Page 43 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

24 • CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization

Don’t wait until the “luck lightening” strikes you. Find out who the
key career influencers are in your organization. Ask your boss, your boss’s
boss, and human resources (all of whom could be the answer, by the way).
Don’t do it quietly in the corner. Be brave, and talk about it.

Your boss is most likely to say, “Don’t worry about it; just do your
job,” which is a valid request. Your boss may or may not be a mentor or
a sponsor. He or she is looking for output and hopefully will give you
development to help with that job performance. But it is not your boss’s
role to give you advice in general on career advancement.
Sponsors go further than advising and actually vouch for you. Effec-
tive sponsors are in favor in the organization, have insider knowledge,
have their own connections, can be objective about you, and have a track
record for advancing others. Sometimes assigned mentors can turn into
a sponsor for you.

I lobby for certain people who I want my fingerprints on.
ƒ

I call it a grown-up, Big Brother and Big Sister program.

For example, behind closed doors, “sponsor” Ragesh says, “Juan
needs to be in this...job. He’s ready.” Or “sponsor” Joe says, “I think [your
name here] fits the competency model.” Chelsea says, “I don’t see [your
name here] that way.” Joe then takes Chelsea for coffee and says, “I’m
supporting [your name here] to the next level. How do you feel about it?
Will you support my efforts?” Chelsea is likely to say something like, “I’m
backing Felix for such and such, so if you agree to support him, I’ll assist
[your name here].”
Company managers say that promotions don’t happen this way, but
they do. It’s a bonus if a conversation such as this happens for you. But
don’t wait for it. Sponsors, like human resources, are not responsible for
your career.
Sponsors also do more than help you get promoted; they can give
you exposure not typically available at your level by putting you on coun-
cils or committees or getting you invited to special events or meetings.
They let you in on conversations not normally open to you.