Inspired after reading “Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor” by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Andy brings this discussion to the table talking about the importance of the 3 kinds of influencers in our lives: Advisors, Mentors and Sponsors.
In our journey through life up until this point we ALL have received help. The people who have helped us have been KEY to our success and have helped shape our thoughts, goals, and behaviors. In previous discussions we have discussed the role mentorship plays in each of out lives, but for this conversation we expand that to the idea that the “influencers” in our lives can be broken up into 3 kinds of people:
Advisors: a person who gives advice in a particular field. These are the “checklist” people, the ones who keep the lists for certain accomplishments and are there to make sure every box is checked off. Think of you high school or college counselor, or your medical school advisor. They play an important role in our progression because they exist to make sure we have met the requirements of life. They use language like “its required you do this” or “in my research people who have done hat you want to do, do this…”
Mentors: an experienced and trust advisor. These are the people we’ve spoken about extensively. These people are those who have had success you are trying to mirror. People who are where you want to be, that physician in Medical School who inspired you to go into your specialty. Or personally your parents who have had a successful relationship/marriage for X amount of years. Mentors say things like “When I was going through that I did this….” or “Based of my personal experience I would recommend…”
Sponsors: a person sho introduces and supports a proposal. These are the people Andy learned about reading the book, these are the people you need to seek out in your life. They are Mentors who have taken your relationship with you to another level. These are the people who “look out for you”, finding your opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise know about. They use phrases like “Someone asked me if I knew anyone for the position, and I recommended you”, or “I thought you would be perfect for X, and I told them to contact you about it”. You will for sure go far with advisors and mentors, but you surpass your expectations if you can find sponsors.
So, listen as the crew outlines the characteristics of each of these people, and how we can play this role in the lives of others now, and in the future.
Episode 78: Sponsorship
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The definitions used above for Advisor, Mentor and Sponsor are from websters dictionary.