Latest news with #careerDevelopment
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How to become a 'sponsor' at work and help someone's career take off
If you really want to boost your career — and help other people rise — be a sponsor. In today's workplace that mashes up remote and hybrid and shrinking payrolls, it's tricky to find a champion to help you stand out and have your back. In 'The Doors You Can Open: A New Way to Network, Build Trust, and Use Your Influence to Create a More Inclusive Workplace,' Rosalind Chow, a Carnegie Mellon University organizational behavior professor and researcher, explains the value of having someone in your organization who is willing to put their own reputation on the line to help you get noticed — and talks you up to those who don't yet know how awesome you are. Chow's theory is that the path to leadership runs through helping people we respect get noticed and break barriers. It's pushing someone else's career ahead by advocating for raises, promotions, and participation in projects that have a direct impact on an employer's bottom line. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy I asked Chow to share some insights on how sponsorship works and why it's a two-way street. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation: Kerry Hannon: What is sponsorship vs. mentorship? I've been a mentor and a mentee, but not sure I've ever been a sponsor. Rosalind Chow: The key difference is with mentorship, mentors are essentially coaching mentees, giving feedback and encouragement. Sponsorship is not about asking a protégé to be any different than who they are, but to change how other people see that person. Isn't sponsoring just a step further than mentoring someone? Sponsors can start as mentors, but they are not mentors on steroids. It's a different way of supporting people, and you need both. What are the risks and the rewards of being a sponsor? It's like making a stock investment. There is some risk, but high reward potential. Sponsors who bring an amazing protégé to other people's attention — someone who other people were totally unaware of — are going to get a reputational boost. The risk of that is if you sponsor someone, and it turns out that they're not everything that you've hyped them up to be. The difference between sponsorship and mentorship is when your mentee doesn't do well, mentors typically are not seen negatively because their mentee does poorly. Most people just assume that the mentee is the problem. But with sponsorship, if a protégé goes out and does a bad job, it's not only that they look bad, but the sponsor looks bad. You're tying your reputation to somebody else. So when a protégé does well, it means you do well too. But if a protégé does poorly, then you also get taken down. What does a sponsor do? Sponsorship can take many different forms. In general, it's impression management — you are managing other people's impressions of someone. You are shaping a narrative around someone else who may not be known to others in positions of power. Or even if they're already known to other people, you're augmenting that positive perception that other people have of this person. The low-hanging fruit for sponsorship is just paying attention to what people are good at, or what they are interested in, or where they want to go. Then putting in a good word with the right people at the right time. The truth is saying nice things about other people is always the right thing to do anyway. Do you tell someone that you want to be their sponsor? It depends. There are two different lines of thinking. One is being very explicit with the person that you're sponsoring. If you do that, they realize that they're on the hook. For some people that's incredibly motivating and it makes them perform better. But for other people, if they find out about it, they interpret it as having a lot of slack, or latitude, to make mistakes or not have to put as much effort in. And you don't have to sponsor someone who reports to you. You can sponsor a colleague or peer. What's the difference between power and status? Power is typically control over resources. I have something that you need. Status is about respect and admiration. You can get respect and admiration in lots of different ways. What sponsors do is essentially raise the status of the people they know by connecting them and telling these positive stories about them to other people. You write that it's better to show than to tell when you are sponsoring someone — how so? Showing is when you put the protégé in a situation where they basically get to shine and other people draw their own conclusions. I'm not just telling you that this person is good at something. I am going to let them present the project so that it becomes clear that they have this expertise. Telling is when I go into a performance review meeting, and I say: "This person is our expert in this." You're telling the other person what they're supposed to think, and it means, then, that the other person has to trust your judgment. Showing is your big takeaway for your readers? Everyone can be a sponsor, and it is not predicated on being in a position of power — but, rather, your reputation and other people's trust in you. Helping somebody by spending time with them and giving them feedback is great. I am absolutely not saying that they shouldn't do that, but are there people who ought to know one another? Can you do more introducing? Can you say more about the good things that are happening in other people's lives? Sharing other people's good news will help your career and someone else's. You hone your reputation as someone who feels secure in yourself and is in the know and paying attention to what's going on with other people without feeling threatened by their talent. Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work," and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How to become a 'sponsor' at work and help someone's career take off
If you really want to boost your career — and help other people rise — be a sponsor. In today's workplace that mashes up remote and hybrid and shrinking payrolls, it's tricky to find a champion to help you stand out and have your back. In 'The Doors You Can Open: A New Way to Network, Build Trust, and Use Your Influence to Create a More Inclusive Workplace,' Rosalind Chow, a Carnegie Mellon University organizational behavior professor and researcher, explains the value of having someone in your organization who is willing to put their own reputation on the line to help you get noticed — and talks you up to those who don't yet know how awesome you are. Chow's theory is that the path to leadership runs through helping people we respect get noticed and break barriers. It's pushing someone else's career ahead by advocating for raises, promotions, and participation in projects that have a direct impact on an employer's bottom line. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy I asked Chow to share some insights on how sponsorship works and why it's a two-way street. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation: Kerry Hannon: What is sponsorship vs. mentorship? I've been a mentor and a mentee, but not sure I've ever been a sponsor. Rosalind Chow: The key difference is with mentorship, mentors are essentially coaching mentees, giving feedback and encouragement. Sponsorship is not about asking a protégé to be any different than who they are, but to change how other people see that person. Isn't sponsoring just a step further than mentoring someone? Sponsors can start as mentors, but they are not mentors on steroids. It's a different way of supporting people, and you need both. What are the risks and the rewards of being a sponsor? It's like making a stock investment. There is some risk, but high reward potential. Sponsors who bring an amazing protégé to other people's attention — someone who other people were totally unaware of — are going to get a reputational boost. The risk of that is if you sponsor someone, and it turns out that they're not everything that you've hyped them up to be. The difference between sponsorship and mentorship is when your mentee doesn't do well, mentors typically are not seen negatively because their mentee does poorly. Most people just assume that the mentee is the problem. But with sponsorship, if a protégé goes out and does a bad job, it's not only that they look bad, but the sponsor looks bad. You're tying your reputation to somebody else. So when a protégé does well, it means you do well too. But if a protégé does poorly, then you also get taken down. What does a sponsor do? Sponsorship can take many different forms. In general, it's impression management — you are managing other people's impressions of someone. You are shaping a narrative around someone else who may not be known to others in positions of power. Or even if they're already known to other people, you're augmenting that positive perception that other people have of this person. The low-hanging fruit for sponsorship is just paying attention to what people are good at, or what they are interested in, or where they want to go. Then putting in a good word with the right people at the right time. The truth is saying nice things about other people is always the right thing to do anyway. Do you tell someone that you want to be their sponsor? It depends. There are two different lines of thinking. One is being very explicit with the person that you're sponsoring. If you do that, they realize that they're on the hook. For some people that's incredibly motivating and it makes them perform better. But for other people, if they find out about it, they interpret it as having a lot of slack, or latitude, to make mistakes or not have to put as much effort in. And you don't have to sponsor someone who reports to you. You can sponsor a colleague or peer. What's the difference between power and status? Power is typically control over resources. I have something that you need. Status is about respect and admiration. You can get respect and admiration in lots of different ways. What sponsors do is essentially raise the status of the people they know by connecting them and telling these positive stories about them to other people. You write that it's better to show than to tell when you are sponsoring someone — how so? Showing is when you put the protégé in a situation where they basically get to shine and other people draw their own conclusions. I'm not just telling you that this person is good at something. I am going to let them present the project so that it becomes clear that they have this expertise. Telling is when I go into a performance review meeting, and I say: "This person is our expert in this." You're telling the other person what they're supposed to think, and it means, then, that the other person has to trust your judgment. Showing is your big takeaway for your readers? Everyone can be a sponsor, and it is not predicated on being in a position of power — but, rather, your reputation and other people's trust in you. Helping somebody by spending time with them and giving them feedback is great. I am absolutely not saying that they shouldn't do that, but are there people who ought to know one another? Can you do more introducing? Can you say more about the good things that are happening in other people's lives? Sharing other people's good news will help your career and someone else's. You hone your reputation as someone who feels secure in yourself and is in the know and paying attention to what's going on with other people without feeling threatened by their talent. Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work," and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Entrepreneur
4 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How a Good Mentor Can Change the Trajectory of Your Business — and Make You Happier at Work
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Whether you're starting a new phase in your professional journey or reflecting on decades of experiences, mentorship is critical to thriving in your career. Mentors inspire new talent to hone their unique skill set and capitalize on opportunity. As a professional grows, the former mentee becomes a mentor themselves, shaped by the guides who first led the way. Here are four reasons why mentorship can provide holistic rewards for you, your teams and work. Developing skills As experts across a variety of vocations, mentors bring a plethora of experiences to junior colleagues and their organizations. Mentor value is truly far-reaching. According to a CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness Survey, 91% of people with mentors are satisfied with their jobs, and 71% of employees with a mentor say their company provides them with quality opportunities to advance their careers, compared to 47% of those without a mentor. One of the many benefits of mentorship is tailored skill-building. Through their extensive industry knowledge, leaders can: Counsel improvement areas by sharing specialized knowledge and best practices specific to the needs of their mentee. Offer relationship-building advice and strategies. Instill a continuous learning mindset for career-long growth. Model soft skills such as leadership behaviors and successful verbal and written communication tactics. Share real-world examples to help their colleague navigate current situations with context. Mentorship presents a mutually beneficial relationship for the mentor as well, allowing them to engage and understand emerging technologies, generational differences and unique perspectives. Related: I Mentor First-Time Entrepreneurs — These Are the 4 Unseen Benefits I Gained By Giving Back Navigating challenges Challenges are inevitable, and how leaders rise to help their teams meet them can mean the difference between near-sure success or inevitable disaster. For leaders who have "been around the block" and seen the rise and fall of their industry, drawing on those experiences can prove instrumental in these situations. In other instances, engaging a novel approach and "unsticking" from past ways of thinking may be what your team needs. In my own work, an unexpected situation once required me to think outside existing protocols as a mentor. I was tasked with leading a new group, but found that past ways of thinking and programs were actually preventing us from moving forward. I also learned that each member of my team had their own barriers that prevented them from achieving success. Rather than sticking to the original plan, I realized we needed to free ourselves and try new guidelines that addressed each person's skills as well as their misfires. Being there as a mentor and working through individual needs helped the group redefine the structure we needed. This decision grounded all of us in a key learning that can apply beyond the workplace: Move beyond to find what prevails. Networking Much like skills, industry connections from a mentorship relationship take a mentee's potential one step further. Speeches from high school valedictorians, celebrities, Nobel laureates, award winners, athletes, C-suite leaders and the like often acknowledge how mentorship opened life-altering doors. And for mentees of backgrounds and experience levels different from the predominant ones of their industry, networking can be especially significant. In the small business landscape, mentorship can offer profitable pathways to new suppliers, client referrals and cross-industry partners. More broadly, new connections help businesses become better ingrained in their local communities and the causes their customers care about. Mentorship also reminds the mentee that their entrepreneurial journey is a networking haven of resources, connections and opportunities rather than a "go it alone" venture. Networking is a sounding board and support system of mentorship. Related: Everyone Needs a Mentor — But Being a Mentor Is Just as Important. Here's Why. Passing it on One of the great things when it comes to organized mentorship programs is the far-reaching joy across generations of mentor and mentee. An example that comes to mind is our annual The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge, a multistage competition that offers a chance for small business owners to compete for a share of the $35,000 prize pool, an editorial feature and one-on-one mentoring with a small business expert. Being a small business owner or entrepreneur amid an evolving landscape can feel intimidating by nature, which is why The UPS Store supports small business owners by providing resources to help them grow, thrive and reach their entrepreneurial dreams. This year's Small Biz Challenge winners, Sydney Attis and Mikayla Garcia, owners of Just Call Me Shirley, epitomize the spirit we see in all our applicants. Emerging from their victory, their mentorship lessons and challenges overcome have shaped new opportunities for them to help fellow entrepreneurs and business owners be unstoppable. Regardless of the career stage or industry, mentorship has a role in all of them. It brings people together and boosts business development on the micro level. Simple setups, such as biweekly meetings, coffee chats or even happy hours, provide a space for these conversations. This time can become a natural part of your and your team's work culture. With its many upstream and downstream benefits, consider incorporating mentorship when growing your business.
National Post
17-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Acorn Secures $12.3 Million to Reimagine Workforce Development with AI
Article content Acorn's AI-powered platform delivers career development employees were promised Article content but never received Article content VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Acorn, the AI-powered performance and learning management platform, today announced its $12.3 million USD Series A funding round led by Level Equity. This investment will accelerate Acorn's geographic expansion, enhance product development and grow strategic partnerships. The company also launched Capabilities AI, new software that automatically maps capabilities frameworks to job descriptions and creates personalized career development plans in minutes rather than months. 'Acorn is bridging the gap between learning and performance with an AI-native solution that's both timely and differentiated,' said Charles Chen, Partner at Level Equity. Article content 'Acorn is bridging the gap between learning and performance with an AI-native solution that's both timely and differentiated,' said Charles Chen, Partner at Level Equity. 'In a market saturated with many legacy technologies, Acorn's focus on business-specific capabilities over generic skills gives organizations a clear path to measuring and driving employee impact. We're proud to back the Acorn team as they scale a category-defining platform transforming workplace performance.' Article content The ' 2025 Corporate Performance and Learning Survey ' reveals a workforce at odds with traditional HR systems: Article content Only 29% of employees are 'very satisfied' with how their company evaluates performance. One in four employees question their value to their organization after performance reviews. Nearly 80% of senior leaders admit employees must leave to advance their careers. Article content Further compounding these issues, 44% of respondents question the fairness of the current metrics used to measure employee competency. They also noted the lack of integration with performance management tools and of a centralized system to manage competencies as top barriers to the success of their program. This disconnect between learning and performance platforms contributes to low engagement and ineffective development programs. Article content Capabilities AI: A New Approach to Corporate Learning Article content Acorn Capabilities AI redefines corporate learning by identifying the core capabilities required for success in each role and automatically generating employee development plans that are aligned with business strategy. The platform provides a common language for learning, recruitment and career mobility, enabling organizations to build customized capability frameworks in just minutes. Article content 'Corporate learning has been broken for a long time now,' said Blake Proberts, CEO and Founder of Acorn. 'Most organizations still aren't showing people what they need to do in their roles. By using AI to build capability frameworks and map learning content to those capabilities within Acorn, development becomes relevant, timely, and useful. It's how we move past tickbox training with low engagement to learning that truly drives performance.' Article content Pioneering Performance Learning Management Systems (PLMS) Article content Seeing the need to unify performance and learning, Acorn launched the PLMS category in 2023. This unified approach addresses the limitations of traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS) by mapping role-specific capabilities to measurable outcomes. Article content 'The HR landscape is shifting. Organizations are seeking solutions to integrate eLearning and performance management,' said Grace Savides, Senior Market Research Analyst at G2. 'More companies are aligning their L&D and performance initiatives to respond effectively to the ever-growing skills gap and demands for faster growth.' Article content Additional Resources Article content About Acorn Article content Acorn PLMS (Performance Learning Management System) is the AI-powered performance and learning management platform. With a proprietary library of over 1,600 capabilities and 4,800 proficiency levels, Acorn helps organizations define the capabilities that matter, map them to roles and learning content, and build personalized development plans. By showing learners how to succeed in their roles and enabling leaders to have meaningful performance conversations, Acorn empowers L&D, HR, and people leaders to create clear career pathways and prove the business impact of learning. Article content About Level Equity Level Equity is a lower middle market private investment firm focused on providing capital to rapidly growing software and technology-enabled businesses. Level provides long-term capital across various transaction types in support of continued growth. The firm has raised over $4.5 billion in committed capital for their closed funds and co-investments, and has made over 125 investments since its inception. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact Article content Article content Article content Article content
Forbes
17-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Become The CEO Of Your Own Career
Portrait of a confident young businesswoman working in a modern office Lorraine K. Lee, global keynote speaker and bestselling author, remembers the excitement of landing her first promotion to 'news editor' at LinkedIn, after just one year at the company. In her new role, she worked on high-visibility projects, was well-liked by her peers, and earned a reputation as a go-to teammate. But despite all that, her career plateaued. She'd done everything 'right,' so why did she feel stuck? She had said yes to every opportunity and delivered on major initiatives, but a promotion never had been on the table. After some honest reflection, the answer became clear: Lee had been reactive, not strategic. Her 'let-the-work-speak-for-itself' mindset wasn't enough to push her career forward. She hadn't been thoughtful about her professional presence—i.e. how and where she was seen. This is a common realization for many early- and mid-career professionals, who often believe that hard work alone will lead to success. In the summer of 2021, Dr. Kate Lister, a British author, tweeted, 'How old were you when you realized your original plan of being really nice, working really hard, and taking on more than you should, hoping you'd be automatically rewarded, was totally flawed?' The tweet resonated— over 400,000 people liked or retweeted it. For Lee, this moment of clarity changed everything. After moving to a new company, she shifted her approach. She got clear on what leaders were looking for, made her wins visible, and communicated her goals openly. Within a year, she was promoted again— this time to director— and knew she had truly earned it. Lorraine K. Lee holding a copy of her book, Unforgettable Presence, and smiling Lee's experiences inspired her new book, Unforgettable Presence, (an Amazon #1 bestseller and #1 Amazon new release). Through her work, she helps others shift their mindset at work so that they can go from overlooked to unforgettable. Here's how she reframed her beliefs to take ownership of her career: Before: Hard work alone will pay off. After: If no one sees my work, it will be like I didn't do it. I need to actively share my accomplishments. Before: My network will grow naturally. After: I need to make sure I'm actively building relationships, not just when I need something. Before: Feedback comes during annual reviews. After: Feedback should be continuous if I want to grow faster. Before: Promotions and raises happen with enough time. After: I need to advocate for myself at every opportunity. Lee takes these new mindsets a step further: She believes that every person should be the CEO of their own career. According to Lee, 'Bringing the outlook of a CEO to my career changed how I interact with people on a day-to-day basis. It made me proactive, rather than passively letting things happen to me. It made me think more strategically about my career by being more vocal about my goals and intentional with building relationships. I began examining company metrics and considering how my work contributed to the bottom line. It boosted my confidence, allowing me to feel more in control, and ultimately put me in the driver's seat of my career.' So, how can you become the CEO of your own career? In order to figure out how you want to be seen, you first need to understand how your colleagues currently perceive you. If you're unsure, 360 reviews can help you gather feedback about your performance and reputation from different levels of colleagues and managers. You can then use this information to help you understand what others think about you. What's the gap between how your colleagues see you now and how you want them to see you in the future? Once you're aware of that gap, you can figure out the steps to move from where you are today to where you want to be. Lee recommends dividing a piece of paper into two columns: on the left, write adjectives for how your colleagues currently describe you, and on the right, list adjectives that represent how you actually want to be seen. 'Self-reflection can sometimes be a challenge,' Lee says, 'but going through the steps can help you become more aware of your brand and identify what others might not see.' Once you've defined your brand, you need a way to communicate it effectively. That's where your unique, powerful introduction (UPI) comes in. 'Introductions are one of the most important situations to create a strong impression, but so many people miss this opportunity,' says Lee. She suggests crafting a UPI that includes any of the following: Lee's UPI from her time at Prezi evolved from: 'Hi, I'm Lorraine. I lead the editorial team,' to: 'Hi, I'm Lorraine, and I lead the editorial team. We collaborate with business leaders to create content that educates and inspires millions of users.' This new phrasing not only clarified her role and what she did but also added credibility by showcasing the scope and impact of her work. Your UPI should help you stand out, and can change depending on where you're using it, too. For example, if you were to use it in your LinkedIn headline or in a LinkedIn post, it can open the door for opportunities like media interviews or speaking engagements, Lee says. When your UPI transcends company walls, 'It's free brand awareness for your company and amazing visibility for you.' Once you've clearly defined your professional brand, focus on nurturing your network. Lee recommends checking in with key and new connections every few months, even if it's just to share something helpful you've learned that you think will benefit them in their role. Another option is to create a networking tracker to stay organized and ensure you're regularly maintaining important relationships. 'Just like setting aside time for family and friends, you have to create time to nurture your professional relationships,' Lee says. 'There's nothing inauthentic about doing a good job at keeping in touch.' Nurturing your network means staying in touch and fostering genuine, long-term relationships. It's not just about being there when you need something— it's about ensuring those connections are strong and mutually supportive. Being intentional with how you communicate is crucial for your professional presence. Lee suggests that minor adjustments to your phrasing can make a significant impact on how you're perceived. Instead of saying, 'I'll try to get it done next week,' say, 'I will get this done by Tuesday' to come across more confident and on top of things. Removing your use of minimizing language like 'just' or 'sorry' can help you avoid sounding unsure of your point (and yourself). Lee also emphasizes that avoiding upspeak—where your voice rises at the end of sentences as if you're asking a question—can make you sound more confident and authoritative. The way you phrase your requests and communicate can reshape how others perceive your authority and leadership, putting you in greater control of your career, according to Lee. By applying these steps, along with many others outlined in her book, Lee was able to raise her profile both internally and externally, strengthening her brand within and outside her organization. In her new book, Unforgettable Presence, Lee teaches readers how to take control of their career trajectory and build a professional presence that leaves a lasting impact.
