I recently came across a superb article by Jenny Fernandez and Luis Velasquez that was published online by the Harvard Business Review ("5 Relationships You Need to Build a Successful Career"). I will summarize the article here and offer a few additional insights from my own experience. The article starts with the old African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." To a similar extent, it takes the proverbial village of relationships to build a successful career. Fernandez and Velasquez recommend having five different kinds of relationships in your own personal village (if you don't like the village metaphor, think of these relationships as your own personal Board of Directors for "Me, Inc."):
1. The Mentor:
In Homer's Odyssey, the character "Mentor" was an old friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left to go fight in the Trojan War, he placed Mentor in charge of looking after his son, Telemachus. Both the word and definition of "mentor" come directly from the relationship between Mentor and Telemachus (note that this relationship wasn't really discussed in Homer's Odyssey, but this important backstory is discussed in greater detail in a novel by the French author, François Fénelon that was popular in the 18th century called Les Aventures de Télémaque). Later on in the Odyssey, the Greek goddess Athena assumes Mentor's appearance to guide Telemachus during a time of personal hardship. The term "mentorship" similarly refers to the guidance or direction provided by someone with more experience or knowledge (i.e., the mentor).
I have been fortunate to have a number of different mentors throughout my career. As I look back on my professional career so far, there have been individuals all along the way who I've grown to trust, admire, and respect and who have helped me grow and develop when I have failed. They have always been there to share in my successes too. As Fernandez and Velasquez state in their article, "Think of a mentor as the north star that will keep you on track when're you're feeling lost at work." I have continued to rely upon their wisdom, experience, and counsel whenever I've had an important decision to make in my professional life.
2. The Sponsor:
Fernandez and Velasquez state it this way, "While mentors give you advice and perspective, sponsors advocate on your behalf, and in some cases, directly present you with career advancement opportunities." They further reference Morgan Stanley's Managing Director Carla Harris' TED Talk, who says, "A mentor, frankly, is a nice-to-have, but you can survive a long time in your career without one. You are not going to ascend in any organization without a sponsor."
The research supports the importance of having a sponsor. A junior manager with a sponsor is 21% more likely to be promoted compared to a colleague in the same position who doesn't have one. The author, Sylvia Ann Hewlitt writes in her most recent book, The Sponsor Effect that there are three things that sponsors do for their proteges. First, sponsors "endorse noisily" - they bring their proteges to meetings and help them make the kind of connections to build their network. Second, sponsors "advocate behind closed doors." If there are new positions or projects that are coming up, sponsors can help make sure that their proteges are considered for them. Third, sponsors "provide air cover" when things go wrong, as they inevitably do. Sponsors can help with both damage control and recovery efforts.
Again, I have been fortunate to have individuals who have suggested me to lead different projects or initiatives, or even encourage others to consider me for promotional opportunities. In the majority of cases, I would not consider these individuals to be mentors, but yet their advocacy on my behalf has been just as instrumental to my success. They've invested just as much time in me, though in ways different from my mentors.
3. The Partner:
While an individual's mentor and sponsor are the seasoned veterans, it's also important to have someone to collaborate with that is at a similar stage in their career. Finding a peer who you can trust, bounce ideas off of, collaborate with on different projects, and help connect you with individuals outside your normal sphere is just as important as finding a mentor and sponsor. Fernandez and Velasquez tell how the women in President Obama's administration used an "amplification strategy" where if one woman on the team made a key point during a meeting, the others would repeat the point and give credit again to the idea's author.
Try to find a partner who not only complements your skills, he or she may also fills in the gaps where you are weak. Together, both of you can be a powerful force for innovation and succcess. Here again, I have been fortunate to have a number of collaborators and colleagues have assisted me throughout my career.
4. The Competitor:
Larry Bird played against Magic Johnson throughout his career, starting with the 1979 NCAA College Basketball Championship (Indiana State versus Michigan State) and throughout their NBA careers. Magic said, "People wanted to see us play against each other...If you like competition you want to play against the best, and that's what we wanted to do." They made each other better.
A little competition is not only healthy, it can lead to a win-win situation. Both Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were better basketball players because of their competition with each other. Embrace your competitors - learn from what they do. You may even want to reach out to them and learn from them.
5. The Mentee:
As the old saying goes, "See one. Do one. Teach one." Cal Tech Professor Richard Feynman, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 said, "If you want to master something, teach it." Serving as a mentor can be incredibly helpful for your own career.
Fernandez and Velasquez write, "As a mentor, you are a leader and role model. You learn to bring out the best in others, recognize their strengths, give feedback, and coach." You will strive to be better because of your relationship with your mentee. How about this statistic, again from Sylvia Ann Hewlitt (this time writing in the Harvard Business Review), leaders with mentees are 53% more likely to be promoted to the next level compared to leaders without mentees. The mentor-mentee relationship is absolutely reciprocal. Having mentees has not only been valuable for my own professional development, but also it has been incredibly rewarding!
The five individuals listed above are a great place to start developing your “support team.” Think about how you build your own personal Board of Directors. It is absolutely time well spent.
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