Using Sponsorship to Create Inclusive Meritocracy with Rosalind Chow
In episode 204, Coffey talks with Rosalind Chow about the distinct roles of mentorship and sponsorship in advancing careers and building more inclusive workplaces.
They discuss the distinction between mentorship (which helps grow the mentee) and sponsorship (which seeks to change how others see the protege); how sponsorship functions like marketing or PR campaigns for high-potential employees; the four types of sponsorship - creating, confirming, preventing, and protecting; why sponsors risk their own credibility and reputation when advocating for others; how sponsorship doesn't require formal hierarchical relationships but depends on trust and status; how to become more "sponsorable" by being a top performer with clear values and compelling personal story; the risks of having the wrong sponsor or appearing as the "teacher's pet"; and how sponsorship creates inclusion by ensuring high performers are seen, valued, and given opportunities regardless of their background or circumstances.
Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.
If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.
About our Guest:
Rosalind Chow is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Theory at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studies the power of social hierarchy and its impact on diversity and inclusion efforts within organizations.
Her forthcoming book, The Doors You Can Open (PublicAffairs, April 8, 2025) distinguishes the concept of sponsorship from mentorship. While mentorship can change mentees for the better through valuable coaching and encouragement, sponsorship takes it one step further — sponsors can change the social environment around their proteges by actively advocating for, raising the social visibility of, and protecting them. Put simply, while mentors act on mentees, sponsors act on external observers – audiences - to change how they see proteges.
We don’t just have the ability to change other people; we also have the ability to change other people’s relationships with one another. This ability - the power we have as sponsors - is something we can leverage to better ourselves, other people, and our communities.
Rosalind Chow can be reached at
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalind-chow-6b25541b0/
About Mike Coffey:
Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher.
In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.
Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.
Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.
Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.
Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.
Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee.
Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.
Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.
Learning Objectives:
1. Distinguish between mentorship (developing the individual) and sponsorship (changing others' perceptions of the individual) to provide appropriate support for high-potential employees.
2. Practice the four types of sponsorship - creating visibility, confirming positive impressions, preventing negative associations, and protecting during criticism - to advance deserving talent.
3. Recognize that effective sponsorship requires risking your own credibility and reputation, making it essential to sponsor only high performers whose values align with your own and the organization's goals.