ADVANCING WOMEN INTO LEADERSHIP ROLES

Building the next generation of businesses

Women’s advancement has been proven time and time again. According to recent research, it was found
that organizations focus on advancing women and minorities. Statistical studies show that women
deliver quantifiable and positive results in leadership positions. Women currently make up for 34% of
Senior management comprise only 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs women bring a different perspective to the
work world. Most organizations, professions and communities have been historically dominated by men
although it’s changing. Women often face an uphill task when they seek to advance professionally, it’s
simply not enough for a woman to put her self-doubt aside, but indeed should grab hold of ambition and
aim for the top. Corporations must have a commitment at the top that enables them to not only find, but
retain and promote female talent. They must provide the career development opportunities (leadership
training, executive coaching, and sponsorship) that ensure that women are ready for those high-level
positions that will make a difference to the bottom line.

A WOMAN NEEDS SOMEONE TO LEAN IN WITH HER.

WHAT DO WOMEN MANAGERS NEED?
Women need sponsors, or “friends at court,
A sponsor is courageous who puts his or her reputation on the line to advocate and often advance
women for leadership positions, often in the face of significant resistance. Sponsors help in finding
projects or job openings and take an active role in career development The key to getting women on
boards is to move beyond traditional mentoring programs and provide women with high-level, cross-
company, cross-gender sponsorship. Mentors can undoubtedly be helpful by lending advice and
guidance to mentees, but sponsors are critically important. Many men who climb the corporate ladder
have sponsors, too. Indeed, they find it easier than women to persuade a senior colleague to sponsor
them. But women need help more because they are generally more reluctant to promote themselves.
These sponsors would not only promote high potential women managers but actually do the talking on
their behalf. Sponsors’ can boost women executives, a sponsor is a senior leader who endorses an
individual based on merit, Potential and advocates his or her advancement. Sponsors thus help create the
individual's talent and enhance leadership readiness. . They assist in gaining visibility in the company
and industry.

sponsorship vs mentorship

Having a sponsor is truly the key to get more women into leadership roles. A sponsor is someone who
will advocate and put their own reputation on the line. In other words, a sponsor is someone who
believes in you, otherwise they wouldn't risk their own reputation. But in case of a mentor, they give
advice and show the ropes, but won't go to bat for you, they will not be directly linked to the
organization. But sponsors they are usually within the organization and they can have a direct influence
on the direction of the career.

Why does sponsorship matter?

Sponsorship is a long-term commitment in encouraging, fighting for and creating advancement

opportunities for high-potential individuals.The fact that women may not seek out such support puts
greater responsibility on the prospective sponsor. The obstacle to senior management, as identified in
that study and other research, is an absence of proactive support from senior leaders. In other words,
there is a shortage of sponsorship and It’s not easy to find a sponsor ,for that you need to earn this kind
of investment. “Sponsorship only works when it’s a two-way street Senior leaders — both male and
female they should take concrete steps to minimize gender disparities and help advance women into

leadership positions in their organizations. Sponsorship is

o A key in advancing high performers and give greater opportunities through skill
development and increased visibility.
o Acts as a differentiator at the top and as a means in overcoming barriers for women.
o Provides valuable benefits to sponsors, and even feedback, enhanced skills, increased
knowledge of company needs and opportunities, and personal and professional
satisfaction.
o Provides direct and indirect benefits to organizations, including better leaders and teams
and increased organizational commitment.
Conclusion:

Sponsorship matters. It matters for advancement to higher levels—and clearly for women—when
greater pressure exists on making the “right” choice from among a pool of extremely talented
individuals. It matters to sponsors—who get benefits from the relationship, including valuable feedback
from protégés about not only themselves, but also the organization and the state of business. And it
matters to the or talent sustainability and fostering a “pay it forward” attitude within the workforce.
After all, true leaders demonstrate their value as leaders by strategically developing an organization’s
talent. Sponsorship is something good leaders do. Done well, as the evidence from those in sponsoring
relationships makes clear, sponsorship is a powerful tool that can propel employees and organizations to
even greater success organization—from the positive effects of increased employee performance, job
satisfaction, and retention to creating a culture of talent sustainability and fostering a “pay it forward”
attitude within the workforce .After all, true leaders demonstrate their value as leaders by strategically
developing an organization’s talent. Sponsorship is something good leaders do. Done well, as the
evidence from those in sponsoring relationships makes clear, sponsorship is a powerful tool that can
propel employees an-d organizations to even greater success.