Do you want a Sponsor or a Mentor?

✦ Why female professionals need both?
In conversations about diversity at the top, you often hear the word “mentor.”

You hear less about sponsors.
✦ This is precisely where things often go wrong for female talent.

What does a MENTOR do?

• A mentor primarily helps you on the inside.
• Listens to your questions and dilemmas
• Shares personal experiences and lessons learned
• Helps you make better decisions
• Provides feedback on your plans and behavior
• A mentor is a sounding board. Important, but not enough.

Many senior women invest in mentors, but less often ask for sponsors.

What does a SPONSOR do?
➞ A sponsor uses their reputation to support your growth. ➞ Mentions your name in promotions and appointment rounds
➞ Opens doors to strategic projects and C-suite visibility
➞ Actively connects you with influential people
➞ Involves you in spaces you haven’t yet occupied
➞ Defends your potential when others have doubts

👍 A sponsor doesn’t just talk to you, but “About You” in the places where decisions are made.

Female professionals often have too few sponsors in the Board.

• Top-level networks are often historically male-dominated
• Women are more often seen as strong executives, less as strategic successors
• Board members feel more secure with someone who resembles them

⭐ Mentors build trust.
⭐ Sponsors build careers.

How you, as a board member, can coach instead of train
Focus less on knowledge, more on position.

Choose one woman in your organization with clear potential. ✅
Discuss openly whether you are willing to be her sponsor.
Agree on three concrete actions:

1. A project
2. A meeting
3. An introduction

See Module 4 of the Beacon Method for more Gender Diversity in the Boardroom.

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