-Kwok was struggling to pull out of a career stall, he worked with
her to devise strategies that might get her promoted, ultimately helping
her to land the managing director position.
33
hisp
Demonstrate youve got the businesss best interests at heart. Back in 2006, as
a newly minted VP of consumer sales for AT&Ts Southeast and Western
regions, Debbie Storey contacted a peer in the organizations call-center
division, which he was running, to suggest they meet. I thought we could
share best practices and learn from each other, Storey told us in an interview.
I was constantly reaching out to people who I thought could help me drive
the business forward by making me smarter. They met quarterly until, in
spring of 2009, he was promoted. He called Storey to tell her the VP job was
now open, and urged her to pursue it. Storey, whod spent many years in
sales, won the position, overseeing sales and operations support for all AT&T
Southeast and West consumer call centers. He offered me the job because
I had demonstrated my passion for leading large teams and driving results.
He knew I could make things happen, Storey says. Id also developed a
reputation for being willing to take tough assignments and consistently
deliver top performance, being a collaborative team player, and driving the
business forward by constantly learning and growing.
Build your sponsors legacy. When he was new to Whirlpool, Mark McLane,
now head of global diversity at Barclays PLC, won the support of then-COO
Jeff Fettig by devoting himself to the diversity council, which Fettig chaired.
But what really won McLane Fettigs trust was his embrace of the COOs
community involvement, the Benton Harbor Boys and Girls Club. A longtime
trustee of its regional board, Fettig had a vision for the Club, one that included
a solvency campaign and a brand-new facility; McLane, by joining the board
and successfully running for president, helped him implement it. In two
years time, McLane turned a $125,000 deficit into a $250,000 reserve and
drove membership to an historic high, paving the way for a new facility. In
recognition of McLanes abilities, but also certainly in recognition of his loyalty,
when Fettig became CEO in 2004 he made McLane Whirlpools chief of global
diversity.
Step Six: Deliver a Distinct Personal Brand

The marketing campaign for her program was all wrong. Rosalind Hudnell, the
programs manager at Intel, knew itand she knew precisely what needed to be
done to fix it. But the woman heading up the campaign was three job levels senior
to her. I cannot call that meeting, Hudnell confided to Carlene Ellis, a leader
whose counsel, as Intels first female VP, Hudnell sought out. No, but I can, said
Ellis, who believed the head of marketing could benefit from Hudnells perspective.
She arranged the meeting. A very nervous Hudnell made her case. And to her
surprise, the marketing chief agreed to overhaul the campaign.
It proved to be a career turning point, says Hudnell, who today heads up diversity
at Intel. I would never have thought at the time that I was smart enough or senior
enough to have taken up time on the calendar of someone like that. But Carlene
said, Youve got to realize that your potential is not where you will be, but what you
do as a result of where you are right now. Hudnell adds, Ive never forgotten that.
34
The Power of Difference

Do you have what it takes to stand out?
Performance and loyalty, as weve discussed, are key deliverables. But theyre
not sufficient. Youve also got to distinguish yourself, because at a certain
level, everybody around you will also boast great track records and will have
demonstrated loyalty to the firm and its mission. You must identify what sets
you aparta unique perspective, an innovative approach, a distinctive skill
set or networkand have the courage to assert it, as Hudnell did. Our data
affirms that bringing a different set of skills and/or perspective is a priority
for protgs (according to 38 percent of respondents), along with innovating
solutions (39 percent) and offering big-picture thinking (39 percent).
Every one of us has a special-something to leverage; every one of us has a
personal brand. The challenge, for most of us, is embracing our difference
because often the trait that sets us apart is the very thing weve decided must
be suppressed. Confronted with leadership that consists largely of white,
straight, middle-aged men, many LGBT professionals (41 percent, in fact) opt
to stay in the closet at work (even if theyre out at home) to remain contenders
100
100
for top jobs. Ambitious women act like men. In focus groups, people of color
tell us they leave their ethnicity at the door. The temptation is to erase,
80
80
not leverage, whatever distinguishes uswhich is why so many highFigure 3.7:
performing, high-potential, highly loyal would-be leaders find themselves
Protgs
who
deliver loyalty,
60
60
performance, and a personal brand
stuck in permanent lieutenancies. Indeed, when it comes to delivering
40
40
on all three fronts (performance, loyalty, and personal brand), only 20
percent of female and 15 percent of male protgs manage to ace the
20%
15%
20
20
total package.
How to Deploy Your Difference
Draw on insights afforded by your gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, religious or cultural background. A former head of
branch banking for Standard Chartered India acted on her gender
smarts when she learned that two down-at-the-heels branches in Kolkata
and New Delhi were to be given a make-over. This SVP had a hunch that
womenwhom she knew accounted for more than 30 percent of the client
base and more than 50 percent at these two locationsmight well flock to
a bank that prioritized them as customers. As a financially savvy Indian
female whod encountered more than her share of condescending male
bankers, she also suspected that women longed for a more personal touch
in a less intimidating environment. A market research firm confirmed her
insights, arming her with the data she needed to sell the executive team
on a novel idea: making over the two branches as banks staffed exclusively
by women, including the security guards. They proved to be among the
banks most profitable in Asia when launched in 2007.
cauc
Women
aa cauc asian aa hispasian set hisp
Men
Capitalize on insights derived from your experience. After her grandmother

accidently took her grandfathers medication, Deborah Adler, then
a student at the School of Visual Arts, perceived that a redesign of
prescription medication vials and their labels could be literally lifesaving.
For her masters thesis, she devised a pill bottle with color-coding, a much
larger font, and a D-shape bottle so that key information became a lot
35
set
easier to read. A creative director at Target saw her design, swept it up for
patenting, and in record time rolled it out to market (60 percent of Target
consumers say theyve accidentally taken the wrong medication). Not only
has it been a huge hit among Target customers: Adler won herself a job at a
top graphics design firm.14
Look for gaps and innovate ways to fill them. Monica Poindexter, director of
diversity and inclusion at Genentech, started out at the firm in a recruiting
role. Soon after joining the organization, she noticed that industry
competitors were successfully recruiting diverse talent, while Genentech
struggled to create an employer-of-choice brand amongst this population.
The firms competitors, she noticed, offered scholarships for undergraduate
students of color pursuing degrees in science. Working with senior
leaders, members of the diversity employee network, and college program
directors and professors, Poindexter developed Genentech Scholars, a
program that offered high school seniors, community college students, and
undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in the sciences a
paid internship, a company mentor, and financial aid. Launched in less than
a year, by the time it ended (in 2009, when the firm was acquired by Roche),
the program had awarded over $863,000 in scholarships and recruited more
than 30 graduates of color into Genentechs workforce. Thats how I started
to build my brand, says Poindexter. I saw a void and worked collectively to
develop a solution that would fill it.
Reverse-mentor. Noting that her sponsor was not exactly current in terms of
social media, one of our Task Force members made a practice of briefing
her department head before she interviewed millennial talent. She was
struggling with how to assess these guys from Silicon Valley, and I could
see others were looking at her and wondering, is she out of touch? this HR
executive recalls. I just helped educate her so she didnt come off as some
kind of dinosaur.
Acquire skills that make you a complete package. Sometimes its not one
skill that sets you apart, but a unique or powerful combination. Dwight
Robinson, chief of diversity at Freddie Mac, recalls how, as a 30-year-old
working in the state housing authority, he determined he needed to know
how to underwrite mortgages. It wasnt my job, to learn this stuff, he
explains. But I wanted to know how it worked, the nuts and bolts. I spent
hours and hours going through this material with a yellow pad and a
hand calculator, until it became second nature to me. And now? With that
knowledge and my experience, I can be in any conversation about the
financing of houses and be one of the strongest contributors.
Step Seven: Exude Executive Presence

Lynn Utter, president and chief operating officer of Knoll North America, credits
her position today to her P&L role at Coors Brewing Company, where she ran
the container operations division. It allowed me to check all the boxes, she
says. Has she run a full-fledged P&L operation with all the attendant decision-making
36
responsibilities? Check. Hit her sales and profit margins year after year? Yes. Delivered
results? Yes. Developed a team? Yes. Over the half dozen years I ran that business,
I got all those experiences.
Plus one more career-critical asset: executive presence (EP). What marks Utter
as a leader is not her resum so much as the aura of authority, competence,
and control she radiates, thanks to being repeatedly tested as the first woman
to run a line operation at Coors. She remembers the moment she passed the
test: during a board meeting to discuss a contentious investment, when the
conversation devolved into a total impasse, Utter took control of the room.
Heres what we have to do, she announced, silencing the squabbling around
the table. Either we step up and invest or we call off the joint venture.
She broke the impasseand established herself among the all-male board
as a leader with command of her subject and the backbone to assert it.
Perceptions of me definitely shifted, she says. One of the board members
told me later, I had no idea who you were or what you were made of, but in
that moment you showed it.
The Essence of EP
Are you leadership material? More importantly, do others perceive
you to be?
Exuding executive presence depends on getting three things right:
your appearance, your communication, and your ability to signal that
you have the goods (intellectual horsepower or gravitas). Youve got to
look polished enough that your appearance doesnt detract, or even
distract, from your other attributes. Youve got to be able to command
a room, meaning that your voice, speech, and posture has to telegraph
confidence, competence, and credibility. And youve got to project
a depth of experience and an assuredness in decision-making that
goes beyond what title or credentials can confer. It also helps if youre
charismatic, inspirational, and endowed with a high EQ.
Our survey respondents overwhelmingly agree (91 percent) that all
these things matter when it comes to winning the advocacy of top
leaders. They believe, moreover, that EP is 26 percent of what it takes to
get promoted. But achieving that presence can be a challenge. Thirtyone percent of men and women say they find it difficult to conform
to the EP standards of their firms culture. Multicultural professionals
struggle more than Caucasians, with 36 percent of Asians admitting
that EP eludes them. Exacerbating the problem is a feedback failure:
many perceive EP shortfalls in others, but few will articulate them. The
feedback problem is even worse for people of color, not because theyre
not given pointers (78 percent say they are), but because they feel
theyre held to a stricter code, one that necessitates they compromise
their authenticity to conform.
100
100
Figure 3.8:
80
80
Believe that EP is 26% of what it
takes to get the next promotion
60
60 and above)
(Director
level
40
40
26%
25%
20
20
cauc
Women
set
Men
100 100 100 100
80
Figure 3.9:
I find it difficult to conform to the
80 80 80
executive
presence standards of my
company culture
60
60
60
60
40
40 40
30%
40
20
20
20
20
33%
36%
28%
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set
Caucasian
African-American
Asian
Hispanic
Hence for women and professionals of color, the take-away is regrettably this:
When it comes to acquiring EP, youre on your own. Heres advice to guide
your evolution.
37
set
Appearance
Put yourself together as you would a presentation. Mark Stephanz, vice-chairman
of the Global Financial Sponsors Group at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, says
polishing your appearance shows respect for the people youre interacting
witha good first step in winning their business. You would not go with a
hand-scribbled notepad and expect to win the business, he observes.
Dress not to distract. Appearance shouldnt be what matters most or is most

memorable about you. The more familiar people are with you and your
skills, the more bandwidth and leeway you have with different styles, Deb
Elam, head of diversity at GE, observes. But the less familiar people are with
you, the narrower that bandwidth, and the more easily distracted they are by
inappropriate dress and appearance.
Adopt a look thats appropriate for your environment (Google being a very different
environment than Goldman Sachs) but authentic to you. A look that isnt you
that has everyone scratching their headscan actually sap your executive
presence, observes Kerrie Peraino of American Express. The trick is to find
the overlap between true-to-you and suitable-for-your-environment. Multiple
bangles and huge hoop earrings may be authentic to you, for example, but
theyre still inappropriate in most corporate environments (unless youre
the boss). What you wear should underline your gravitas, not throw it into
question, Peraino adds.
No matter what the dress code, look pulled together. An analyst in GEs real estate
division describes how she used to interpret Friday Casual at the cable sports
channel where she worked in the budget office. Staffers routinely attend
sports events, so if you showed up for work in ratty jeans and a sweater, no
one would notice, she says. But she came to realize that she couldnt afford
to go unnoticed, and upgraded her look to tailored trouser jeans and a blazer.
A few months later, she was given responsibility for the production budget of
a major sports franchise. It definitely helped others perceive that I was ready
for the assignment, she says.
Communication
Over-prepare. Barbara Adachi at Deloitte still gets nervous before a
presentation. But youd never know it, because her command of the material
and her comfort level with every question telegraphs total control. Being
over-prepared for a meeting leads to confidence, confidence allows you to
command the room, and your command of the room earns followership,
she says.
Invoke your vertical. One of our co-chairs tells of a boardroom moment in

which she had to issue an unwelcome decision. The other executives were
ganging up on me, literally yelling and screaming. Meanwhile, forty people
were waiting for us to come forth with a decision. I had to focus on that goal.
I sat there, and with every ounce of energy just kept pushing my feet into the
ground and making my spine and head straight. Then I leaned forward and
spoke. It worked: I won their confidence and we moved forward.
Be succinct. Linda Huber, Moodys chief financial officer, counsels her protgs
to videotape themselves and study their delivery. Would you believe you?
Huber asks. Women in particular, she finds, go through five conditional
clauses before they get to the point. Its okay to say, I have a different point
38
of view, and then back it up with two or three reasons you can support
with data. Dont start with, Ive spent hours staying awake thinking about
this and talked to thirty-seven people. Know your stuff, and then people
will give you further attention.
Master the banter. Deb Elam of GE believes the most important aspect of
EP is communication, because thats how you get to show youre one of
the tribe. Its not what you say in a meeting that secures this belonging,
but rather, how you establish commonality before the meeting, chatting
about your weekend or whats in the news or whats on television. Sports,
politics, and celebrity behaviors thus become important topics in which to
be conversant. Having information about the Monday night game or the
Iowa caucuses gives you the confidence to insert yourself into a discussion
with senior leaders, Elam explains. You dont have to say youre a Giants
fan or Democrat or a Republican; you just need to know enough to join the
conversation.
Gravitas
Exude calm in a crisis. When Sandra*, a managing director at a medical
supply firm, learned that some 800 employees in Ireland didnt get
their correct bi-weekly salary because of a payroll glitch, she knew the
clock was ticking to fix the problem. With her firm in the midst of union
negotiations, the vendor mishap could trigger an employee action or
work stoppage or devolve into a PR nightmare. Sandra got on the phone
with the business leader, his team, and the local HR leader, and listened
as they laid out the scope of the problem. Then she set a non-negotiable
goal. I am committed to seeing this through with you, she told them.
Only during a private conversation with her colleague in charge of the
vendor relationship did she make it clear his and her reputations were at
stake. I knew that yelling and stamping my feet in public would not get
me the cooperation I needed to resolve this quickly, Sandra says. I let my
colleague know he was supported, but totally accountable. Her approach
succeeded. The employee-pay issue was resolved.
Show teeth. When you know youre right, dont pander to power. Dwight
Robinson, chief of diversity at Freddie Mac, describes how his first sponsor
chose him as his deputy to run the state housing authority committee.
Robinson knew he was utterly qualified to win the position, but as both
he and his sponsor were African-American, he knew the decision would
come under fire. Indeed it did. But Robinsons sponsor did not flinch.
To the builders, developers, and the mayor who questioned his choice,
he countered, Youve got 27 other departments with two people of the
same race in charge. Theyve solved their problems, so how does it signal
something negative when two white people are running 27 agencies and
two black people are running one? Robinson says it was a life lesson for
him in exercising courage and fortitude.
Demonstrate emotional intelligence. Attorney Kent Gardiner, chair of Crowell

Moring, notes that in a tense mediation, the key is to comfort the room.
Its all about consensus-building, he says. You want to empower others
with your presence, not defeat them. Allow others to vent, then you be the
one to offer, Lets think about it this way. If you go in pounding the table,
you just exacerbate the tensionand that impedes resolution.
39
Step Eight: Make Yourself a Safe Bet

Though Eileens* tenure as chief financial officer of a Silicon Valley battery
start-up lasted all of seven months, venture capitalists nationwide remember
herand not just because of her impressive pitching skills. Eileen, a mechanical
engineer with an MBA, got traction with the firms CEO when she secured a $40
million contract with a mobile phone manufacturer. As the firm continued to
burn more than it earned, the CEO delegated more of the rainmaking to Eileen,
promoting her to CFO in the start-ups third year.
But Eileena 38-year-old unmarried blonde whose cleavage commanded more
press attention than the firms breakthrough technologydidnt make it easy
for her sponsor to defend his choice. Eileen would come to a meeting dressed to
kill, the CEO recalls. Shed walk into the room with three buttons open, a black
lacy bra showing, her skirt up to here, and wonderfully high beautiful shoes. He
confronted her: she needed to bring it down a notch, he told her, because she
wasnt being taken seriously. You cant see it because youre talking, I said, but
Im looking around the table and Ive got five guys trying to look down your shirt.
Its not good for you. Its not a distraction that we can afford.
Indeed it wasnt. With $200 million of his own seed capital at risk, the CEO
cut Eileen loose from the financially imperiled company. Weve got to assure
investors were positioned to survive our adolescence in a market where the
price point is dropping by the day, he explains. Eileens over-the-top image
didnt exactly telegraph a close-to-the-bone operating mentality.
The Third Rail for Sponsorship
Sex complicates the workplace for both men and women. As we reported in
The Sponsor Effect, women cant expect to ascend to the top jobs on their track
record alone, but dont wish to run the risk of having their success
attributed to an illicit relationship with a powerful male. For men, a
Figure 3.10:
competent woman whos a head-turner may be worth overlooking,
Respondents who are hesitant to
100
100
have
contact
with a colleague of the
as working with her (let alone promoting her) is bound to embolden
opposite sex
people to speculate that youre sleeping with heror fear youre
80
80
a sexual harassment suit in the making. No wonder 64 percent of
64%
our senior-level male respondents say they hesitate to initiate a
60
60
50%
one-on-one with a female subordinate: as one commented, Theres
40
40
little upside to justify the risk. Fifty percent of female subordinates,
furthermore, say they feel the same way.15
20
20
cauc
But however fraught with sexual tension these one-on-ones may be,
theyre pathways to power that talented men and women simply cant
afford to avoid. In the current economic climateone that shows no
sign of imminent improvementonly a powerful roster of backers
can help you keep the job you have, or find one for you should your position
disappear. And given the leadership churn at the top of the house, its critical, as
weve discussed, that you keep cultivating sponsors so as to distribute your risk.
Junior women
Senior men
set
The trick is to make yourself safe to sponsor. Heres how to mitigate some of
that third-rail risk:
40
Dont have an affair with a superior. Even if neither one of you is married
(but especially if either one of you is), an office romance, our research
shows, undermines the professional credibility of both parties. Worse, the
buzz you generate may keep your external sponsors from throwing you a
lifeline. They may not want to risk linking their reputation with yours,
explains Kerrie Peraino of American Express.
Relentlessly telegraph professionalism. Eileens mistake, according to her

sponsor, was in sending mixed messages: she wanted to be judged strictly
on her track record, her negotiating savvy, and her innate familiarity with
the product, but at the same time couldnt resist asserting her sexuality
in high-stakes discussions where she felt it might give her the upper
hand. There are plenty of ways to dress high-fashion without making it
provocative, says her former CEO. If you choose to be provocative then
youre going to live with the consequences.
Keep your boss apprised of relationships youre nurturing off-site. This is

particularly important if youre young and single, as one of our Task
Force members learned the hard way. A client whom she befriended as
an occasional tennis partner asked her for help reviewing documents in
preparation for an initial public offering. She succeeded in persuading
him to let her bank handle his IPO, landing for her firm the biggest deal of
the year. But because it was a fait accompli by the time her boss got wind
of it, he took her off the account, convinced shed won it by having an
affair with the client. People jump to conclusions when theyre caught by
surprise, she observes. Dont let them be blindsided by big news.
Meet your sponsor in the public eye. Frequent one-on-one meetings can
workprovided theyre not behind a closed office door. Take coffee into
the conference room, meet for lunch on campus, or choose a restaurant
where you can take the opportunity to wave to people you know and
make it clear you have nothing to hide. Dinner on a business trip may be
unavoidable, but make sure the venue isnt the kind of place youd ever go
on a date, and dont order alcohol.
Routinize sponsor meetings. Regularity is what ensures nothing will appear

irregular about meeting a superior of the opposite sex.
Be upfront about the personal or family commitments you value. Talk about your
significant others. Make known the extent of your outside commitments.
Put photos on your desk or screensaver that assure others you have a
network of emotional ties outside of work. You want to assure others
particularly would-be sponsorsthat youre a person whose emotional
needs are met, a person who isnt looking for anything from a work
relationship except professional enrichment.
Introduce your significant others to your sponsor. Take advantage of office

social occasions to introduce your spouse or partner. Even if your sponsors
not present, youll establish to everybody else that youre in a stable
relationship, making it less likely that tongues will wag when you take that
seat on the shuttle next to the COO.
41
Step Nine: Lead with a Yes

As an Inroads, Inc. intern during college, Monica Poindexter learned invaluable
lessons about working in corporate America. Successful employees, she
observed, were extremely strategic about whom they aligned themselves with,
and to which projects they attached themselves. Most importantly, they were
proactive and willing to take smart risks. They didnt wait to be asked to fill
the need, Genentechs director of diversity reflects. They gathered stakeholder
input, proposed a solution to senior leadership, and delivered.
Throughout her 12-year career at Genentech, Poindexter has used this same
approach. Two years into her first management role leading college recruitment,
she aligned herself with the incoming vice president of product operations,
whom she found shared her passion for diversity recruitment and development
initiatives. Within his first three months at Genentech, hed enlisted Poindexter
to help develop the firms first operations rotational development program,
connecting her with senior leaders at his former company so she could ensure
that Genentechs approach succeeded in advancing diverse talent. Less than a
year later, Poindexter was encouraged to apply and interview for the associate
director of diversity and college programs position. You dont need to sell me
on what youve accomplished in the last three years, one senior leader told her
during the interview process. Ive seen the results of your work and heard from
others how you work and lead.
Poindexter got the job. In addition to her performance, personal accountability,
and passion, she says, it was her initiative that won her advocacy and
promotion. My sponsors know that wherever I see a gap, I seize the opportunity
to close it, she concludes.
Attitude Is Everything
Doubtless you do your job well. But when you see a gap, as Poindexter puts
it, do you step forward with a plan to fill it? When your boss is looking for
volunteers to lead a new venture, do you raise your hand? When confronted
with a challenge, do you hesitate, or leap into the breach?
Figure1003.11: 100
Sponsors look for protgs who...
80
60
80
59% 56%
60
44% 43%
40
40
20
20
cauc
aacauc asianaa
Demonstrate a
can-do attitude
Women
42
Men
hisp
asian
sethisp
set
Contribute 110%
We know that attitude is hugely important. Fifty-seven

percent agreed that a can-do attitude was critical
in would-be protgs; 44 percent agreed that
subordinates must deliver 110 percent effort to earn
their sponsorship. Among would-be protgs, however,
only 32 percent recognize the importance of leading
with a yes. Women somewhat more than men (37
percent vs. 35 percent) in our survey perceived the
importance of jumping on opportunities. But its clear
both men and women could do more to close the cando gapbecause only when their potential is put to the
test can leaders perceive what their potential really is.

100
Attitude Adjustments
Say yes even if your impulse is to say no; you can always
qualify it later. The CFO of a Fortune 500 company
tells of testing a director whose name he wanted to
put forward for the chief operating officer position.
He called her into his office and described an
opportunity he wanted her to consider. Were going
to set up a new office in the Midwest, he began.
100
Figure803.12: 80
Protgs who...
60
40
60
37%
20
30%
20
cauc
aacauc asianaa
Women
35%
33%
40
hisp
asian
Weve leased space in Omaha and spoken to some

Jump on opportunities
local talent. But weve got to fast-track the startup, because winning a major new account depends
on having that team operational in six weeks. Id
like you to oversee it. Can you be in Omaha next week? The director
nodded. Sounds like an exciting opportunity, she responded. Ill meet
with my reports tomorrow to arrange coverage while Im gone. Two days
later, having spoken to her team and her husband, she came back to the
CFO with a counter-proposal: shed plan to spend three days a week for
the next six weeks in Omaha, as that would allow her to set up the new
office, tend to her current accounts, and provide her adequate time with
her one- and three-year-old children. The CFO agreed. That sort of detail
can always be worked out, he explained. It was her enthusiasm I wanted
to hear, because at the officer level, every one of the candidates under
consideration is eminently qualified. I was completely confident in putting
her name forward for the post.
sethisp
Men
set
Lead with a yes
Give 110 percentbut be choosy about whom you give it to. You cant say yes
to everybody, or youll be spread too thin to ace any one assignment,
Poindexter observes. Be selective about whom you say yes to; consider how
this particular yes with this particular person will advance your career. It
really comes down to being strategic about who is your sponsor.
Step Ten: Nail the Tactics

Know What You Want
3 Find inspiring role models.
3 Envisage yourself at age 50with 30 productive years ahead of you.
3 Consult with a mentor or personal-development coach who can help you
see the big picture.
3 Review performance assessments to zero in on your strengths. If you
havent had a performance review, ask for one.
Increase Your Internal Visibility
3 Lead a network (e.g. Womens Initiatives, Black Executives Network) or an
employee resource or affinity group.
3 Spearhead a philanthropic project, cultural event, or company sports team.
3 Create a circle of mentors from different divisions or departments.
43
3 Ask your boss to introduce you to his/her boss.

3 Send a holiday card to skip-level managers.
3 Write thank-you notes. Thanks for including me in the roundtable or
I took a lot from that meeting are welcome sentiments, and youll be
remembered for sharing them.
3 Flex working arrangements and telecommuting may not impede your
productivity but they seriously erode your visibility. Regular face time
is imperative, especially at meetings attended by management or team
leaders, to keep you top of mind for stretch assignments or spontaneous
opportunities. Once you have sponsorship, you will be better positioned to
work remotely without penalty.
Increase Your External Visibility
3 Join a not-for-profit board relevant to your organization.
3 Run for office in your professional association, community organization,
school board, or church or synagogue.
3 Attend conferences as a speaker, panelist, or facilitator.
3 Create a personal board of directors, or circle of mentors external to your
company.
Build Your Brand & Your Buzz
3 Determine your special currency or distinct value-added.
3 Deploy your special currency to help create a revenue stream for
your firm.
3 Innovate. Access an underleveraged market, cultivate a new customer
base, improve a processbut make something happen.
3 Get the word out on your successes. Work with peers to sing each
others praises: meet monthly to update each other on your projects and
accomplishments, then seize opportunities to talk each other up to your
respective bosses.
Make Yourself Safe To Sponsor
3 Dont send mixed messages: flirting is a no-no, as is a plunging neckline.
3 Anticipate the gossip and nip it in the bud. Wowanother meeting
with the head of our division! People are going to think somethings going
on here!
3 If you sense ill will or hear nasty rumors, out-bully the bully. Confront
those you suspect head-on, publicly if necessary. I want to make
something perfectly clear. I am not having an affair with the COO, and
Im deeply offended by your insinuating otherwise.
Make Yourself Easy To Sponsor
3 Outperform everybody. Hit the numbers. Meet all deadlines. Show you will
do anything to deliver.
3 Be able to reciteand make sure your boss can citethe projects youre
overseeing, the numbers youve driven, the people you manage, and
instances of stand-out performanceespecially as your numbers compare
to those of your competitors.
44
Polish Your Executive Presence

3 Take an image workshop or hire an image consultant.
3 Work on your presentation skills with an executive coach.
3 Study leaders at your firm and elsewhere: jot down ways in which you
feel they establish their presence (e.g. meeting the eye of each committee
member as he speaks), and imitate those behaviors that feel comfortable
to you.
3 Read the code at your office and emulate it. If everybody in top
management has an iPad, trade in your BlackBerry; if no one in
leadership observes summer hours, dont you either.
3 Set up your own EP council, or turn to your personal board of directors
for feedback on your appearance, presentation/communication skills,
and gravitas.
Polish Your Pitch
3 Prepare and practice a 30-second elevator pitcha prcis of who you are,
what you do or have done, and the distinctive value you bring to the team/
division/firm. You may literally find yourself in the elevator with the CEO,
and thats an opportunity you cant afford to ignore.
3 Prepare a portable prcisthe email equivalent of your 30-second pitch.
This is not your CV, but a capsule summary of what you do and your
value-added. It should be eminently readable on a smart phone screen.
3 Prepare a personal presentationthe three-minute pitch that can tell your
story with or without you providing a voice track. This should be visual
rather than textual, e.g. a three-slide Powerpoint deck. Be selective, not
exhaustive, in highlighting accomplishments and credentials.
Get in Front of Target Sponsors
3 Ask a supportive manager for stretch assignments in your target sponsors
line of sight.
3 Request a meeting with your target sponsor for career development advice
3 Ask for personal development, leadership development, or formalized
mentorship, as often executives are tapped to lead these internal
programs.
3 Attend networking events, conferences, and extracurricular or informal
gatherings where you might have occasion to approach your target and
make your pitch.
3 Take up the pet projects, passions, or hobbies of target sponsors.
Make The Ask
3 Approach a senior person in your field and suggest collaborating on a
piece of research or project of interest to that person.
3 Propose a quid pro quo. Review ways in which your alliance can work to
your mutual benefit.
3 Id like this role. Will you put my name forward?
3 If your target sponsor demurs, ask if he/she can direct you to a more
appropriate leader. Ask if he/she will introduce you.
45
46
Chapter 4
Road Map for Sponsors

Step One: Understand Whats In It for You
One day Jennifer Christie received a call from someone with whom she was
trying to build sponsorship who asked if she would take on a high-profile
project with a tight deadline. It was a career-changing opportunity, one which
would allow her to really show her capabilities and position herself as a
trusted protg. It happened to come at a time, however, when Christie had
just assumed a significantly expanded role with leadership over another team,
and she was still trying to understand the new space. As soon as I hung up
the phone, I knew I couldnt give it the time and energy it needed, Christie
recalls. I knew it would be a raging disaster.
So she turned to a member of her team whod demonstrated superlative drive
and follow-through. This woman also happened to be one of her protgs.
Christie explained the situation to her, making clear the high-level visibility it
would provide, as it would entail many meetings with a very senior leader. It is
something I think you can do, and do well. But if you dont deliver, it will hurt
both of us, she confided. Do you want to take this on?
I absolutely wont let you down, replied the woman.
Christies next call was to her would-be sponsor, explaining how shed
delegated the task to her top performer. Shell knock it out of the park,
Christie assured him. She knew, though, that she would be held accountable
for the outcome.
Confident in her choice, Christie turned her attention to other challenges. And
in a matter of weeks, word reached her that her target sponsor was thrilled
about the work her protg was doing for him. In fact, he relayed after the
project concluded that there was nothing her protg could have done better
or should have done differently throughout the course of the entire project.
She did wonders for my brand, because I was now seen as having brought
forward this great talent, says Christie. And I realized, at my level, you
absolutely need a team of star performers, not only because you cant possibly
do it all yourself and hope to excel, but because youre being judged on the
quality of talent youre bringing along.
More than Paying It Forward
Protgs make the impossible possible. Unlike mentees, they open up time for
you, so that you can pursue the stretch assignments that will make you shine
and garner you kudos from the very top of the house.
47
Men seem to grasp this better than women. When we asked survey
respondents why they sponsor, 82 percent of the men said, because it
benefits MEwhereas only 61 percent of the women agreed (a 34 percent
difference). Women said they wanted to pay it forward, a noble motive
that men shared. But they failed to perceive the necessity of having a posse
of reliable performers.
Figure 4.1:
Sponsors who have a protg
because it benefits them
100
100
80
80
82%
61%
60
60
40
40
20
20
cauc
Female
sponsors
Male
sponsors
And thats keeping many capable women from making the leap to
executive leadership. Theyre expending precious energies mentoring
subordinates when they should be investing energy in protgs who, as
Christie discovered, will not only extend their own capacity to deliver but
also burnish their brand among the most senior leaders in the firm. As one
set
Task Force CEO put it, If I ask you to liaise across four business units and
as many time zones to pull off a mission-critical assignment, I want to be
assured youve got the depth of network to do it. Youve got to demonstrate
youve got deep pockets, or Im fundamentally not interested in you.
Reasons to Sponsor
You extend your capacity and reach. Thanks to her team of leaders (many of
whom would classify as protgs), who stepped up to take big projects
off her plate, Aimee George Leary was able to take on the additional
opportunities and stretch assignments that won sponsorship for her.
Youll have a very deep favor well to draw on should you need one. Solicitor
Elaine Aarons, a partner with Withers LLP, says that over the decades of
her career, shes seeded the City (Londons financial district) with people
whom I have helped and supported who are eager to find ways to repay
the favor.
Protgs pump your marketing muscle. David Richardson, a managing director

at KPMG, says he counts on his network to steer business his way.
Protgs carry on your leadership legacy. At some point you recognize your
power moving forward isnt about climbing the mountainyoure there,
youre at the top, observes Rosalind Hudnell of Intel. Its about developing
others, using your power to help them achieve their leadership potential.
Theyre your legacy, and where your influence can make a real difference.
Step Two: Embrace the Talent

Imperatives of 2012
When Dietrich* took the reins of a multinational LED manufacturer
headquartered in Munich, Germans headed up the firms five regional offices.
This was in keeping with the firms tradition of operating in other countries
with a local staff overseen by a delegate from HQ. But Dietrich, charged with
positioning the company as the world leader in LED technology, perceived this
had to change. One of the first things he did as CEO was promote Chinese,
Japanese, and Korean executives to country CEO positions. I realized that for
us to understand the consumers we were serving, our regional heads had to be
those consumers themselves, he said.
48
It proved to be the right move. With China, and not Germany, the firms biggest
market today, Dietrich is reassured by having someone lead that division who
sees the market through eyes different from our own, connecting us in ways
weve never known.
Still, theres much work to be done, he says. The workforce itself, and not just
leadership, must diversify if the company is to stay at the cutting edge in an
industry where technology is changing at the speed of light. We need to pull
in more women, more ethnically diverse workers, workers who are younger
and not German, he observes, because different thinking is mission critical.
If we do what weve done for the past 30 years, we will not lead the future
of lighting.
The Mini-Me Syndrome
Oh, would that every CEO be so enlightened. The reason most multinational
leadership is predominantly white and male is that those in power tend to
sponsor those who remind them of themselves or those with whom they have
much in common. Sponsorship depends on trust, and its just human nature
to place our trust in people who share our ethnicity, our religious or cultural
background, our educational experience, or our circle of friends, teammates,
and associates. Our research confirms this: when we asked sponsors how they
came to choose their protgs, the majority58 percent of women, 54 percent
of menowned up to choosing on the basis of comfort.
But if youre steering a corporation into the churning waters of global
competition, you simply cannot afford to pick your first mates strictly on the
basis of affinity. A growing body of research underscores what Dehen senses
in his gut: companies need a diverse workforce in order to 1) remain attuned
to the needs of new and emerging markets, and 2) to innovate the products,
technologies, and supply-chain modifications that will keep them on the
competitive edge in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
100
100
100
Figure 4.2:
80 How have you chosen people to sponsor?
80
60
58%
54%
40
80
60
60
40
40
23% 27%
20
20
cauc
aa
Makes me feel
comfortable
Women
asian
hisp
set
Skills complement
mine
15%
17%
8%
cauc
aa
asian
Offers push-back
hisp
9%
set
Has gender
smarts
20
8%
7%
cauc
aa
Has cultural
influence
asian
6%
5%
hisp
set
Has access
to different
networks
Men
The Business Case

Demographics. White men comprise only 17 percent of the global talent
pipeline (those with college-level education).16
49
Geography. Western Europeans and North Americans comprise only

22 percent of the global talent pool. The Asian-Pacific workforce comprises
54 percent, and central/Eastern Europeans constitute 13 percent.
Bottom-line returns. In a two-year study of 180 companies worldwide,

McKinsey & Co found that across all industries, those with the greatest
number of women and foreign nationals on the executive board
consistently outperformed less diverse companies in terms of returnon-equity (ROE was 53 percent higher), and margins on earnings before
interest and taxes (EBIT were 14 percent higher).17
Innovation. Research soon to be published by CTI affirms that differences

in gender, generation, geography, and sexual orientation drive value by
generating new ideas for products, processes and markets.18 Furthermore,
diversity in leadership sustains innovation because it ensures that
outside-the-box thinking gets the green light and the funding necessary
for development and deployment. Our research affirms what many in
HR have long suspected: diversity is the antidote to groupthink and the
catalyst for innovation.
Step Three: Seek Out a diversified Portfolio

Ken Chenault, CEO of American Express. Meg Whitman, CEO of HewlettPackard. Antonio Perez, CEO of Kodak. Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft. Jos
Almeida, CEO of Covidien. Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox. Tiger Tyagarajan,
CEO of Genpact.
As these leaders demonstrate, female and multicultural professionals have
secured the sponsorship necessary to make their way to the very top of
multinational firms, often from white men. Thats the good news.
Figure 4.3:
Global talent pool, 2007
White men
17%
MENA
4% 2% Africa
women
South America 5%
60
wh m
Western Europe
MENA
50
10%
Am
40
North America
Af
54%
12%
30
Asia-Pacific
West
NA
Women and
multicultural individuals
13%
Central/Eastern Europe
50
40
China 21%
India 14%
Rest of Asia-Pacific 19%
30
20
20
83%
60
cent
10
10
as
0
NOTE: Global talent pool is defined as college graduates from 2007 who have at least tertiary education college/university level).
Source: The Athena Factor, SAHewlett Associates; Booz & Company analysis 2009; OECD & UNESCO 2000-2006 (based on availability)
Education Database, Tertiary Completion Levels. India, Pakistan & Peru, 2002 UNESCO Education Database, Tertiary Enrollment reduced
assuming 33% completion rate.
Now the not-so-good: sponsors we surveyed overwhelmingly sponsor within

their ethnicity, if not their gender. Among Caucasians with at least one protg,
50
79 percent sponsor another Caucasian. Among African-Americans, 65 percent

sponsor African-Americans; among Asians, 56 percent sponsor other Asians.
Hispanic sponsors are most likely to seek out a diversified portfolio, with
91 percent claiming a protg of a different ethnicity.19
Ethnic affinity as a motive for sponsorship isnt necessarily bad: as Rosalind
Hudnell of Intel explains, she allocates her sponsorship to many ethnicities
as well as women and men. But
she knows she is sought out by
Figure 4.4:
other black women and does her
Sponsors who have at least one protg
best to allocate time to them
100 100 100 100
because she can appreciate the
79%
80 80 80 80
challenges theyre up against and
65%
provide a level of insight in solving
56%
60 60 60 60
for those challenges that other
42%
colleagues cannot. Leaders have
40 40 40 40
a responsibility to sponsor great
20 20 20 20
talent beyond their own ethnic or
gender affinity, she adds, or else
0
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set set
the existing power structures will
Of their same ethnicity
be perpetuated.
Caucasian
African-American
100 100 100 100
91%
81%
80
80
80
80
60
60 60
51%
60
40
40
40
40
20
20
20
20
82%
0
0
0
cauc cauc cauc
aa cauc
aa asian
aa asian
aa hisp
asianhisp
asianset
hisp set
hisp set
Outside their same ethnicity
Asian
Hispanic
How to Diversify Your Posse

Prize complementarity over
likeness. The best piece of advice I ever got, says James Charrington, EMEA
chair of BlackRock, was to have the courage to employ people who are
better than me. He advises in turn, Recognize your own weaknesses, and
hire people to complement your strengths by addressing your weaknesses.
Value similar values. Mike Kacsmar, an Ernst & Young LLP partner, ostensibly
has little in common with his protg of over fifteen years, Danica
Dilligard, whom he helped make partner at the firm. Hes a white man
from New Jersey, and shes a black and Hispanic woman from Panama. But
from Day One, says Kacsmar, he perceived in Dilligard someone who, like
himself, had bootstrapped herself out of a lower socio-economic stratum
through sheer diligence and hard work. Danica worked her tail off to get
where she is today, Kacsmar says. I look for that work ethic, because I
know it can make up for just about any sort of background.
Think of your legacy in the context of the future of your firm. Dwight Robinson,
head of diversity at Freddie Mac, recalls one of his most important backers
as the unlikeliest of sponsors: a gruff, buzz-cut guy from the suburbs
nearing retirement. We were prepared not to like each other, Robinson
says. Notwithstanding their differences, however, they did, as it became
clear the older man was grooming the younger to be his protgand
his legacy. Robinson learned the business from him, along with vital
correctives to his executive presence. Ive often wondered why he chose
me, he muses. There was lots of economic tumult back in the early
eighties, and we went through a lot of fires together. Who knows? Maybe
he thought I represented the future market of the firm.
51
set
Step Four: Differentiate Between Protgs

and Mentees
In a sponsorship webinar we conducted with the Task Force in September
2012, we asked those who said they were sponsors to tell us how many
individuals they were sponsoring. One or two, most responded. Some said they
had three to four protgs.
And a few asserted they were sponsoring ten to twelve people.
Really?
Sponsorship is a high-energy commitmentfor both parties. The senior
member is on the hook for far more than advice, providing the protg, as
weve discussed, with concerted advocacy, stretch opportunities, and the
air cover necessary to make risk-taking safe. Sponsorship requires possibly
less face-to-face time than mentorship, but much more earnest behind-thescenes work connecting, pitching, and protecting the protg. Of course, this
investment more than pays for itself in terms of what the protg returns. But
it is an investment. Most senior leaders can effectively make it on behalf of
three to four individuals, tops.
Figure 4.5:
What do you do for the people you sponsor?
100
100
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
13%
74%
70%
20
cauc
10%
aacauc asianaa
Advocate for promotion;

Go out on a limb;
Provide air cover
Women
Men
hisp
asian
sethisp
set
Give career advice
So when we see sponsors claiming upwards of a dozen

protgs, we suspect theyre really talking about
mentees. Our survey data supports this. In response to
the question, What do you do for the people you sponsor?,
overwhelmingly respondents said, Give career advice.
Seventy-two percent of respondents overall (74 percent
of women, 70 percent of men) checked this box. When it
came to advocating for promotion, going out on a limb,
and providing air cover, very few indeed12 percent
checked all three boxes.
To be an effective sponsor, then, youve got to allocate
your time and energy strategically. Here are other reasons
to scale back on your commitments.
Risks to Over-sponsoring
You cannot do your job. If youre hyper-extended on behalf of people who
just dont get the quid pro quo of sponsorship, you impair your ability to
be effective. Developing talent may be your job, but even so you will be
judged for how much your targets give back to the firm, not how much you
put forth.
You cannot manage your brand. Say you go out on a limb for a star performer
on your team, promoting him to another team outside your division where
you feel his strategic skills will take him further. Because hes no longer
in your line of sight, and because youre super busy developing other
talent, you lose track of him. When you make inquiries, you learn, as one
52
of our Task Force co-chairs did, that hes been screwing up, and without
you to intervene on his behalf hes in danger of losing his job. Worse, his
superiors remember that you advocated for inserting him into their unit.
Hes walking around with your brand on, said one senior executive in an
interview. If you cant stay involved in his career pathdont get involved
in the first place. Your reputation is at risk.
You lose credibility. When a sponsor doesnt really know the person he or
she is advocating for, his/her credibility in the organization takes a hit,
according to Jacki Zehner, philanthropist and former Goldman Sachs
partner. Sponsors assume ownership when they advocate, she explains.
Someone pitching for a womans success who really doesnt know her
talents or abilities first-hand throws the legitimacy of that ownership into
question.
You invite scrutiny. Sponsorship generates visibility for both parties, as

going out on a limb by definition implies making public your alliance. If
youre a woman or a person of color, you already stand out; sponsorship
will put you under a microscope. Theres nothing wrong with scrutinyso
long as youre absolutely confident about whats on display.
Step Five: Come Through on Two

Essential Fronts
Like any serious investment, sponsorship demands you scrutinize the
opportunity, weigh the potential returns, and consider what it will cost you to
realize those returns before you commit your capital.
But once you doonce you believe in the leadership potential of your protg
enough to put your relationship capital at risksponsorship requires that you
go out on a limb to deploy that capital in two significant ways: push your
protg into high-visibility opportunities, which will get her seen and known
by high-echelon leaders. And push for her promotion (or, in a tough economy,
protection from being laid-off).
This means seizing the attention of your inner circle and focusing it on your
protg. This means saying to your superiors or decision-makers, Choose my
candidate for that high-profile job, or, when there is no job, Make sure my
candidate doesnt get the axe. This means calling in favors, pulling strings,
and using up your chips. Youve got to go all out.
Our research shows that the majority of would-be sponsors fail to come
through on both these fronts. About a third (36 percent of Caucasians,
26 percent of African-Americans, 32 percent of Asians, and 21 percent of
Hispanics), go out on a limb for their protg. A third (33 percent, overall)
advocate for their protgs promotion. But only 17 percent, overall, push for
both their protgs visibility and promotion. It would appear many managers,
as well as their subordinates, are stuck in mentoring mode.
53
And thats a real loss for leaders, because the pay-outthe protg effect
can be extraordinary. Leaders demonstrate their readiness for the top job by
developing the talent who will help them secure the firms future. For example
David*, one of our Task Force CEOs, assumed the helm of his technology
services firm largely as a result, he says, of his consistent cultivation of
carefully selected protgs. Heres an illustration of how he came through on
both fronts for one of thema prime example of sponsorship burnishing both
parties brand in the organization.
100
80
Figure 4.6:
Sponsors who...
60
40
34%
29%
33%
100
80
80
60
60
40
36%
26%
27%
20
100
40
32%
21%
20
cauc
aa
asian
hisp
Advocate for promotion
Caucasian
set
20
cauc
African-American
aa
asian
Go out on a limb
Asian
hisp
set
17% 15%
cauc
aa
16%
asian
11%
hisp
Both advocate for

promotion and
go out on a limb
set
Hispanic
Push Your Protg into the Spotlight

Julie* is among the top 100 people overseeing the firms operations in 20
countries worldwide. It was Julie who oversaw the firms most complex
implementation of proprietary technology for a strategic client in 2009. But
it was David who positioned Julie to take on that challenge, which ultimately
levered her into the senior-most tier of management.
His first role, as her sponsor, was to push her out of her comfort zone. I
coached her to say in internal meetings, Ill handle this particular account,
even though Im not in sales, back when she was developing new product
lines, he says. I knew shed make a big impact. When Julie demurred, certain
shed fail, he insisted she trust in his judgment. Go for it, he urged her. Ill
sponsor you.
As David predicted, she was very successful. With that account, in fact, Julie
drove some significant revenue for the firm. The assignment worked out for
her personally as well: she had just had her first child and the role gave her
more flexibility.
When Julie, who was working in the U.S., confided she wished to return to
her native country, David encouraged her to take on a very different position
in the organization. The position he came up with demanded that Julie
drive something specifically, technology transformationsacross various
internal functions, projects, and global teams to enable access and sharing
of information across the organization. Again, Julie protested that she didnt
have the experience, and couldnt possibly succeed. Again, David pledged his
support and sponsorship.
54
She was petrified, David recalls. It was a complex role in an area she didnt
know much about. She was going to have a whole gang of people to manage,
and shed report directly to one of the senior-most leaders in the company. She
kept asking me, Are you sure this is going to work? David told her, You have
what it takes, because you can drive change through a team of capable people.
Julie did indeed know how to drive change through othersher sponsor being
one of them. Before holding a meeting, shed meet with him to lay out the
agenda she was trying to drive and the people she wanted him to influence. I
know two people at that table who are not going to buy in for these reasons,
shed tell him, and then list the things she wanted him to do to help her.
Sometimes shed have him send an email, pointing to the real issue; at other
times, shed spell out the role she wanted him to play in the meeting. That
was very smart of her, he comments, because then I could help her without
having to call attention to my doing so.
Push for Promotion
The methodology implementation was critical for Julie, as it positioned her
in front of very senior folks inside and external to the firm. But putting her in
their line of sight was one thing; getting them to accept her into the inner circle
was quite another. As Julie anticipated, they had no patience with her learning
curve. It got to the point, David laughs, where one of them took me aside and
threw a tantrum. Its not working! he yelled. If this is so good for our clients,
why isnt everybody on board? Are you sure shes going to be able to see this
through?
Pointing to his stellar record developing talent at the firm, David assured him
it would all work out. The people Ive picked have always been able to realize
their potential as leaders, he reminded him.
In the end, David didnt have to advocate for Julies promotion so much as
get out of her way. By placing her in visible roles, David knew Julie would win
herself the promotion simply by demonstrating her leadership. He did, however,
lean on 15 years worth of carefully cultivated good will with top executives at
the firm to alter their perception of Julie._
More than once I walked up to one of our executives and said, Youre being
unfair, youre not giving her enough time to figure this out, David clarifies.
In effect, I told him to back off, because hes the kind of guy who always sees
the glass half-empty, who never notices its half-full. He was always focusing
on what more could be done, and in terms of leadership development, that
just doesnt workits too demotivating for young high-potentials to hear, in
performance appraisals, only what they had failed to accomplish.
So I asked him to focus in the next meeting on what she and her team had
achieved, he reflects. And that made him see Julie with new eyes. After that
meeting, she came running out, saying, Wow, what did you do, hes a changed
man! David adds, I knew then that Julie would succeed in her job.
55
Step Six: Provide Air Cover

At Cisco, the networking multinational, cutting-edge technology, collaboration,
and innovation describe the very DNA of the firm. So it should come as no
surprise that Cisco is poised to introduce a multi-billion-dollar software
interface targeted at emerging markets in 2013.
But its a major surprise, because software is a wholly new product direction
for Cisco. And according to the 007 Team that came up with it, its going
to be an industry-changing, paradigm-shifting product. In a multinational
corporation with some 60,000 employees, this is a remarkable flowering of
entrepreneurial energy.
What enabled this break-through idea to make it all the way to market?
Certainly the team consists of remarkableand remarkably diversetalent.
But even more critically, the team functions within the protective framework
of Ciscos Executive Action Learning Forum, which tasks select groups of
high-potentials with challenges that require billion-dollar solutions. The
challenges derive from Ciscos Center for Collaborative Leadership advisory
board, whose members serve as executive sponsors for the E-ALF teams. It
is this combination of targeted investment and high-level sponsorship that
makes game-changing innovation possible at Cisco. We had the experiential
foundation to develop the concept, says one 007 team member. But it was
the E-ALF environment itself that took us well beyond the scope of what we
had been working on in the past. In that framework, we were not constrained
by the existing management structure or funding. We could design whatever
we wanted.
The lesson is this: strategic leaders not only invest in the future of the firm,
they take extraordinary measures to protect that investment. They realize its not
enough to assign high-potential talent to a super-stretch assignment. Youve
got to ensure they have the latitude to take risks, because success depends on
their ability to push the envelope.The higher the stakes, the more important
that latitude, or protection, becomes.
The reality, however, is this: most leaders55 percent, our research finds
arent providing it.
How to Protect Your Investment
Build confidence through risk trials. Lynn Utter, COO of Knoll, was the first
woman at Coors to assume a P&L role, running container operations.
Her sponsor, the CEO, put her in that rolebut only after hed helped her
navigate a series of smaller tests with the Board. He gave me risk in bitesize doses so I could grow my way into more challenging roles, she says.
He gave me the safe harbors where I could practice taking risksmany of
them outside of work, so that I wouldnt be so visible if I screwed up. Every
trial by fire gave me experience operating out of my comfort zone. And
that built my confidence to handle all-new situations.
56

100
Run active interference. Brady Dougan, CEO of Credit Suisse, recalls

the extraordinary gamble his first boss took, sending a 24-year-old
Dougan to Japan to build out the firms Pacific Rim business. He
did everything he could to help me succeed, Dougan says, citing
the many instances where he sought his bosss counsel on how
to meet targets and fit his operation into the larger context of the
business. When Dougan stumbled, his boss came to his defense.
Hed say to senior management, okay, this didnt go perfectly, but
Bradys overall record is very strong, Dougan explains. He was
always ready to manage the internal politics for me. That gave me
the breathing room to take risks. And in this industry, you have to.
100
80
Figure
4.7: 80
Sponsors who provide air cover
60
60
46%
44%
40
40
20
20
cauc
Women
Men
Address naysayers head-on. When she was a two-year-associate at a global

law firm, Andrea* confided to her sponsor, the attorney whod brought
her into the practice, that she was on the verge of quitting because of a
colleague whom she felt was constantly undermining her. Her sponsor,
picking up the phone as Andrea sat before him, insisted they confront this
colleague togetherwhich they did, in person, on the spot. The partner
expressed his sincere regret, assuring it wouldnt happen again. Andrea
not only stayed with the firm; she put in some 3,200 hours that year.
Within 15 months of the incident, she made partner.
Treat mistakes as teaching opportunities. Lynn Utter recalls how in one of

her trials-by-fire, she took to task publicly a vendor that she felt hadnt
delivered value to the firm. Afterwards, the CEO took her aside. You were
totally accurate with your facts, he said, but why pull that in public? Why
not share that in advance with the vendor and give him a chance to make
it right? Utter appreciated the lesson. He taught me that, more than
just having the right answer, it is important to help people come along
to get to the same place you are, she says. Thats certainly what he was
doing with me.
Air cover takes a variety of forms. American Expresss Kerrie Peraino

describes how her supervisor took a huge calculated risk on her at
a critical juncture in her career. Peraino, who had just given birth to
her second child and was struggling with the balance, was offered the
opportunity to work three days a week instead of five. As a mid-level
manager, she felt she could perform her duties in a compressed workweek,
but also recognized others might not see it that way. Thats when my
sponsors advocacy made it happen for me, Peraino relates. She knew
I was fully committed, not just to my team but to the firm, and she was
determined to give me whatever support or air cover I needed to keep me
on track. Perainos reduced workweek was granted and, after three years
of working part-time, she was made a vice presidenta testament not
only to her hard work, but also to her sponsors support and advocacy. It
proved to be a turning point in Perainos career, as without that period
of flexibility she knows she would have quit the firm. Instead, she came
back with renewed loyalty. Because shed backed me, says Peraino of her
sponsor, I was determined to be a credit to her.
57
set
Step Seven: Build Trust

Keisha Smith, global head of recruiting and CDO at Morgan Stanley, knows
that establishing a personal connection is a powerful relationship-building
tool. So in conversations with her colleagues, she regularly steps outside of
her comfort zone and seeks to establish a personal connection by delving into
what seems secondary first. Shell ask about their weekend, or their vacation;
shell ask about where they grew up or went to school. Nothing too personal,
she says, but Im looking for that common denominator, that ember to fan.
Because once you get people sharing, once you make it safe for them to be
themselves, theyll be more likely to show up for you when you need them to.
Its a tactic thats served her well, as her role entails lots of potentially difficult
conversations. Called upon to deliver critical feedback a few months ago to an
important client, Smith began by asking about his weekend. He explained that
he had taken the previous week off to take care of his son, who had developed
a sports-related injury. As it happened, a close friend of Smiths was dealing
with a similar injury. We spent the first few minutes of our conversation
trading notes on challenges, doctors, remedies, etc., which helped establish a
more congenial atmosphere before we delved into the more difficult reason for
the meeting, she recalls.
It opened the door to establishing a differentiated and deeper relationship
with a very important client, she says. Twelve years ago I would have been
all business, Smith adds. I would have dived right into the heart of the issue
without any prelude. But what Ive learned is that informality breeds trust.
The Distrust Trap
As weve discussed, sponsorship occurs most readily within the tribe because
its human nature to extend support to and ask favors of those whom you reflexively trustpeople, that is, who look most like you and are in your comfort
zone. Our research corroborates this tendency, which as weve seen is strongest among Caucasian males (hence the much-discussed Old Boys Club).
What keeps sponsorship from occurring across ethnic divides is distrust,
as we explored in Part One. And while this distrust stems partly from a
white sponsors discomfort and unfamiliarity with subordinates of color,
its exacerbated by the subordinates fear and suspicion of the sponsors
unconscious bias. High-potential protgs of color are loath to reach out for
help, fearful that in so doing theyll confirm stereotypical perceptions of them
being not quite up to the job. In this way, a multicultural subordinates fear of
betrayal by those in power is a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the distrust it breeds
conspires to make sponsorship a rarity.
What would establish trust across ethnicities is of course exactly what
establishes it within tribes: sharing more of your personal life, making yourself
more transparent (and vulnerable) as a whole person. But our research
suggests that people of color withhold the personal lest it reveal too much
otherness, while executives resist sharing details of their private lives lest
58
that glimpse undermine their gravitas. For executives of color, the need to
withhold is particularly acute. African-American executives, our survey
results show, are least likely to share family stories or introduce their spouse/
partner to their colleagues. Forty-one percent of Caucasian execs say theyre
uncomfortable introducing their significant other to people at work; but 61
percent of African-Americans hesitate to do so. Forty-six percent of Caucasian
execs hesitate to share stories about family members; 66 percent of AfricanAmericans wont go there. For Hispanics, socializing after work is difficult: 59
percent, compared to 35 percent of Caucasians, say theyre uncomfortable
doing so.
100
100
100
Figure 4.8:
Uncomfortable sharing aspects of personal life (Director level and above)
80
80
66%
61%
60
80
51%
55%
60
40
20
20
cauc
60
aa
asian
hisp
Introducing colleagues to
spouse/partner
Caucasian
set
57%
57%
asian
hisp
46%
43%
41%
40
59%
46%
35%
40
20
cauc
aa
asian
hisp
Socializing with
colleagues after work
African-American
Asian
set
cauc
aa
Sharing family stories
set
Hispanic
And without that sharing, without that mutual vulnerability, trust is all but
impossible.
Bridging the Divide
You go first. With her subordinates, many of whom are Asian men,
Deloittes Barbara Adachi says she has to be the first to admit vulnerability
because they wont. Ive had a similar experience, is a good opening
gambit, she says. You have to offer because they cant afford to, she
observes. Its like men asking for directions: they dont, because they
perceive its a sign of weakness.
Honor invitations outside your comfort zone. Mike Kacsmar, an Ernst & Young
LLP partner, has attended backyard barbecues and birthday parties for
his protgs three kidsdespite often being the only colleague from
work, and one of the only white men, to attend. Most people are missing
that personal connection, he observes, so that at times, honest candid
feedback is perceived as discrimination. But with a deep connection to
your protg, you can say what needs to be said and it will be perceived as
a real favor.
Actions speak louder than words. If conversation is too freighted, invite your
protg to join you on a project or help you meet a challenge. Freddie
Macs Dwight Robinson says that what bridged the many divides between
him and his sponsor (the gruff, buzz-cut, elderly white guy from the
suburbs) were numerous crises. We chose to go through many fires
together, Robinson observes, and that bonded us because of, not in spite
of, our differences.
59
Respond generously to vulnerability. Monica Poindexter, Genentechs director

of diversity, recalls an instance early in her career when she was unable
to get the necessary traction for a program shed spearheaded. She sought
out a leader whom she thought she could trust, walked him through what
shed done, and candidly admitted she desperately needed his help. I
dont know how to get this program successfully launched without your
guidance and insights, she told him. Ive tried everything, and nothing
is working. His response shocked her. Monica, I wouldnt have done
things any differently than you have, he said, and then pledged to help
her win the buy-in among his peers that she needed. That experience
showed Poindexter that maybe developing trust has to start with the
protg, rather than the sponsor; and for people of color, it may be about
overcoming the fear of being judged for needing help. I made myself
vulnerable because I was determined this program would succeed, she
reflects. I wasnt going to let it fail just because as a young woman of
color, I was afraid to show I needed help. But then its up to the sponsor,
she says, to be able to respond to that call for assistance in a way that
fosters opennessand assures the protg he/she has her best interests
at heart. Then youve got trust, Poindexter points out. Neither one of you
can move forward without it.
Step Eight: Make the Relationship Safe

Midway into her career at a global financial services firm, newly reporting to
a male executive as a VP, Margaret* became aware that her boss was holding
regular meetings with the other VPs (four men) at his home over barbecued
ribs and beer. He invited them, but excluded me, she said, and then theyd all
lie to me at work about where theyd been that weekend.
Eventually she was invited. She showed up at her bosss home one Saturday
afternoon, and it was suddenly painfully clear why he hadnt included her
from the get-go. I saw the problem for him, she explained. Here I was, a
youngish woman out with the guys on his pool deck, while his wife hovered in
the kitchen, peering out at us. All of my professionalism made no difference in
that setting. I just couldnt make it safeenoughfor us to interact off-site.
Lets acknowledge the 800-pound gorilla in the office: sexual tension in
professional relationships isnt going to go away. So long as men and women
work together, there are going to be affairs, some of them illicit. And where
theres even the possibility of sex, theres going to be gossip about itas
potentially jeopardizing to both parties as an actual affair. Sex or the specter of
it haunts sponsorship, prompting men and women who are ardent about their
professional goals to avoid it altogether for fear of getting censured, fired, or
sued. (Although the consequences of indiscretion are oftentimes worse for the
protg if shes female, as 70 percent of our female respondents and 53 percent
of our male respondents agree.)20
60
Lets further acknowledge that as a sponsor, your ability to sex proof a work
relationship with a member of the opposite sex is somewhat limited. Like your
protg, you must telegraph relentless professionalism, never indulging in a
salacious joke or gesture, keeping the office door open, meeting openly, keeping
spouses and children literally in the picture. And as a sponsor thats
about all you can do.
But as a senior executive with the power to influence or set policy, you
do have the wherewithal to make sponsorship safeby changing the
organizational culture in which its exercised.
Figure 4.9:
Respondents who believe when a
workplace romance breaks up, junior
women are more likely than senior
men to be the target of punitive
measures (job transfers, demotion,
100
100
dismissal)
High-Level Fixes
Mandate. In a corporate culture where sponsorship is the norm,
close working relationships between senior men and women take
on a normalcy that defies gossip. At Credit Suisse, for instance,
sponsorship is a company-wide mission supported by senior
management. Established by CEO Brady Dougan, MAG (Mentoring
Advisory Groups, which we explore in detail in the Initiatives
section of this report) tasks a select group of high-potential
women with solving business challenges articulated by members
of the executive committee, who act as sponsors. The program is
receiving positive reviews from both the men as well as the women who
participated in the pilot.
80
80
70%
60
60
40
40
20
20
cauc
Women
53%
Men
set
Educate. Become a sponsorship evangelist. Spread the gospel to your peers.

Enlist the help of human resources. Embed sponsorship education into
leadership development, as Aimee George Leary at Booz Allen Hamilton
and Barbara Adachi at Deloitte have done with measurable success. Our
goal is to make sure everyone knows what sponsorship is, how it works,
who does what, and why its important to the success of this firm,
says Keisha Smith, who has recently spearheaded a company-wide
program to educate VPs, executives, directors, and managing directors
at Morgan Stanley.
Ensure that performance reviews assess sponsorship as a measure of leadership

readiness. Again, by making sponsorship a must-have, youll swivel a
spotlight on every attempt to grow itnurturing healthy growth while
eliminating the dark corners where illicit liaisons
are perceived to take root.
Ensure that offenders are punished. Its not enough to

have corporate policies in place governing sexual
harassment or office liaisons, as we discovered in
our first round of research. Well-crafted policies
deter detrimental behaviors only to the degree that
people know about themand as we discovered
in our first report, people dont know about
them. Review the policies you have in place for
clarity, fairness, and feasibility. Then take every
opportunity, when discussing the importance
of keeping sponsorship safe, to reference these
policies and emphasize your intent to enforce them.
100
Figure 4.10:100
100
Employees who dont know whether their company:
80
80
80
60
60
60
64%
45%
40
40
20
20
USW
USM
Has a policy on
office romances
37%
40
20
set
USW
UKW
USM
0
UKM
set USW UKWUSM UKM set
Prohibits relationships between

manager and
subordinate
UKW
Has consensual
relationship
contracts
61
UKM
Step Nine: Give Critical Feedback

Kent Gardiner, chairman of Crowell & Moring, knows a thing or two about
being a trial attorney. Prior to entering private practice, he was a litigator for
the U.S. Department of Justice in the anti-trust division, trying price-fixing,
bid-rigging, mail fraud, and RICO cases. His particular gift, as others have
described it, is his combination of charm and teeth: his ability to take a hard
line when necessarybut obviating that necessity with his diplomacy.
These are skills he seeks to impart to his protgs. Observing one of them, an
African-American associate, deliver an opening statement and cross-examine
a witness, Gardiner was impressed with his very colloquial, very folksy style.
Yet he felt the attorney could benefit from a bit more crispness, especially in
court. So he took him aside, explaining how it was important to hang onto his
authenticity to engage and remain credible to the jury, but at the same time,
square his corners in order to retain control of the witness.
It was a potentially difficult conversation, one that many in Gardiners position
might have chosen to avoid, given the disparities of race and power between
the two men. But Gardiner never shirks delivering critical feedback, even
when he knows it could go radioactive (as it has on occasion). Its vital to the
success of this firm that I attempt to close the skill gaps that I see in our upand-coming leaders, he says, observing that oral communication skills are the
life-blood of a client-centered business. He adds, Its not just their job but the
firms reputation Im looking after.
Keeping Mum Will Cost You
In an ideal world, protgs would ask for critical feedbackand mean it.
Theyd approach their superiors, as Debbie Storey of AT&T did, and say, Tell
me how I can improve, and shoot straight because I want to do the best job I
can. You cannot hurt my feelings. Its not personal, its business.
But Storey is the exception, to hear sponsors tell it. Indeed, in Gardiners
experience, women greet criticism with shock, tears, or withdrawal. He
recalls taking aside a female associate whose abrasive style had so upset the
client that the client had asked she be removed from his case. Youve got
to go easier, take your time, dial it back, he told her. She seemed to take his
feedback in stride, but then Gardiner noted that shed retreated into email,
moving discussions that should have been held in person into virtual space
which was not exactly an improvement in her personal interactions.
Hardest of all to impart to women, our research shows, is feedback on
appearance. While some 68 percent of women and 58 percent of men with
sponsors tell us theyve gotten feedback on their speaking skills, a mere 36
percent of women with sponsors say theyve gotten critical input on their
appearance (compared to 43 percent of men) and even fewer women (31
percent) have been taken aside for a conversation about gravitas (compared
to nearly half of sponsored men). Interestingly, professionals of color who
have sponsors are more likely to hear about their EP gaps: 70 percent, as
compared to 61 percent of Caucasians, have had a sponsor speak to them
62
about their communication skills, and 50 percent, as compared to 36 percent

of Caucasians, have been given appearance pointers.
Sponsors recognize the imperative of stepping into this breach with their
protgs. Theyre walking around with your reputation on their head, one
of our senior executives observed in an interview. Youve got to manage your
reputation by managing their behavior.
Theyre just not sure how to go about itespecially when race and gender
complicate the discussion.
How to Have a Difficult Conversation
Establish ground rules. Gardiner says what made his conversation with
the African-American attorney easier was a prior dialogue, one that
established the attorneys appetite for engagement. Do you want to make
it to the next level? Gardiner had asked him. Yes. And if I attempt to raise
your game, youll take my criticism in the spirit in which it was intended
rather than a deal-breaker just because it comes from the chair? The
attorney agreed he would. So wed established a safe space to have this
sort of discussion, Gardiner explains. I had his permission to go there.
100
Figure 4.11:
Protgs who have received feedback100
on EP
80
80
68%
58%
60
36%
80
40
31%
20
cauc
aa
Appearance
Women
asian
hisp
set
Speaking skills
Men
70%
60
48%
40
20
100
80
61%
60
43%
40
100
60
50%
36%
40
20
cauc
aa
Gravitas
asian
39% 40%
20
hisp
cauc
set aa
Appearance
Caucasian
asian
hisp
set
Speaking skills
cauc
aa
Gravitas
asian
hisp
set
POC
Build trust first. Especially when race is a factor, establish a personal

connection with your protg before offering critical feedback. Theres
always a common denominator, says Morgan Stanleys Keisha Smith. If
you cant find ground to connect on, then you may not be asking the right
non-work-related questions or youre not listening closely to the answers.
If the situation or the topic is too radioactive, enlist the help of another manager.
Given the lawsuit risk of talking to women about their physical appearance,
men may be wise to convey their criticism by proxyanother senior
woman, for instance. Thats what Joe Stringer, a UK-based partner with
Ernst & Young, did when he needed a member of his team to change her
trolley-dolly image, which a client had complained about. I wished I
could have said something to her directly, he muses, but in the end she
got the message and polished her lookand I can see the positive impact
thats had on her career.
63
Pre-empt the conversation with action. Help protgs close their skill gaps
by giving them the experience they lack, and you wont be obliged to
confront them about it later. Advocate that your protg be tapped for,
say, a mobility program that provides international work experience plus
exposure to key markets. Goldman Sachs makes six-month overseas
assignments available to high-potentials whose managers recommend
them; high-potentials in Citis Latin American Banker Mobility program
can swap roles for three months with bankers in regional offices to
advance their understanding of different products and markets. Or see
that your protg gets critical EP experience and exposure through the
firms affinity groups, which give women and talent of color access and
visibility to the CEO. At GE, for example, the Womens Networkan
outgrowth of the firms hugely successful African-American Forum
ensures that promising women take on leadership roles that will help
close their skills gaps should leadership positions come open. The
leadership training these groups provide has proven so effective that
GE turns to both the Womens Network and African-American Forum to
furnish candidates for its succession plan.
Step Ten: Nail the Tactics

Think Strategically
3 Assess what kind of talent youll need to achieve your own short- and
mid-term aspirations. Take into consideration current and future markets
and end-users; the more customer-facing your business, the more
representative your workforce needs to be.
3 Assess the talent youve got for special currencies; determine which
individuals youll need to achieve your goals.
3 Identify individuals best positioned to build or perpetuate your legacy.
Invest for the Long Term
3 Sponsor performers whose background, perspective, and skills
complement rather than replicate your owntwo in your line-of-sight,
one external to your division.
3 Prioritize loyalty and trustworthiness.
3 Select for agility and adaptability as well as performance.
3 Sponsor female and multicultural talent to maximize innovative capacity.
The more diverse your team, the more likely youll have the tool kits
necessary to solve for challenges that present outside your experience
and the less prone youll be to the perils of groupthink.
Connect and Develop
3 Introduce your protg to your boss.
3 Invite your protg to a high-level meeting.
3 Encourage your protgs to run for leadership roles within the firm, e.g.
affinity groups and networks, charitable programs, sports teams.
64
3 Encourage your protgs to run for leadership roles in the larger

community, e.g. charitable organizations, religious institutions, school
boards, professional groups.
3 Encourage your protg to be a mentor; nominate him/her as a mentor for
formal programs.
3 Help your protg get on a nonprofit board.
3 Sponsor your protg for development opportunities that help close skill
gaps or provide international work experience.
3 Make it possible for your protg to shadow you for a week, or arrange for
high-level shadowing opportunities elsewhere in the firm.
3 Recommend your protg as a conferee, panelist, or speaker at a
conference.
3 Nominate your protg for formal programs or competitions that will
showcase his/her skill sets.
Educate & Evangelize
3 Tell colleagues how seriously you take being a sponsor.
3 Work with HR to help foster sponsorship by creating networking
opportunities for high-potentials to rub elbows with senior management.
3 Sponsor or lead educational forumsbrown-bag lunches, conferences,
webinarsto inform protgs of their role and responsibilities.
3 Use town-hall opportunities to issue a company-wide mandate; explain
how sponsorship aligns with the firms culture, and how the sponsor
effect impacts women and multicultural professionals.
3 Model the kind of sponsorship youre keen to sow and spread.
Make Sponsorship Safe
3 When meeting with a protg of the opposite sex, keep the door open
to your office, or choose a public venue thats trafficked by colleagues
and staff.
3 Schedule meetings through your assistant.
3 Favor breakfast, coffee breaks, lunch, or afternoon tea for meetings.
3 Never mix your message. Resist making off-color jokes or sharing stories
with sexual overtones.
3 Introduce your protg to your spouse, partner, and children. If youre
forced to work late with your protg, call your significant other in front of
the protg to signal your emotional needs are more than met.
3 Defuse tension with humor. If youre squeezed into a cab together, try
Weve got to stop meeting like this. If youre seated too close at a social
event, you could say, Im doing my best not to crowd you.
3 Normalize sponsorship by making it a key performance indicator in
performance reviews.
3 Make sure company policies are explicit, enforcedand widely understood
by everyone in the firm.
Build Trust
3 Look for safe opportunities to establish personal connections. Participate
in team sports, fundraisers, volunteer efforts, cultural events, and
conferences where your would-be protgs have a chance to show a
different side of themselves without compromising their boundaries.
65
3 Encourage personal sharing by modeling it. Lets have everyone describe

one professional triumph this week and one personal. Ill start.
3 Initiate a one-on-one dialogue by sharing an article or report of interest to
you. This struck me as an amazing approach and Id love to get your take
on it.
3 Make mistakes teaching opportunities. Stress that youre interested in
how someone rebounds from a gaffe rather than why they made it in the
first place.
3 When giving critical feedback on difficult issues (attire, personal style,
presentation skills, client handling), reference instances where your
protg got it right before homing in on what he/she got wrong.
3 Choose to inspire whenever youre inclined to complain. Leadership
isnt so much about making people do things as creating followers,
subordinates who will choose to run with you into a burning building.
Promote and Protect
3 Call in favors to get your protg on a project or assignment that will
advance your agenda for him/her.
3 Create a high-visibility project or role if one doesnt exist in order to retain
or advance your protg.
3 Keep close tabs on your protg in stretch assignments. Provide the
support or counsel he/she needs to succeed.
3 Run interference. Smooth ruffled feathers. Pave the way, politically, for
your protg to move forward.
3 Show teeth. Make it clear you will not tolerate others sabotage of your
efforts on behalf of your protg.
3 Make the business case with your superiors. Communicate your intent.
Explain your choice. Assure your boss of your confidence in your choice
and agree to be held accountable.
66
Part Three:
Initiatives
67
American Express: Women in the Pipeline and at the Top

With women comprising over 60 percent of its global workforceand over 30 percent
of its senior managementAmerican Express is deservedly recognized as a Fortune
500 leader in diversity and inclusion. Yet with only 18 percent of its executive circle
female, the financial services giant is committed to expanding Women in the Pipeline
and at the Top, with Pathways to Sponsorship, which seeks to help senior women reach
their career potential by improving their networks, fostering sponsor relationships, and
creating a gender-inclusive culture across the organization.
Now in its fourth year, the program continues to win support because it tackles a
barrier few women perceived standing in their way: a pervasive lack of sponsorship.
Rather than formally match or pair female employees with senior executives,
Pathways to Sponsorship arms women with the mindset, networking tools, and exposure
opportunities theyll need to cultivate their own power pairings. Each cohort of about
20 women receives individualized development plans and multiple opportunities to
interface with executives in the company. Our focus is to enable our senior women to
reach their ultimate potential, says Jennifer Christie, chief diversity officer and vicepresident of executive recruitment. Pathways does this in a highly personalized way.
Building a senior womens community is the second feature. Through the Pipeline
program, American Express hosts a Womens Conference every second year that
provides senior women with leadership insights, practical guidance, and networking
opportunities with senior men. We were so pleased with the level of engagement
from the 160 women and men who attended the 2010 conference, observes Christie.
The 2012 Womens Conference demonstrates our ongoing focus and commitment to
developing and advancing women at American Express.
Finally, because women can succeed only in an environment that values contributions
inherent to gender, American Express provides gender-intelligence workshops for both
male and female employees. Gender intelligence refers to the unique ways that men
and women process information. One is not right and the other one wrong, clarifies
Kerrie Peraino, senior vice president of international human resources. It is about
having both brains at the table, so you can move faster and better understand your
employee and customer base.
At the vanguard in promoting diversity and gender balance, American Express is
also committed to sharing its successes and failures with the Task Force in hopes of
spurring a fruitful dialogue with other companies. The only value of the sponsor effect
is in its widespread adoption, Peraino states. If women dont hear about it, then it was
just a good idea in a box.
AT&T: Championing Our Senior Leaders

In May 2012, AT&T set in motion a sponsorship initiative aimed at accelerating the
advocacy of select qualified female, male, and multicultural talent. AT&T has a deep
history of mentoring, explains Tammy Martin, vice president of talent development,
but over the course of several mergers, the organization realized that many of its
senior leaders simply werent on the radar of the companys top executives. While
these leaders were likely to be advocates for junior talent, they werent themselves
fully known, Martin states. And this was especially true among senior women. So we
thought, Lets start small and put a program in place to change this dynamic.
68
Champions, as the program came to be known, centers on 20-plus senior leaders who
have a track record of delivering strong results. Drawing on CTIs sponsorship research
and conversations with other Task Force members, AT&T determined that the best
way to encourage a two-way relationship was to encourage lead officers to select two
or three protgs from among those identified by Martin and her team. Importantly,
there would be no formal program. We wanted to keep it simple, said Martin, who
contacted participants in May to inform them of their upcoming meeting with a senior
officer. We basically wanted to introduce them to each other, equip them with an
understanding of each others roles, then step back and let the relationship develop,
she added.
While the program is new, the feedback has been uniformly positive. The participants
tell us theyre really connecting and getting to know the senior officers, and the officers
tell us they appreciate the opportunity to get to know these individuals in different
settings, she said. The pairs set their own pace, determining their own meetings,
agenda, and action steps. Being hands-off is intentional, says Martin, as its our belief
that because the executives will get to know their protgs in this new way, many of
these relationships will develop into sponsorships.
These relationships will reach the one-year mark in May 2013, in time for the
chairmans talent review. Next year the leaders will be discussed with a champions
view added, Martin explains, due to their deep connections with the people
representing them at the table. That will be the measure of our success: if participants
have the advocacy to move into positions of greater responsibility. Ideally, however,
the program never really ends. If weve done our job, then the work started here will
continue forever, Martin observes.
Booz Allen Hamilton: Leadership Excellence Sponsorship Initiative

Building on the success of its invitational Leadership Excellence program, Booz Allen
Hamilton is launching a sponsorship initiative in January 2013 that targets top-talent
women. Leadership Excellence is a six-month development opportunity that provides
leaders feedback through 360s, coaching, residential training, and a market-based team
project where senior leaders assign a business challenge and assess participants on the
market viability of their solution. This program also features a womens day that has
received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Drawing on CTI research and Task Force best practices, the sponsorship initiative
aligns influential leaders to high-potential talent to facilitate their interaction and
foster the development of a mutually beneficial alliance. The goal of the initiative is
to forge stronger ties between top-talent women and key senior executives. We need
to drive awareness, not force sponsorship, says Aimee George Leary, director of talent
development, diversity, and strategy. Sponsorship is already a part of our culture,
because of the relationship-based work we do, she explains. But where women dont
seek sponsors or dont get the right ones, this program can help get them on track.
The initiative will feature skill-building sessions that outline the impact of sponsorship,
explain how sponsorship works at Booz Allen, and make clear the roles and
responsibilities of all parties. It will also include a sponsorship self-assessment, which
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will provide the information needed to align participants with leaders who can assist
in the advancement of their career goals.
Ultimately what we want to do is embed sponsorship into our annual talent review
discussion, so that when leaders are homing in on high-potential talent, theyll ask,
Whos advocating for this person? instead of Whos mentoring her? says George
Leary. Not everyone will need sponsorship, she explains, because not everyone will
aspire to partner. But for those who do, sponsorship is key. Its essential you have
the right person at the right table advocating for you, she adds. There arent but a
handful who have that kind of influence, so you need to know who they are and how to
cultivate those relationshipsnow, so theyll be in a position to advocate for you when
you most need it. Too often, by the time people figure out how important sponsorship
is to their career, its too late.
Bristol-Myers Squibb: Mentors for Performance, Advocates for Opportunity

In November 2011, Bristol-Myers Squibb piloted a sponsorship initiative aimed at
accelerating the development of leaders and improving the retention of top talent.
Based on Center for Talent Innovation findings published in The Sponsor Effect (Harvard
Business Review Research Report, 2010), and drawing on initiatives at Credit Suisse
and American Express, the 12- to 18-month program sought to build pathways to
sponsorship by pairing 21 high-potential men and women with 21 of the top 200
leaders in the firm. It was conceived as a follow-on to the firms highly successful
Women in Science mentoring program. We see mentorship and sponsorship as
a continuum, explains Erika DEgidio, executive director of talent management
and diversity. The pilot was set up so that mentor relationships might bloom into
sponsorship relationships.
In September 2012, individuals in the pilot program met with HR and diversity to
assess the current programs efficacy, with an eye to shaping the experience of the next
cohort. It was really an opportunity to share ideas on how to take these relationships
to the next level, as even the most sophisticated and dedicated executive struggles
to build them, DEgidio explains. Toward that end, BMS invited CTI to share with the
group its Road Maps for Protgs and Sponsors, which stress the action steps required
of both parties to grow mutually beneficial alliances. The group was particularly
interested in strategies that might enable cross-functional pairs to evolve, as some
sponsors had found it difficult to connect their sponsoree to opportunities. The
benefit is, both parties gain a much broader perspective on the organization, DEgidio
observes, but the challenge is, how do you advocate effectively across lines?
Feedback on the pilot overall, however, was quite positive, as the results within the past
nine months have more than met expectations. Thirty-two percent of participants have
changed roles; 100 percent have stayed with the firm. There has been clear value for
both the sponsorees and sponsors, says DEgidio. Hence the current cohort will likely
continue abiding by the pilots outline, meeting regularly over the span of the program
to deepen their relationships and grow each others opportunities for advancement.
At the same time, DEgidio anticipates making changes to the program for the 2013
cohort. There may be a focused mentoring program; there may be as well, for a select
cohort, a focus on building sponsorship capability, educating both leadership and
high-potentials on their roles and responsibilities rather than assigning pairs. My
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take-away is that you cant force sponsorship, she observes. It has to happen on its
own, because of the relationship capital invested on both sides. If we can show people
what sponsorship looks like, and give them the tools, theyll grow the culture where top
talent thrives.
Chartis: Sponsorship for Women in Leadership

With 40,000 employees in over 90 countries, Chartis, the property-casualty arm of AIG,
is intent on ensuring that women in its pipeline progress to the most senior levels of
the organization. In early 2011, armed with CTIs The Sponsor Effect, Chartiss executive
diversity council undertook an initiative designed to correct for stalled progress at the
top. We recognized that mentoring wasnt enough, says Victoria Martin, chief diversity
officer, who oversees the initiative under the companys Human Resources umbrella.
But the Centers report provided critical validation, helping our executives perceive the
invisible barriers holding women back.
As part of their Women in Leadership strategy, Chartis managers worldwide identified
300+ female leaders two to five reports away from the companys CEO. For the
sponsorship pilot launch, some 73 executives from senior management and executive
levels volunteered to participate as sponsors for the initial 84 Women in Leadership
participants. With career profiles in hand, and specific pairing requests from the
executives, Martin and her HR colleagues matched sponsors to this pilot group whom
managers had referred. These women were given 360-degree performance evaluations
and invited to attend the programs Global Forum in New York in August 2011, after
which they met with their sponsors to discuss their career aspirations and 360 feedback.
Through soliciting feedback from both the protgs and sponsors, Martin found that
most protgs had been meeting monthly and had utilized their sponsor to meet other
internal contacts, discuss ongoing work projects, and gain career advice. In terms of
the 360 review, it didnt work out quite as anticipated. I wasnt comfortable sharing
my weaknesses candidly, remarked one protg. With 50 new participants about
to convene in Philadelphia and cohorts scheduled for kick-offs in Chicago, London,
Atlanta and Singapore, Martin and her team set out to make some changes to offer
more support.
The first change, says Martin, was to spur more discussion around the 360 review. A
portion of the Forum held in Philadelphia in February 2012 was focused on providing
participants with their 360 feedback and guiding them on how to use it. Another
portion was devoted to program alumni sharing positive stories of their own sponsor
experience. But the biggest shift in the program was in helping the new cohorts
understand how to go out and find sponsors: how to utilize their networks, the
company website, and the Forum itself to create a target list of appropriate leaders and
initiate meetings with them. We kept hearing, Why cant I be matched, like the first
group? Martin says. Theres a lot of muscle-memory around mentorship.
Protgs are assigned, however, program alumni as advisors and given information on
eligible sponsors. We know that ideally protgs should seek out their own sponsors,
says Sandra Kapell, the senior vice president and chief human resources officer who
conceived of the idea of the global forums and leads monthly feedback discussions with
protgs. However, we realized that we could do more to foster these connections.
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In addition, managers and executives are prepped on how to respond to sponsor

requests, and how to help participants initiate a conversation around their career
goals. One of our sponsors opened a cold-call meeting by talking about his own
weaknesses as a leadership candidate, which made it a lot easier for the protg to
share her own shortcomings, Martin explains.
By providing ongoing coaching to both parties, Martin is confident the program will
forge not just power pairs among participants but a sustainable culture of sponsorship
at Chartis worldwide. Were not where we want to be yet, she observes. But theres
incredible commitment and passion around this initiative. All over the world, our
executives have signed on to be advocates and change the landscape of our talent at
the top level. Sponsorship is such a powerful tool that a year from now, I think were
going to find that were on course to meet our multi-year targets on strengthening the
talent pipeline.
Cisco: Leadership Pipeline Experience

Faced with intensifying globalization, a new breed of competitors, and a worldwide
economic downturn, Cisco is reexamining its pipeline for talent poised to lead the
company forward. In 2011, Ciscos Connected Women Advisory Group (CCWAG) created
the Leadership Pipeline Experience (LPE) to transition female senior managers already
addressing these challenges globally into director-level positions.
The LPE is a two-year program comprising two stages: individual exploration and
development, and executive sponsorship. The first stage pairs 26 high-potential
women (half within, half outside the U.S.) with a management psychologist for an indepth assessment, one akin to the 360-review which top executives receive. Its very
intensive work on who they are, how they got where they are, and who they hope to
become, says Caroline McCabe, the psychologist who directs the program. Participants
have a follow-up interview with the management consultant, who identifies their
strengths as well as areas where they need further exposure or training. By the
end of it, theyll know how they stack up with regard to executive-level talent in the
firm, says McCabe. The assessment culminates in three coaching sessions, where
participants can begin working on targeted recommendations.
The investment in the assessment, while considerable, has a double pay-off. For
women hovering just below the director level, says McCabe, the development
process represents just that one little push they need to make the transition into
the executive ranks. For members of the CCWAG board, the data collected from the
assessments helps answer questions as to why high-potential women languish in one
role for years, or how location may impact their opportunities for advancement. It also
spotlights ways in which current leadership development at Cisco might expand to
meet the needs of its most promising talent. With this data we can say, Theres a real
shortfall in this area, and go ask the Learning and Development Group to offer courses
to meet it, McCabe observes. By starting with the assessment, weve created a base
which can expand to meet emerging needs by leveraging other Cisco resources.
The second stage of the pilot, which began in early 2012, matches participants
with executives from all different functions at the senior-director to vice-president
levels. Participants are interviewed during the coaching phase of their assessment
to determine an ideal match, and are then presented with two or three choices.
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The advocates, who are all alumni of the Executive Action Learning Forum (E-ALF),
bring not only career-development expertise to their advocacy but also a passion for
advancing women across the organization.
The program is still in its initial stage, making its impact difficult to quantify. However,
with the support and commitment of SVP men and women on the CCWAG board, LPE
has encountered very few obstacles. Demand for the program continues to mount
as executives learn about the opportunity and recommend qualifying women for
enrollment. The program also signals the firms commitment to developing its highpotentials even as unprecedented global challenges force it to trim its workforce. Now
more than ever, our growth depends on leadership with the talent and knowledge
to change the world, McCabe observes. With this program, we have an opportunity
to give the women already in the front lines exactly what they need to solve the
challenges ahead.
Citi: Women Leading Citi

Piloted in November 2009 to propel women into executive roles through sponsorship,
Women Leading Citi is now part of Citis arsenal of initiatives aimed at moving more
women into leadership. The current cohort, launched in February 2012, will benefit
from three significant improvements to the original program, which matched
participants with advocates to enhance their networking opportunities and accelerate
their career growth.
Like the original cohort, the 54 women comprising this 18-month-long iteration are
mostly managing directors from Citis regional headquarters who have identified
themselves as motivated for advancement. The advocate criteria, too, has remained
the same: senior managing directors with line of sight (but who are not the
participants manager or business head) sign on to facilitate their protgs vertical or
lateral move into a different function, region, or group.
But this time around, participants have a say in who sponsors them, as does their
sponsor. The process is a lot more organic now, notes Ana Duarte McCarthy, chief
diversity officer and among the architects of the original program. By enlisting the
womens managers in the process, we have a better idea of who might make good
advocates for them; each participant can add to that list and identify up to three top
choices. HR then approaches her choices and gives them the option to decline. This
way, were assured of enthusiastic commitment from both partieswhich is pretty
important, given the duration of the program.
The other key difference is that, prior to the kick-off conference, participants are given
360-degree performance evaluations and Hogan Personality Inventories to pinpoint for
each of them opportunities to better support their career objectives. While seventy
percent of the first cohort reported some career mobility, it was hard to measure their
progress because we didnt have a clear idea of their mobility objectives, says Deborah
de Vries, senior vice president of talent for Consumer North America. Now that we
know where theyre starting from and where they want to go, we can better assess the
program.
At the end of the April conferencea three-day event, with a full day devoted to
imparting leadership, strategic networking, and executive-presence skillsthe women
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were debriefed on their assessments and coaching to develop an action plan. Later
that month they met with their sponsors, who had already convened for an orientation
session clarifying their role and responsibilities. At future meetings, arranged quarterly,
protgs are tasked with driving the agenda, developing action steps for achieving their
goals, and building the rapport requisite to winning their sponsors trust and backing. As
before, sponsors are expected to provide entres to meetings, introductions or referrals
to other senior leaders, and critical advice on closing skill gaps.
We really wanted the women to take ownership of the program this time around, de
Vries explains. A lot of them are ambitious but may not know how to advocate for
themselves and may still be viewed as collaborative. Legitimized in this way, they feel
more empowered to embrace these advocate relationships. And well have given them
the tools to make the most of them.
Credit Suisse: Mentoring Advisory Group (MAG)

In May 2011, Credit Suisse launched its global Mentoring Advisory Group (MAG) initiative
with the sponsorship of CEO Brady Dougan and nine additional executive board members.
Equal parts experiential learning, peer coaching, and proactive mentoring, the program
signals Credit Suisses commitment to be an industry innovator in seeking concrete ways
to move more of the banks most talented women into senior leadership positions.
Together with Pamela Thomas-Graham, chief talent, branding and communications
officer and a member of the executive board, Dougan sought to craft a program that
would not only develop leadership skills among high-potential women, but also
give them visibility and access to C-suite executives so that they might forge the
relationships critical to levering them into top management. Mentorship alone isnt
substantive enough to make a difference, Dougan observes. We needed mentors to get
to the buy-in stage, where theyd believe in their protgs enough to proactively advocate
for them.
MAG is designed to foster that buy-in. The pilot comprises five teams of six protges,
each team headed by two executive board members and shepherded by an HR leader
and an executive champion. Each team is assigned a business challenge the firm
has identified as critical-to-mission, one that addresses either a growth or revenue
issue. For 18 months, the teams will meet regularlyby phone, email, teleconference,
and in personto strategize and formulate a solution to their business challenge. Five
times they will gather in person to attend two-day sessions that combine classroom
instruction by world-renowned university professors; peer coaching; and mentor
interaction. The instruction and cross-divisional interaction provides each team an
ongoing opportunity to apply their learning while solving for a vital business interest, an
endeavor that culminates in a final presentation to the executive board.
In addition, every three months each protg meets one-on-one with her team mentor.
While the mentor regularly provides guidance to the group as a whole, the one-on-one
connections provide mentor and mentee alike with a unique opportunity to learn about
each other and help drive each others core value proposition. MAG is intrinsically a twoway street: protges gain critical guidance, input, and support directly from the top as
they work on a core business challenge, while mentors gain not only strategic solutions
to their most pressing problems but also a critical window on their most promising
female talent.
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Linking sponsorship to critical problem-solving is what distinguishes MAG from

other mentoring programs, according to Thomas-Graham. We spent a lot of
time with senior leaders figuring out a core business challenge they dont have
the capacity to work on, Thomas-Graham says of the teams to-do list, which
includes making Credit Suisse the worlds most admired bank as well as coming
up with the financial industrys next killer app. Were anticipating some
impactful solutions out of this group in terms of either saving costs or growing
revenue.
Thomas-Graham also anticipates gaining actionable information from the
programs performance metrics. Each team has a scorecard; how well each group
solves for the business challenge and what becomes of its members in terms of
career advancement will determine the success of the program.
For the protges themselves, however, the program is already delivering on
expectations. MAG participant Vedika Bhandarkar, vice chair of Investment
Banking and Global Markets Solutions Group and a managing director at Credit
Suisse Securities in Mumbai, marvels at the connections she has made in just
a few months and the effect of that network on her ability to form goals and
navigate her way to them. After only one team-wide session, she says she forged
relationships with the other 29 protges, forming a powerful network of highly
competent women whom she might not otherwise have gotten to know because
they represent different business units and geographies. The two-day classroom
and peer meeting sessions have helped foster as well a working relationship that
she expects to draw on beyond the project at hand.
Most importantly, she feels connected to the firms leaders in unprecedented ways.
Assigned to Dougan, Bhandarkar felt at first intimidated but then inspired. During
the first call, she recalls, she spent fifteen minutes talking about what shed done
and wanted to do, in terms of working in various locations and taking on more
responsibility, and he spent the next fifteen laying out the options and specifying
the professional and personal criteria for each. I set the goals, but he committed
to finding ways to help me achieve them, she says. All the ExB members are
similarly devoted to their MAG protges, she observes, actively listening and
coming up with useful suggestions.
Theyre putting a tremendous amount of time and energy into this, she observes.
This isnt lip service, this isnt ticking a box. And after a lot of years in investment
banking, I find that very refreshingand very empowering.
Deloitte: Embedding Career Sponsorship

In 2010, Deloittes well-established Initiative for the Retention and Advancement
of Women (also known as WIN) sought to expand its impact by increasing its
commitment to career sponsorship. In reaching out to over 800 leaders at the firm
to learn about their experience with sponsorship, WINs Senior Manager Advisory
Committee found that women at Deloitte, as elsewhere in the marketplace,
had fewer sponsors than men did. The committee recommended incorporating
sponsorship into the culture by clarifying the definition of it, raising awareness
of its value, and empowering leaders to be sponsors. The resulting strategy has
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been to embed sponsorship into the organizations existing leadership development

programs, rather than create a stand-alone initiative.
Thus sponsorship is integrated into leadership development programs such as
Navigation to Excellence, a program focused on career development for women of color,
and Leading to WIN, a program focused on women partners, principals, and directors
within Deloittes tax division. In 2010, a program similar to Leading to WIN was
launched focusing on the development of women partners and principals across the
organization. Over 18 months, nominated participants draw up a leadership action
plan, receive guidance from private sessions with an external executive coach, meet
with their personal senior-leader career sponsor, and learn from executive speakers
and other participants at live group sessions.
Deloitte continues to raise the bar on sponsorship. For example, when then-CEO
Barry Salzberg asked partners, principals, and directors at the September 2010 WIN
meeting to identify at least one woman to sponsor, over 600 pledged to do so. Each
received follow-up tools, such as a career development template to use as a planning
tool with his or her protg. WINs Sponsor of the Year award, which started in
the spring of 2012, gives employees in each of Deloittes five regional WIN networks
in the U.S. an opportunity to nominate their sponsors. The winners are profiled on
Deloittes internal website along with their protgs testimonial. As Barbara Adachi,
national managing director of human capital and a principal of WIN explains, while
theres no prize to win, its an acknowledgement and recognition of the important
work of sponsors.
Given that sponsorship involves a trusted relationship between advisor and protg,
Adachi says that one of the lessons learned is that the relationships have to emerge
naturally. You cant force these relationships, she explains. You can encourage
them and give people the tools to have the conversation and understand what the
requirements and expectations are, but someone has to want to be a sponsor and the
protg must earn the trust of her sponsor. For this reason, Deloitte is trying to offer
as many opportunities as possible to encourage potential sponsors to participate.
Freddie Mac: Womens Cohort

In response to growing evidence that womens careers at Freddie Mac plateau just
shy of officer level, Suzanne Richards, interim head of diversity, organized Womens
Cohort, an 18-month initiative designed to teach women at the director level to
network more effectively. The program aims to bring to womens attention the
second-generation kinds of discrimination holding them back, and then arm them
with strategies to overcome them. A sponsorship program is not the solution per se,
Richards observes. Mens willingness to sponsor, to take risks on women, is the issue.
Thats what weve got to address first.
In October 2011, the first cohort of 70 directors convened for a day of consciousnessraising, story-telling, and tactics-sharing. A panel of four women leaders kicked
off the event with narratives about their own struggles against a battery of
unconscious assumptions and associations that have impeded their progress. The
morning was devoted to networking and opportunities for the directors to share their
own narratives. In the afternoon, attendees broke into facilitated groups to discuss
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challenges and share solutions. At the end of the day, the womens managers and
male colleagues joined the discussion.
Richards says the feedback was enormously positive. The women valued the
opportunity to meet together in a safe space to learn from each other and forge
powerful alliances; the men gained a window on how their own unconscious
behaviors impacted their female colleagues. That was our mandate and we
accomplished it, she says. The twist we added was to get the men to accept the
institutionalized nature of these issues.
The womens cohort has met quarterly throughout 2012. Richards anticipates
future events incorporating sessions where the women receive 360 performanceevaluation feedback and an assessment of the depth and breadth of their network.
We want to help women determine what a sponsor looks like and how you go after
one, she says. Its not as easy as picking up the phone and asking, Will you be my
sponsor? At the same time, she wants participants to benefit from the networking
opportunities the event foments, especially between the directors and their
more senior female colleagues. We found that comingling officers and directors
was extremely powerful, she says. Im a believer in organized mentoring, but
bringing them together on a frequent but still informal basis allows sponsorship
relationships to develop more organically. Richards also foresees bringing men into
the networking and sponsorship elements of the program.
By acknowledging hidden gender bias and acquiring tools to tackle it, participants
have already made significant steps in their leadership journey, Richards believes.
How you identify yourself, how that identity is reinforced by others, is so critical,
she notes. I see the Womens Cohort helping to keep the process on track.
Morgan Stanley: Embedding Sponsorship into Leadership Initiatives

With the success of LEAD, Morgan Stanleys 2012 development initiative for Black
and Hispanic professionals which wrapped in September with a sponsorship
workshop, the firm is poised to advance sponsorship across all divisions by
embedding CTI master-class contentthe Road Maps for both protgs and
sponsorsin each of its leadership programs.
Sponsorship and mentorship have always been part of Morgan Stanleys culture,
albeit informally. Rather than assign pairings, HR has focused on facilitating crosslevel relationships by arranging speed networking events. A strong apprenticeship
model encourages leaders to take high-potentials under wing for development.
Yet as LEAD helped make clear, sponsorship doesnt always take root where its
most needed. Professionals of color lack the awareness and know-how to initiate
alliances with top leaders, and those leaders may in turn overlook high-potentials
of color due to unconscious bias. Keisha Smith, global head of both recruiting and
diversity and inclusion, believes that the CTI toolkit, coupled with self-assessments
and possibly one-on-one coaching, can address these shortfalls in both would-be
protgs and sponsors. We want to make sure potential protgs understand the
heavy lifting thats required on their part, she says. At the same time, she adds,
leaders should come to understand through this initiative just how critical it is to
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sponsor consciously, making sure every high-potential has the opportunity to contribute to the things that matter most. As a leader youre judged on the quality of
your workforce, Smith points out. With this education piece, we hope to make our
top management much more aware of whom they give access to, because sponsoring the right people is part of what ensures theyll be perceived as great leaders.
Smith is confident that by putting information into peoples hands on both sides of
the partnership, theyll not only come to see sponsorships two-way flow of benefits, but also have the tactics and strategies to cultivate that exchange. Morgan
Stanleys always had the apprentice model, she explains. But this initiative should
make it clear to would-be protgs that theyre in control and dont need to wait
to be tapped, and to would-be sponsors that part of being a great leader is being a
great sponsor.
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Methodology
This report draws on three years of CTI research on sponsorship (2010-2012).
The data derives from surveys, interviews, focus groups, and Insights in Depth
sessions.
Survey data comes from four large-scale, nationally representative samples of
9,983 college graduates (5,454 men and 4,529 women) currently employed in
white-collar occupations and residing in the United States between 2010 and
2012:21 Survey 1, conducted in January-February 2010, includes 2,952 men and
women between ages 21-62; Survey 2, conducted in June-July 2010, includes
1,085 men and women between ages 21-62 working full-time in companies
with at least 5,000 employees; and Survey 3, conducted in April-May 2011,
includes 2,017 men and women between ages 21-62 working full time at the
mid-manager level or above in companies with at least 100 employees; Survey
4, conducted in March-April 2012, includes 3,929 men and women between
ages 21-64 working in companies with at least 1,000 employees. Data is
weighted to be representative of the U.S. population of university graduates on
key demographic characteristics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, and region). The base
used for statistical testing was the effective base.
Knowledge Networks conducted the surveys under the auspices of the Center
for Talent Innovation. While Knowledge Networks was responsible for the data
collection, the Center for Talent Innovation conducted the analysis.
In the charts generated for this report, percentages do not always add up
to 100 because of computer rounding or because the questions asked of
respondents invited multiple responses.
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The Center for Talent Innovations flagship project is the Task Force for Talent
Innovation (formerly the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force), a private-sector consortium
that helps organizations leverage their talent across the divides of gender, generation,
geography and culture. The 70-plus global corporations and organizations that
constitute the Task Forcerepresenting 4 million employees and operating in 190
countries around the worldare united by an understanding that the full utilization of
the talent pool is at the heart of competitive advantage and economic success.
Research Studies
KEEPING TALENTED WOMEN ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
Executive Presence
Center for Talent Innovation, November 2012
Sponsors: American Express, Bloomberg, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young, Gap Inc.,
Goldman Sachs, Interpublic Group, Marie Claire, and Moodys Foundation
Off-Ramps and On-Ramps Japan: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success
Center for Work-Life Policy, November 2011
Sponsors: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Cisco, Goldman Sachs
The Relationship You Need to Get Right
Harvard Business Review, October 2011
Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling
Harvard Business Review Research Report, December 2010
Sponsors: American Express, Deloitte, Intel, Morgan Stanley
Off-Ramps and On-Ramps Revisited
Harvard Business Review, June 2010
Off-Ramps and On-Ramps Revisited
Center for Work-Life Policy, June 2010
Sponsors: Cisco, Ernst & Young, The Moodys Foundation
Letzte Ausfahrt Babypause
Harvard Business Manager (Germany), May 2010
Off-Ramps and On-Ramps Germany
Center for Work-Life Policy, May 2010
Sponsors: Boehringer Ingelheim, Deutsche Bank, Siemens AG
Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success
Harvard Business Press, 2007
Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success
Harvard Business Review, March 2005
The Hidden Brain Drain: Off-Ramps and On-Ramps in Womens Careers
Harvard Business Review Research Report, March 2005
Sponsors: Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers
Forthcoming 2013: What Do Women Want; Power of the Purse
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LEVERAGING MINORITY AND MULTICULTURAL TALENT

Vaulting the Color Bar: How Sponsorship Levers Multicultural Professionals
into Leadership
Center for Talent Innovation, October 2012
Sponsors: American Express, Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Deloitte, Intel,
Morgan Stanley, NBCUniversal
For LGBT Workers, Being Out Brings Advantages
Harvard Business Review, July/August 2011
Asians in America: Unleashing the Potential of the Model Minority
Center for Work-Life Policy, July 2011
Sponsors: Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, Time Warner
The Power of Out: LGBT in the Workplace
Sponsors: American Express, Boehringer Ingelheim USA, Cisco, Credit Suisse,
Deloitte, Google
Sin Fronteras: Celebrating and Capitalizing on the Strengths of Latina Executives
Center for Work-Life Policy, October 2007
Sponsors: Booz Allen Hamilton, Cisco, Credit Suisse, General Electric, Goldman Sachs,
Johnson & Johnson, Time Warner
Global Multicultural Executives and the Talent Pipeline
Center for Work-Life Policy, April 2006 and January 2008
Sponsors: Citigroup, General Electric, PepsiCo, Time Warner, Unilever
Leadership in Your Midst: Tapping the Hidden Strengths of Minority Executives
Harvard Business Review, November 2005
Invisible Lives: Celebrating and Leveraging Diversity in the Executive Suite
Center for Work-Life Policy, November 2005
Sponsors: General Electric, Time Warner, Unilever
Forthcoming 2013: LGBT 2.0; Executive Presence: Multicultural Talent
RETAINING AND SUSTAINING TOP TALENT
Top Talent: Keeping Performance Up When Business Is Down
Harvard Business Press, 2009
Sustaining High Performance in Difficult Times
Center for Work-Life Policy, September 2008
Sponsor: The Moodys Foundation
Seduction and Risk: The Emergence of Extreme Jobs
Center for Work-Life Policy, February 2007
Sponsors: American Express, BP plc, ProLogis, UBS
Extreme Jobs: The Dangerous Allure of the 70-Hour Workweek
Harvard Business Review, December 2006
Forthcoming 2013: Top Talent: Amping Up Resilience and Sustainability
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TAPPING INTO THE STRENGTHS OF GEN Y, GEN X, AND BOOMERS

The X Factor: Tapping into the Strengths of the 33- to 46-Year-Old Generation
Center for Work-Life Policy, September 2011
Sponsors: American Express, Boehringer Ingelheim USA, Cisco, Credit Suisse, Google
How Gen Y & Boomers Will Reshape Your Agenda
Harvard Business Review, July/August 2009
Bookend Generations: Leveraging Talent and Finding Common Ground
Sponsors: Booz Allen Hamilton, Ernst & Young, Lehman Brothers, Time Warner, UBS
BECOMING A TALENT MAGNET IN EMERGING MARKETS
The Battle for Female Talent in Brazil
Center for Work-Life Policy, December 2011
Sponsors: Bloomberg LP, Booz & Company, Intel, Pfizer, Siemens AG
Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets
Harvard Business Press, August 2011
The Battle for Female Talent in China
Center for Work-Life Policy, March 2010
The Battle for Female Talent in India
The Battle for Female Talent in Emerging Markets
Harvard Business Review, May 2010
Forthcoming 2013: On-Ramps and Up-Ramps in India; The Battle for Female Talent
in Mexico
PREVENTING THE EXODUS OF WOMEN IN SET
The Under-Leveraged Talent Pool: Women Technologists on Wall Street
Sponsors: Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Intel, Merrill Lynch,
NYSE Euronext
Stopping the Exodus of Women in Science
Harvard Business Review, June 2008
The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering, and
Technology
Harvard Business Review Research Report, June 2008
Sponsors: Alcoa, Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Pfizer
Forthcoming 2013: Athena Factor 2.0
82
Index of Exhibits
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1: What is a protg? 8
Figure 1.2: What do you look for in a protg? 9
Figure 1.3: What is a sponsor? 10
Figure 1.4: Protgs who are satisfied with rate of advancement (By gender) 11
Figure 1.5: Protgs who are satisfied with rate of advancement (By ethnicity) 12
Figure 1.6: One foot out the door 12
Figure 1.7: Sponsors who are satisfied with rate of advancement 12
Figure 1.8: Full-time employees in large companies who have a sponsor 13
Chapter 2
Figure 2.1: Aspire to a top job 16
Figure 2.2: How did you get your most recent promotion? 16
Figure 2.3: Respondents who have difficulty asking a colleague for help 17
Figure 2.4: Aspire to a top position in their profession 17
Figure 2.5: Feel like an outsider to corporate culture 19
Figure 2.6: A person of color would never get a top position at my company no matter how able or high

performing 19
Figure 2.7: Think protgs of color are less qualified 19

Figure 2.8: Think there are disadvantages to having a sponsor of color 19
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1: Women who consider themselves ambitious 24
Figure 3.2: Full-time, high-earning employees in large companies who 26
Figure 3.3: The Mismatch 27
Figure 3.4: Protgs who have only one sponsor 29
Figure 3.5: What qualities or attributes do you look for in a protg? 31
Figure 3.6: Protgs who deliver loyalty, performance, and a personal brand 33
Figure 3.7: Protgs who deliver a personal brand 35
Figure 3.8: Believe that EP is 26% of what it takes to get the next promotion 37
Figure 3.9: I find it difficult to conform to the executive presence standards of my company culture 37
Figure 3.10: Respondents who are hesitant to have contact with a colleague of the opposite sex 40
Figure 3.11: Sponsors look for protgs who demonstrate a can-do attitude 42
Figure 3.12: Protgs who jump on opportunities 43
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1: Sponsors who have a protg because it benefits them 48
Figure 4.2: How have you chosen people to sponsor? 49
Figure 4.3: Global talent pool, 2007 50
Figure 4.4: Sponsors who have at least one protg 51
Figure 4.5: What do you do for the people you sponsor? 52
Figure 4.6: Sponsors who advocate for promotion 54
Figure 4.7: Sponsors who provide air cover 57
Figure 4.8: Uncomfortable sharing aspects of personal life 59
Figure 4.9: Respondents who believe when a workplace romance breaks up 61
Figure 4.10: Employees who dont know whether their company has a policy 61
Figure 4.11: Protgs who have received feedback on EP 63
83
Endnotes
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
84
Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Kerrie Peraino, Laura Sherbin, and Karen Sumberg,
The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling (Center for Talent
Innovation, 2010), 10.
Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Maggie Jackson, Ellis Cose, Courtney Emerson, Vaulting
the Color Bar: How Sponsorship Levers Multicultural Professionals into Leadership
(Center for Talent Innovation, 2012), 17.
Ibid., 41.
Hewlett et al., The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling, 8.
Ibid., 17.
Ibid., 20.
Some names and affiliations have been changed. When only first names
are used, they are pseudonyms.
Hewlett et al., Vaulting the Color Bar: How Sponsorship Levers Multicultural
Professionals into Leadership, 29.
Ibid., 29.
Ibid., 36.
Ibid., 37.
Ibid., 45.
Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Lauren Leader-Chivee, Karen Sumberg, with Catherine
Fredman and Claire Ho, Sponsor Effect UK (Center for Talent Innovation,
2010), 44.
Sarah Bernard, The Perfect Prescription: How the pill bottle was remade
sensibly and beautifully (New York Magazine, May 21 2005). Accessed
October 22 2012
Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Ripa Rashid, Lauren Leader-Chivee, and Catherine
Fredman, The Battle for Female Talent in India (Center for Talent Innovation,
2010), 46.
Thomas Barta, Markus Kleiner, and Tilo Neumann. Is there a pay-off from
top-team diversity? (McKinsey Quarterly, April 2012), 13-15.
Sylvia Ann Hewlett et al., Innovation, Diversity and the Marketplace (Center for
Talent Innovation, forthcoming 2013).
Ibid., 39.
Occupations included: management; business and financial operations;
computer and mathematical; architecture and engineering; life, physical,
and social sciences; community and social services; lawyer; judge; teacher,
except college and university; teacher, college and university (not in survey
4); other professional; medical doctor (such as physician, surgeon, dentist,
veterinarian); other healthcare practitioner (such as nurse, pharmacist,
chiropractor, dietician), not in Survey 3; health technologist or technician
(such as paramedic, lab technician) not in Survey 3; health care support
(such as nursing aide, orderly, dental assistant); sales representative;
retail sales (not in Survey 3); other sales (not in Survey 3); office and
administrative support (not in Survey 3).
winer idea group/winerdesign
illustration: Paul Wearing
2012 Center for Talent Innovation. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or transmission of any part of this publication in any form
or by any means, mechanical or electronic, is prohibited. The analyses and opinions represented in this report are solely those of the authors.
CTIs flagship project is the Task Force

for Talent Innovation (formerly the
Hidden Brain Drain Task Force)a
private-sector task force focused
on helping organizations leverage
their talent across the divides of
gender, generation, geography and
culture. The 75 global corporations
and organizations that constitute
the Task Forcerepresenting 4
million employees and operating in
190 countries around the worldare
united by an understanding that
the full utilization of the talent
pool is at the heart of competitive
advantage and economic success.
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Sponsor Effect 2.

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin

Research Sponsors: American Express, AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton,

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Task Force for Talent Innovation

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Sponsor Effect 2.0:

Center for Talent Innovation

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Task Force for Talent Innovation

Aimee George Leary

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About the Authors

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About the Authors i

Chapter 1: The Two-Way Street 7

Part Two: Road Maps 21

Chapter 3: Road Map for Protgs 23

Chapter 4: Road Map for Sponsors 47

Part Three: Initiatives 67

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Come through on two obvious fronts. Outstanding performance and

Exude executive presence. Polish your presentation of self as well as your

Lead with a yes. Even whenespecially whenyoure inclined to say no to

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The Road Map for Sponsors:

Embrace the talent imperatives of 2012. Professionals whose background,

Differentiate between protgs and mentees. Mentees demand your time;

Build trust. Establish personal and social connection. Make yourself

Make the relationship safe. Help make sponsorship a leadership capability in

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Why This Guide

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The Two-Way Street

few months into her doctoral research at Northwestern University,

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To position themselves for leadership, protgs must therefore contribute

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What the Sponsor Does

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This finding led us to measure the sponsor effect

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wo hisp with hisp

wo hisp with hisp

Who Has Sponsorship?

As our first report established, a mere

an A team to turn to whenever a crisis

But multicultural employees, our subsequent surveys reveal, suffer an

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These issues can and must be addressed, by individuals as well as human

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hat you deserve in a career isnt necessarily what you get,

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Indeed, women insist their advancement be a function

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say something that might suggest theres some kind of deal or