Obstacles to Women’s Sponsorship—and How to Overcome Them

By Robin Madell (San Francisco)

“Everyone has blind spots. Our perspective is defined by our own culture and experiences so we frequently make assumptions about other people. From these assumptions we draw conclusions, which directly influence our behavior.”

-Maria Castañón Moats, Chief Diversity Officer, PwC

Most experts on women’s leadership agree that sponsorship makes good business sense—both for women and for corporations. But if it were easy to develop and maintain a relationship with a sponsor, everyone would have one.

The quote above from PwC’s Maria Castañón Moats reflects her insight about a key barrier to women’s sponsorship. Because of our own “blind spots,” we often trust what is most familiar, when a more diverse approach to relationship-building might serve us better. “We are drawn to people who are like us because it feels comfortable,” says Moats. “We have qualities in common—it could be we went to the same school, live in the same neighborhood, have a similar style—and that leads us to trust one another quickly.”

While it takes more work to find common ground with those who are different from us, those diverse relationships are valuable because they offer us a new perspective, Moats explains. From this diversity, successful sponsorship opportunities can flourish. Yet we might fail to seek such relationships on our own when it comes to potential sponsors. “Since those pairings don’t always happen naturally, sometimes the firm has to intervene and match people together,” says Moats.

Janine Moon, author of Career Ownership: Creating ‘Job Security’ in Any Economy, agrees that when it comes to seeking sponsorship opportunities, women do themselves a disservice by relying on a preference for the familiar. “Women are often most comfortable (as people often are) approaching and connecting with those who look like them,” says Moon. “In organizations, and depending upon the industry, there will be fewer women who fit that bill and so perceptions get in the way…it’s self-sabotage.”

Leaving the Comfort Zone

To get beyond this hurdle of our own blind spots, women need to learn how to be more intentional about identifying and securing sponsorship and clearly communicate their goals, suggests Stephanie Rogen, leadership development advisor to the White House Project. This requires moving out of comfort zones and into more political and assertive behaviors.

• Get informal. Women need to recognize that sponsorship is a relationship for which they must take responsibility, according to Rogen. “Men often engage sponsors in informal ways—on the golf course, in the locker room, or in other networks—and they are more comfortable vocalizing their ambitions,” says Rogen. “Men tend to be comfortable with the political nature of securing sponsorship. Men understand that hard work is not always enough to be recognized and advanced.”
• Join the club. Jennifer K. Crittenden, a CFO with 25 years of industry experience and author of The Discreet Guide for Executive Women: How to Work Well with Men (and Other Difficulties), agrees that women need to get more comfortable with informal networking—and to penetrate men’s networks. “Women in junior positions, that is, those who are just the ones in need of sponsorships, don’t understand that these opportunities arise organically and informally (usually) through the male networks, and that the women need to be part of that network to learn about sponsorships and to be a candidate for them,” says Crittenden. “Women must learn to build collaborative relationships with men to be successful in most industries.”
• Pay it forward. Moon emphasizes the importance of looking at work relationships differently to smooth the way to sponsorship opportunities. “My experience has shown me that women are less likely to embrace a ‘pay it forward’ or ‘give to get’ mindset and often don’t look at relationships as multi-faceted (valuable at work and outside of work) and/or long-term (carrying on for life),” explains Moon. “Both of these thinking patterns get in the way.”
• Play ball. To overcome these obstacles, Crittenden recommends finding ways to become integrated into the male network. “Build relationships, call men on the phone, drop by, be friendly—in my experience, men will take you in, but you have to play ball, so to speak. You have to engage in information exchange, trading favors, and helping each other out.”

Being intentional about identifying sponsors forces women to examine the organizational landscape and target potential advocates who have knowledge of opportunities, and who exert both power and influence. “Securing sponsorship requires that you be assertive (not aggressive) and clear with your intentions,” says Rogen. “Take the lead with your sponsor,” advises Rogen. “Clearly communicate what you need and want and follow up with her. Make sure you reciprocate and reward her efforts to position you for advancement by being professional—make your sponsor look good!”

Overcoming the Fear Factor

Technology company Freudenberg NOK has supported an active mentoring program with a strong element of sponsorship since 2006. The program was established by the company’s vice president of human resources, Sarah O’Hare, who shares that one of the most damaging obstacles to sponsorships she has seen throughout the course of the program is one that is both invisible and self-inflicted. That obstacle is that many women lack confidence in their professional capabilities, undervalue their contributions, and fail to engage in self-promotion.

• Campaign for yourself. “Many employees, but particularly many women, feel that their contributions should be inherently recognized by their managers and leaders,” says O’Hare. “They don’t realize the importance of valuing their own contributions enough to call attention to them in a positive, helpful manner.” Reasons that women may shy away from self-promotion include concern about appearing boastful or arrogant in the eyes of their peers and bosses, and fear of damage to their network. “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, in general, women tend to be less aggressive and more socially inclusive in their networks,” says O’Hare. “If a woman believes that self promotion could damage her network—even if this perception is flawed—she may not risk alienating this group by pushing herself and her career forward by openly campaigning for herself and her career.”
• Think bigger. While women may be generally willing to ask for help with small things, when it comes to asking a senior male colleague to take larger action on her behalf, Crittenden observes that many hesitate. “The obstacle of fear is much harder to overcome, and many women I encounter seem to have been socialized to think they are just not as deserving as men are,” Crittenden says. In her book, she uses the image of a lioness to communicate courage, power, and a big heart, someone who is undeterred by petty blows. “I don’t know if this is useful to everyone, but I do think we need some shorthand ways to encourage women to be braver, take more risks, and ask for more consideration,” says Crittenden.
• Look up. Bobbie LaPorte, whose background includes more than 20 years as a senior executive in Fortune 50 companies, agrees that the fear factor based on lack of confidence for women is real. She pinpoints failure to network at the higher levels of the organization as part of the problem. “Women in general have more difficulty securing sponsors because they tend to feel more comfortable approaching and working with people at their own levels and below (their nurturing nature), not above them,” says LaPorte. “They feel less comfortable—and as a result are less visible—with senior executives who can be potential sponsors.”
• Know your value. To secure a sponsor, LaPorte emphasizes that women must be very clear about what they have to offer the organization, yet many women tend to be less sure about this than men. “This isn’t a development exercise; this is about the value they can provide to the organization, and many women lack the self-awareness and self-confidence to articulate this,” says LaPorte. “Take calculated risks in your career: no one will notice you or see your potential if they don’t know who you are or see your ambition.”

Companies need to share equal responsibility with sponsorship candidates to overcome these types of obstacles, O’Hare maintains. “If we believe that this kind of challenge exists in the workplace, then we need to encourage women to have open, candid conversations about how to overcome them,” says O’Hare. “We need to communicate to women that it is okay to self-promote, that it is okay to value their work and actively communicate about their contributions with their leadership team.”