mentor

how you can steer her to opportunities.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

once you have identified a woman to sponsor and determined that you click, you may be wondering how to get started.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: can you afford to be a sponsor? | fears of innuendo, gossip impede development | women must see politics as leadership | why some women resist using networks | 5 ways women get shoved aside | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | why cpa firms need more women

here are some concrete steps to take:
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an effective sponsorship requires work from both parties.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

when you sponsor a woman, there are many steps that you can take to ensure that the relationship is productive and achieves its objectives.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: can you afford to be a sponsor? | how protégées can help sponsors | beware misunderstandings about work relationships | fears of innuendo, gossip impede development | women must see politics as leadership | why some women resist using networks | bias persists against women with children | standards for women still differ | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion

here are some tips for getting off to a strong start and following through effectively, especially by focusing on career opportunities and promoting your protégée to others.
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the cost is in political capital.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

most sponsorship occurs informally, without any structured or programmatic context. informal sponsor-protégée relationships usually start in one of three ways.

the most common way is when a senior manager or partner

• identifies someone as a star performer,
• believes that she has what it takes to succeed and
• wants to make that success happen.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: how protégées can help sponsors | beware misunderstandings about work relationships | women must see politics as leadership | bias persists against women with children | 5 ways women get shoved aside | why men don’t see women as leaders | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | 18 ways to boost your protégée | why cpa firms need more women | protect your protégée from flextime saboteurs | use others to promote your protégée | 8 ways sponsors can highlight opportunities

the sponsor recognizes her talent and potential while they work together or when he observes her at work and is impressed by her ability. as the two work together their relationship grows.
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4 requirements when starting from scratch.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

most leaders engage in sponsorship and have been sponsored themselves, so the nature of a sponsor-protégée relationship should be familiar.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: beware misunderstandings about work relationships | women must see politics as leadership | bias persists against women with children | 5 ways women get shoved aside | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | why cpa firms need more women

generally speaking, you sponsor women just as you do men. you may have to make a little more effort up front. and you might need to adapt to the impact of motherhood and other sex-related differences. but the strategies and tactics that sponsors use to help women move ahead are not much different than those for men.
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3 ways to derail sponsorships.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

we know that even when a relationship between a woman and a man is strictly business-focused, others may not see it that way. here are three thorny issues to watch for and quell.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: fears of innuendo, gossip impede development | women must see politics as leadership | why some women resist using networks | bias persists against women with children | standards for women still differ

1. gossip and rumors

relationships in the workplace are frequently the subject of rumors, and close relationships between senior men and junior women are tasty fodder for the gossip mill. because sponsorship between a man and woman is not as common as sponsorship between two men, it is more noticeable and subjects the man and woman to greater scrutiny.
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keep close relationships from getting too close.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

a close work relationship between a man and a woman can generate sexual tensions in one or both of them.

when the man is older and powerful and the woman is young and ambitious, the potential for complications is even greater.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: women must see politics as leadership | why some women resist using networks | 5 ways women get shoved aside | 18 ways to boost your protégée | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | why cpa firms need more women | beyond mentoring to sponsorship

even when the relationship is strictly business focused, it can be the subject of rumors, gossip and speculation among coworkers, and it can arouse feelings of jealousy and resentment in the sponsor’s wife.

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bonus checklist: 4 reasons women decline opportunities.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

many women are uncomfortable calling attention to their achievements and ambitions, dislike politics, have difficulty asking others for a career boost or underestimate the importance of powerful backers. this makes it harder for potential sponsors to recognize how worthy these women are of their support.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: why some women resist using networks | 5 ways women get shoved aside | why men don’t see women as leaders | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | protect your protégée from flextime saboteurs | 8 ways sponsors can highlight opportunities

some women hurt their own chances for sponsorship by failing to let sponsors know what they want and why they merit it. sponsors are drawn to star performers who display confidence and a drive to succeed. where a man might insist he is the right person for a job and ask to be promoted, a woman who is equally or even better qualified may downplay her qualifications for the job. instead of aggressively pursuing promotions and opportunities, she waits to be asked, and then, when asked, may turn the offer down. why?

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bonus checklist: 4 ways sponsors can help women seek power.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

women tend to have a limited appreciation of how their networks can help them get ahead professionally. developing strong business networks is critical for career advancement. because a leader operates through others, her value and effectiveness are largely tied to the power of her network.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: bias persists against women with children | standards for women still differ | 5 ways women get shoved aside | why men don’t see women as leaders | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | 18 ways to boost your protégée | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | why cpa firms need more women | beyond mentoring to sponsorship | protect your protégée from flextime saboteurs | how to keep sex from derailing a sponsorship | ‘soft skills’ advice needed, too | use others to promote your protégée | 8 ways sponsors can highlight opportunities | 17 ways sponsors can help protégées | 3 ways to open a sponsorship conversation | what sponsors need from protégées | 3 ways to derail sponsorships

yet women are reluctant to cultivate potential sponsors through their networks, while men willingly use patronage and networks to open doors and provide opportunities that cannot be accessed through normal channels. men attribute their promotions to personal connections as a matter of pride, not embarrassment, because it means that influential people see them as leaders and reward them accordingly. as a result, men benefit from the political processes that go on all around them while women lose out.

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women with families still face perception that kids always come first, at cost of work.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

one pattern of gender bias is exhibiting “maternal wall” bias, which leads people to believe that women with children are unable to meet the demands of leadership.

people assume that women with children are less committed to their work.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: standards for women still differ | 5 ways women get shoved aside | why men don’t see women as leaders | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | 18 ways to boost your protégée | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | why cpa firms need more women | beyond mentoring to sponsorship | 

this bias arises from the stereotypes that create conflicting expectations for mothers and career women: good mothers should always be available to their children, while good business people should always be available to their clients.

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men are judged on potential; for women, it’s strictly performance.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

common patterns of gender bias include holding women to higher standards than men and expressing contradictory expectations (“double binds”) for women.

different standards: people expect more of women than of men and they hold women to higher standards. this sets the bar higher for women who aspire to leadership and makes it more difficult for them to prove their value to the organization, even though research shows that women outperform men in 17 of 67 critical leadership skills, while men outperform women in only four.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: 5 ways women get shoved aside | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | beyond mentoring to sponsorship | protect your protégée from flextime saboteurs | ‘soft skills’ advice needed, too | use others to promote your protégée | 17 ways sponsors can help protégées | what sponsors need from protégées | 3 ways to derail sponsorships | 4 reasons women hold themselves back | 4 ways sponsors can help women seek power | bias about women with families lingers

people also judge women and men differently: women on their performance and men on their potential.

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it’s 2015 and gender bias is still a problem. but you can fix it at your firm.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

gender bias reflects entrenched beliefs and assumptions about women based on stereotypes about appropriate roles and behaviors for women.

unconscious thoughts about the kinds of work women are and are not suited for, especially if they are mothers, remove highly qualified women from consideration for leadership opportunities and positions.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: why men don’t see women as leaders | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | 18 ways to boost your protégée | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | why cpa firms need more women | beyond mentoring to sponsorship | protect your protégée from flextime saboteurs | how to keep sex from derailing a sponsorship | ‘soft skills’ advice needed, too | use others to promote your protégée | 8 ways sponsors can highlight opportunities | 17 ways sponsors can help protégées | 3 ways to open a sponsorship conversation

in the past, working women suffered overt discrimination and explicit bias. they were told outright they were not “fit” for certain jobs, were too emotional and unreliable to be given responsible roles, and were taking the place of men who needed to support families. sometimes the bias was ostensibly intended to “protect” women and occasionally it was hostile. but it was out in the open and women understood the barriers they faced.
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