Mentorship and Sponsorship 101

An introduction to mentorship and sponsorship, and PLAYMAKERS’ approach to building a robust, connected mentorship community.

What is mentorship?

Merriam-Webster Online defines mentorship as “the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor”. [1] Helpful…but incomplete. Clicking down further, we asked how to define “mentor” and the online dictionary returned: [2]

Mentor (noun): a person who gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person especially in a professional or academic context

Mentor (verb): to teach or give advice or guidance to (someone less experienced): to act as a mentor for

At the end of the day, a mentor is a person you look to when you have a question or need guidance on a situation related to your professional life. Examples of ways you might engage a mentor include:

Preparing to ask for a raise, promotion, or work accommodation – a mentor can provide guidance on a professional ask or change, role-play the best approach, and/or game plan next steps once you’ve made the ask.
Dealing with a colleague or boss who might not align with your working style – we’ve all had situations where the way we work, communicate, or simply show up day-to-day doesn’t align with a boss or colleague. A mentor can help you strategize how to address the topic or issue.
Strategically plan your next steps – whether you received a new job offer, are being given an opportunity to step up in your current company, or just think you want to make a change, a mentor can ask good questions, provide thoughtful guidance, and help you figure out what is next for you.

There’s no limit or specific profile to what a mentor looks like either. Seeking out mentors in your field or company can be a great place to start, but having mentors from different fields, functions, and backgrounds is both helpful and important! Having a well-rounded set of advisors can come in handy as you never know where life will lead!

Mentor vs sponsor?

Oftentimes, we think stopping at just having mentors is enough, but it’s not! Mentors are incredibly important for providing guidance, advice, and thoughtful consideration of our professional situations. Sponsors, on the other hand, directly help advance your career by advocating for you and promoting you to other people in positions of influence. The ABA Banking Journal defines the difference between a mentor and a sponsor with the following: “Mentors talk to you. Sponsors talk about you to powerful people when you aren’t in the room.” [3] Having both in your network, and being clear about who serves what purpose, is incredibly important!

How do you go about finding mentors and sponsors?

The best mentor and sponsor relationships happen organically – most often, there’s never a direct acknowledgement or formal naming of the relationship. Instead, as you meet, get to know, and work with others, you’ll find yourself mutually clicking with certain people and being able to ask them advice. This means you’ve found a mentor! On the sponsorship side, it’s very similar, but often based on high performance being recognized. As those more senior to you experience the quality and competence of your work, they will be more willing to advocate for you to others. So, if we could boil it down, prioritize being intentional about building authentic relationships and doing good work.

Mentors and sponsors don’t have to only come from the place you work – you can find them anywhere! Which is why PLAYMAKERS NASHVILLE has built a mentorship community with this in mind. We strongly believe that mentorship is at its best when it is authentic, unique, and based on meaningful connections. That’s why our mentorship approach does not include matching and no forced conversations. Instead, we focus on providing you the tools and organic opportunities to find and develop a mentor/mentee relationship! Interested in learning more? Already opted in to Mentorship? Please join us at our Mentorship Kickoff to learn more about the program, expectations, and next steps. Didn’t opt in, but interested in giving mentorship a try? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to us at info@playmakersnashville.org, and we’ll help you get connected.