Most organisations are over-mentoring and under-sponsoring
Mentoring supports growth. Sponsorship drives movement. If your high-potential talent is still waiting, this might be why.
Guidance doesn’t get people promoted
Mentors help people reflect and navigate. Sponsors advocate, connect, and elevate. They speak up in rooms the sponsee isn’t in yet—and put their own reputation behind rising talent.
Career growth without advocacy hits a ceiling
Mentoring can increase confidence. Sponsorship creates opportunity. Studies show underrepresented talent with sponsors are more likely to be promoted, retained, and recognised as future leaders.
Why HR gets stuck at “mentoring”
Most organisations default to mentorship because it feels safe, scalable, and neutral. But that comfort zone keeps pipelines flat. Sponsorship introduces accountability, risk, and momentum—things that actually move people forward.
When one sponsor changed a career trajectory
A high-potential Indigenous leader in an Australian public agency was being mentored—but not seen. One sponsor put her forward for a high-visibility role, stayed invested, and opened two more doors over 18 months. She didn’t just “develop”—she arrived.
Want to know more?
Learn about Cultivate’s Sponsorship for High-Potential Women in Leadership
Why it matters:
- HR leaders: If you’re tracking diversity but not movement, this is your missing link.
- Executives: Your visibility could change someone’s path—and improve your bench.
- Sponsors: You don’t need a new role. Just a new way to use your current influence.