In 2011, Harvard Business Review published a special report from researchers Hewlett, Marshall, and Sherbin titled “The Sponsor Effect.”  This report revealed the multitude of areas a sponsor can impact on an employee’s career such as getting raises and promotions as well as higher work satisfaction.  However, they found that as little as 19% of men and 13% of women actually had a sponsor.  So how do we create a strong mentoring program in our organization?

Let’s begin by looking at the roles in mentoring relationship.  A sponsor is willing to put their reputation on the line for a protégé and to take responsibility for their promotion.  (more…)

In our last blog series we examined the human capital trends of the past year.  One of the most dramatic trends shaping the workforce is the collaborative approach. This is a great shift in organizational structure from our traditional corporate ladder to a lattice structure, fueled by both the changing demographics of our human capital as well as technology and the psychology of employee motivation.   This month we will focus on how to build a collaborative workforce beginning with your inner circle of influence and extending to your entire organization.

While an at-large approach to a collaborative workforce seems appropriate, the magnitude of that undertaking can easily overwhelm.  Instead, we begin by looking at your smallest, but greatly significant inner circle of influence.  Mentoring relationships provide both the mentor and protégé an opportunity to collaborate and communicate effectively. (more…)