Scott Correia’s Post

Absolutely love this speech by Carla Harris! It brilliantly illustrates the concept of sponsorship as a powerful currency—one that requires your dedication and excellence to earn a willing advocate who stands by you when you need them most. This resonates deeply with my own work and the principles I laid out in my book published in 2021 in Hungary, aimed at guiding young people on career building and the importance of relationships and networking. In my book, I emphasize that just as we invest in acquiring knowledge, we must equally invest in building and nurturing relationships. It's essential for career advancement, effective networking, and standing out in a competitive market. For professionals, this means recognizing the power of genuine connections, whether you're selling, networking, or simply trying to get noticed. It's about cultivating meaningful relationships with clients or attracting new ones—not through superficial gestures, but by genuinely caring and providing value. Maintaining these relationships is akin to keeping your power bank charged up, ensuring it doesn't drain. It requires consistent effort, attention, and investment. This approach not only advances careers but also builds a strong network of mutual support and advocacy. Let's remember, success in any field isn't just about what you know, but also about who you know and how you build and maintain those relationships. Watch this TED Talk and reflect on how you can apply these principles to your professional life.

There are two types of currency: relational currency and performance currency. In essence, how well do you perform and how well you collaborate with others. I will tell you, that your performance has a way of opening doors of opportunity for connections depending on how well you do.

This is good. Too often, we get caught up in the notion of “keeping your head down and letting your work speak for itself” as a mantra for success and upward mobility. While merit certainly has its place in promotions, advocacy via sponsorship is at the core of advancement. Turns out, it’s not just what you know, but who you know and (more importantly), how well you make youself KNOWN! There is a significant difference between mentors and sponsors. It’s not all about what your team or supervisors say to you. Your network will talk about you behind closed doors, and when advancement matters, that’s when your relationship currency and influence is truly tested. Mrs. Carla Harris explains the impact about as well as it can be explained. It’s all about career relationships and expectations management. Awesome insight, worth the watch!

The two most powerful pieces of advice I have learnt during my time in my professional journey: advocacy and sponsorship. When it comes to one's growth and development, you need to be an advocate for yourself not just by doing your best in work, but also in deepening relationships with team members, leaders and various people around you. Often times we undermine the importance of deepening relationships because it takes personal time to do so - however the value of these relationships extends beyond time spent: learning from others in their journey, obtaining advice/guidance on situations you may face, finding ways to make a positive impact on each other and if you are really lucky, finding a friend/mentor in that relationship. Sponsorship is an extension of that deepened relationship. In a healthy, supportive culture and environment, your sponsor is the person that speaks up for you behind closed doors, they advocate not just for the work you do but for the potential you bring to the table. This video below really resonated on why sponsorship becomes key factor for progression - however it all starts somewhere....with an initiative to connect with someone

I find in professional circles, the idea of mentorship is one mentioned frequently. I have and currently participate in several mentorship opportunities and it truly is an impactful relationship for myself and many others. One, often overlooked, person who can be critically important in developing your career at any level is a sponsor. Who advocates for you when you aren't in the room? How are you building these relationships not only within your organization but outside through other opportunities? How, as leaders in an organization are you helping support both critical roles of mentorship and sponsorship? Formalizing programs provide access, but the best relationships are often built organically. Carla talks more specifically about sponsorship below, but as you rise are you continuing to ask yourself, who can I bring with me?

Insightful speech! Relationships and performance are the keys to a successful career. Maintaining good connections with others, not only open doors to recommendations but also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The value of enhancing one's influencing skills is highlighted here.

What an insightful talk. So critical to get your sponsor.

we have heard lots if talk about the importance of Mentors over the years, but I love this talk about the importance of Sponsors ##coaching #mentoring #sponsoring

Two types of currencies that one needs to spend on themselves in their all walks of life environments. 1. Performance currency, in all you do perform to the ultimate and always deliver on mandates. 2. Relationship currency, be that person that the next person will speak highly of you. In career circles for advancement measure your relationships whether they are of influence or they are of “all bark but no bite “. That goes to oneself to know if you either one of the two.