When Leadership Falls Short: The Crisis of Care in Library Work
Posted on in Blog Posts
Sponsorship from Leadership Is a Game Changer
Posted on March 18, 2025 in Blog Posts
Authors:
Jamia Williams
In professional development conversations, mentorship often takes center stage. However, sponsorship is an equally critical but less discussed component of career growth. After attending a recent conference, I was reminded of this key distinction between mentorship and sponsorship and the need for both. While mentorship provides guidance and support, sponsorship actively propels professionals forward by advocating for their advancement. Leaders who understand and embrace sponsorship can transform workplaces, especially for marginalized people who often face barriers to upward mobility. In this blog post, I explore the critical role of mentorship and highlight why sponsorship is essential for career advancement, particularly when leaders actively champion their colleagues’ success.
Mentorship vs. Sponsorship: Understanding the Difference
As Alanna Aiko Moore writes in this blog post for ARL Views, “Mentorship and sponsorship are complementary tools that can be used to construct deep and meaningful relationships in leadership development.” Elaborating on each, she denotes how mentorship and sponsorship serve distinct but complementary roles in career development.
- Mentorship involves advising, coaching, and providing insight to help an individual grow professionally. A mentor shares knowledge, offers feedback, and serves as a sounding board for career decisions.
- Sponsorship, on the other hand, goes beyond guidance. A sponsor uses their influence to create opportunities, advocate for promotions, and connect protégés with key decision-makers. Unlike mentorship, which can be informal and private, sponsorship is active and public.
Why Sponsorship Matters for Marginalized Professionals
Sponsorship is essential for marginalized professionals because they are often excluded from decision-making processes due to longstanding norms that favor those already in power. As a leader, recognizing this reality is the first step. The next step is taking action and using your privilege and influence to amplify the voices of those who have been historically overlooked. As Moore writes, “Mentors and sponsors can interrogate their privileges and how those may affect their relationships with their mentees and protégés.” This self-reflection is crucial in ensuring that sponsorship is intentional and impactful.
True leadership means not only acknowledging inequities but actively working to dismantle them. This requires moving beyond mentorship alone, which offers guidance, to incorporate sponsorship as well, which provides direct opportunities. Leaders who commit to sponsoring marginalized colleagues help level the playing field by advocating for promotions, recommending them for high-visibility projects, and ensuring their contributions are recognized at decision-making tables. In doing so, they challenge exclusionary workplace norms and foster a culture of equity and inclusion.
How Leadership Can Foster Sponsorship
Leaders have a responsibility to be intentional about sponsorship. Here are some things to consider in practical ways to engage in meaningful sponsorship:
- Establish a Relationship
- To be an effective sponsor, you must first understand your colleagues’ interests, skills, and career aspirations. Building genuine relationships allows you to advocate for them when opportunities arise. This requires more than passive observation; it demands intentional conversations and active engagement. Take the time to recognize employees with strong performance and leadership potential, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. Sponsorship should not be limited to individuals who reflect existing leadership but should instead focus on cultivating diverse talent. When leaders commit to truly knowing their colleagues, they can confidently bring their names into spaces where decisions are made.
- Be Intentional and Strategic
- In academic libraries, sponsorship is key to succession planning, helping emerging leaders advance their careers. Advocating for protégés in promotion discussions and championing them for leadership roles can provide the push they need. Sponsoring also means giving them access to high-visibility projects that showcase their skills to key decision-makers. Recommending them for challenging roles and introducing them to influential figures such as directors or association leaders can open critical doors. Beyond mentorship, sponsorship actively positions future leaders for success through advocacy, opportunity, and connection.
- Hold Organizations Accountable
- Beyond individual sponsorship, leaders should push their organizations to institutionalize sponsorship programs. Some academic institutions have established initiatives aimed at fostering sponsorship for underrepresented groups. Encouraging similar efforts in your organization ensures a sustainable commitment to equity and inclusion.
Final Thoughts: A Call to Action
Leaders should model sponsorship behavior and encourage other administrators to do the same. This can create a ripple effect, fostering a culture where sponsorship becomes the norm rather than the exception. Sponsorship is not just a tool for career advancement but a responsibility for leaders committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Marginalized professionals deserve the same advocacy and opportunities as their peers. By intentionally sponsoring diverse talent, leaders can create a workplace culture where success is not just about who you know but about the potential you bring. Oftentimes, marginalized professionals are not given the benefit of worthiness, which has lasting impacts on career advancement and earning potential.
If you are a leader, consider who you can sponsor today. If you seek sponsorship, identify individuals in your network who can be powerful advocates. The future of inclusive leadership depends on our collective commitment to lifting as we climb.
About the author:
Jamia Williams (she/her) is a health sciences librarian. She is also the co-creator and co-host of the podcast LibVoices and the founder of The Diversity Fellow’s blog.
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Header image is a detail of This is Harlem by Jacob Lawrence. Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. © 2021 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. For more information, click here.