According to The State of Play in African Coaching Executive Report 2019, the practice of coaching has grown globally and significantly over the past 20 years. The increase in uptake of coaching services is likely to be a response to the increasing pressures faced by many business executives in organisations both large and small. Coaching can be described as a dialogue between a facilitator and a participant, future-focused in nature, where open questions, active listening, summarising and reflections all play a role in stimulating self-awareness and personal responsibility. Professional coaches usually undergo specialised coach training and many affiliate to coaching professional bodies, adhering to a code of ethics and undergoing regular professional development and supervision. The relationship is structured and takes place over anything from a few months to over a year. Coaches can assist with focused development and many senior leaders in organisations have more than one coach to assist them to balance the competing and challenging demands they face in role.

Coaching is only one mechanism for spurring growth and development, and for some, coaching may be out of reach from a financial perspective. If your company is not sponsoring the service, what other options are out there for those who want to get ahead? Mentoring is one option. Mentors provide support and guidance to prepare for future roles, and can inspire their mentees to reach further. Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA) define mentoring as:

“a partnership in which a mentee is assisted in making significant advances in knowledge, perspective and vision in order to develop their full potential; the mentor’s wisdom is utilised by the mentee to facilitate and enhance new learning and insight.”

The agenda for mentoring is still set by the mentee, as with coaching relationships, but the on-going relationship can be informal, with the mentor typically more experienced and qualified than the “mentee”. The relationship may take a broader view of the person and focus on career and personal development, but mostly it revolves around developing the mentee professionally. Senior people in organisations are well placed for this role of mentorship, drawing on a bank of years of experience and insights. A mentor should also be able to open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities, and this is especially valuable for exposing individuals to the right networks to advance their career aims and objectives.

So what is a sponsor then?

The Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) sums up the difference between a mentor and sponsor well:

“A mentor is an advisor who provides guidance and support to help someone develop, understand and navigate their role, the organization, and their career.” A mentor may (or may not) also be a sponsor. A sponsor is a specific type of mentor who goes above and beyond giving advice. A sponsor is an advocate in a position of power who helps create opportunities for another person.”

While the mentor can be any experienced person, the sponsor should be a person with influence in the organisation such as a senior leader who can champion potential, including in off-the-record and closed-door meetings with other executives. Sponsors act as backers playing an advocacy role and they have been shown to make a significant difference when championing women in the workplace. Given that on average, women in South Africa make 28% less than their male equals (Global Wage Report 2018/19), sponsors have a potentially significant role to play.

The CCL has produced a useful guide and workbook full of resources for mentoring and sponsors. You can download it for free here.

In 2020 we’ll be launching a series of blog posts aimed at topical issues facing women in the workplace.