Mentoring and Sponsoring: Keys to Success

This book on mentoring and sponsoring is a wonderful compilation of inter- views from leaders in positions of influence. Their professions vary from engineers, geoscientists to a highly regarded tennis coach to sociologists to orchestra conductor and academics. Every one in this seemingly eclectic group had a genuine enthusiasm for helping young professionals. Regardless of the interviewee’s profession and definition of mentoring and sponsoring, I found commonality in every interview. The overarching theme is that every person was genuinely passionate about caring for people, with respect and trust being key ingredients to a successful relationship. Whether these inter- actions were formal or informal, I found that each had humility and humor when speaking about their mentor and sponsor roles. It is interesting that many did not realize until they were advanced in their careers or maybe even during the interview that they had mentors and sponsors or that they were mentors and sponsors.
We on the more senior side of our careers will gain insight into the young professionals we mentor or sponsor in the last sections of the book— The other side of the coin: the mentees. Ask yourself the question: Is our mentoring and sponsoring style relevant to more junior professionals? For those interviewed in this book, I say a resounding YES! The format makes reading this book delightful! You could spend hours reading the views of these interesting people or take 15 min to focus on one interview at the beginning or end of your day for inspiration.