Our team recently attended the AHLA ForWard Conference, an annual event (although put on hold during the height of COVD) for women in the hospitality industry, and this year, much of the conference focused on mentorship. 

Although there were many examples of real mentor/mentee relationships at the conferences, in a previous survey Hcareers conducted, 60% of our audience answered that they did not have a mentor in their lives, so there is still a lot of opportunity for improvement. 

Most people have heard of a mentorship or mentor/mentee relationship before, but there is another kind of important relationship to have for you career that is less spoken about, a sponsorship. And we don’t mean the kind where Nike sends you their gear to promote. 

Mentorship vs. Sponsorship 

A mentorship is a relationship where someone shares their knowledge from work related experiences and provides guidance. You can also make your mentorship relationship whatever is best for both of you. Perhaps it’s someone you also talk to about personal life. You can make the relationships into whatever works best for you both.

Typically, a mentor is someone who is older than you, likely in a more senior position than you, but it doesn’t have to be someone in a management or leadership role. If you are a general manager, maybe you’ll look for another general manager who works for a different company, or has been a general manager longer than you have.

We’ve previously suggested three type of mentors to look for, which you can read about here. 

Sponsorship is typically the evolution of your mentor/mentee relationship. Think of it as phase two of your mentorship. A sponsor needs to be in the same company as you because they will be help to get you more visibility in the organization. 

A sponsor is someone who is invested in your growth and advancement, so they can put your name in the running for a raise or promotion, or advocate for your work if you are not in the room. They will be putting their reputation “on the line” for you, which is why you will want to have a mentor/mentee relationship first to build trust with each other. 

How can you find a mentor? 

If your plan is for your mentor to eventually turn into a sponsor, then look for someone within your organization. Although your boss may be the first person you think of, and they can certainly still mentor you, you should look for someone in addition to your boss. The added bonus is you will have two people helping get you a promotion, raise or praise when the time comes.

Start by asking yourself these questions; is there a department you would like to learn more about and eventually make a switch to? Is there someone in your organization whose career path is similar to what you’d like yours to be? Do you have someone you already look up to? 

If you can think of anyone, reach out to them and ask if you can get on their calendar. Grab a coffee, or eat lunch together and start building the relationship. As a reminder, try to also bring something to the table and not expect them to immediately put in a good word for you. 

Your mentor doesn’t have to be in your organization. Maybe there is someone outside your organization or even industry that you’ve admired. That relationship can still be extremely beneficial for you both, but them vouching for you professionally would mean changing organizations, which can also be a great thing! 

Start by sending them a LinkedIn message to see if they have time for a zoom meeting, or grabbing coffee. Or, if you have a mutual connection ask them to make an introduction. 

How to turn the mentorship into sponsorship

You should be having open conversations with your mentor about where you’d like to see your career go and how to get there, so when the time comes that a position you’re interested in opens up they shouldn’t be surprised if you ask them to put in a good word for you.

Start by letting them know that the position is open and ask their opinion on what skills you have or may need to develop to be a great fit. From there, ask them if they are comfortable with opening the door for you, and what the plan of action will be for both of you moving forward.

Are you interested in being a mentor? Read our tips on how to be a great one here!