Latest / Executive Careers with Fexingo: VP, C-Suite, and Senior Leadership Career Strategy / How Senior Leaders Use Sponsors Not Mentors
Transcript
- Lucas: You've probably heard the stat that people with mentors get promoted more often. That's true, but it's also incomplete. A 2025 study from the Center for Talent Innovation found that executives with sponsors—not just mentors—were 23 percent more likely to get a promotion into the C-suite. Luna: Twenty-three percent is significant. But I think a lot of senior leaders don't actually know what a sponsor does differently from a mentor. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the gap we're going to close today. Because if you're a VP or a senior director wondering why you're not getting the nod for that C-suite role, the answer might not be your performance—it might be that you have advisors but you don't have advocates. Luna: Before we go deep—Lucas, you and I have been doing this show ad-free from day one. If you've ever gotten value from a specific episode or a framework we've shared, the way to keep that going is listener support. It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to say this matters to you. Lucas: Yeah, and we mean that. We deliberately don't run ads because we want the content to be clean and focused on what actually moves the needle for senior leaders. So if that resonates, the link is there. Now—let's talk about what a sponsor actually does. Luna: Give me a concrete example. Who's a senior leader who credits sponsorship for their rise? Lucas: One that comes to mind is a former PepsiCo executive—let's call her Sarah—who became CFO of a Fortune 500 company. She's spoken about how her sponsor was a board member who had seen her present at a strategy offsite. That board member later advocated for her in a closed-door compensation committee meeting when the CEO was considering an external candidate. Luna: So the sponsor was in the room where it actually happened. The mentor might have given her feedback on her presentation skills, but the sponsor used political capital to get her the job. Lucas: That's the distinction. Mentors give advice. Sponsors give access and air cover. The Center for Talent Innovation study breaks sponsorship into three specific actions: first, opening doors to stretch assignments or key meetings. Second, defending you in rooms you're not in. Third, providing cover when you make a mistake. Luna: The third one is huge. Because senior leaders are expected to take risks, and risks sometimes fail. If you don't have someone who will say, 'I vouch for her judgment, let's learn from this,' you become the person who's too risky to promote. Lucas: Right. And that's why sponsorship is especially critical at the vp to c suite transition. At that level, the decisions are less about technical competence and more about trust and judgment. A sponsor is essentially saying, 'I trust this person with my reputation.' Luna: But a lot of senior leaders I talk to feel awkward asking for a sponsor. It feels transactional—like you're asking someone to go to bat for you without knowing if they'll actually do it. Lucas: The awkwardness comes from confusing sponsorship with mentorship. You don't ask someone to be your sponsor by saying, 'Will you be my sponsor?' That's weird. Instead, you ask for something specific. For example: 'I'm being considered for the CEO role at our subsidiary. Would you be willing to speak to the board about my experience leading the Asia turnaround?' Luna: So you're asking for a specific action, not a general commitment. That's much easier for both sides. Lucas: Exactly. And you want to identify the right person first. A sponsor doesn't have to be your boss. They need to have disproportionate organizational influence—someone whose opinion carries weight in talent discussions. Often that's a board member, a senior executive in a different function, or a former boss who's now in a powerful role. Luna: How do you even start that conversation without it feeling like you're using them? Lucas: You start by being useful to them. Sponsorship is reciprocal. Before you ask for advocacy, find a way to advance their agenda. Maybe you have data that helps their pet project, or you can introduce them to someone in your network. The best sponsorship relationships grow out of mutual respect, not a cold ask. Luna: That makes sense. But what if you've tried that and the person says no, or they say yes but then nothing happens? Lucas: That's a signal that you need to find someone else. A reluctant sponsor is worse than no sponsor, because you might think you have cover when you don't. I've seen senior leaders assume a board member is backing them, only to find out later that the board member stayed silent in the critical meeting. You need to test the relationship early. Luna: How do you test it without risking your career? Lucas: Ask for a small advocacy action first. Something like, 'I'm presenting to the strategy committee next week. If you agree with my approach, would you be willing to voice support in the Q&A?' Then see if they follow through. If they do, you can escalate. If they don't, you have your answer without a major loss. Luna: That's smart. And it also gives you a chance to see if they actually understand your work well enough to advocate for you. Lucas: Yes. Because a sponsor who doesn't know your track record in detail can't defend you effectively. That's why the best sponsors are people who have seen you in action—maybe you worked on a project together, or they observed you handling a tough negotiation. Luna: Let's talk about the mentorship trap. A lot of senior leaders load up on mentors—they have five, six, seven advisors. But they have zero sponsors. Why do you think that is? Lucas: Because mentorship is low-risk. You get advice, you feel supported, and there's no expectation that the mentor will put their reputation on the line. Sponsorship requires vulnerability—you're asking someone to risk their political capital for you. That's uncomfortable. Also, many organizations don't formalize sponsorship the way they do mentorship. Luna: So the onus is on the individual to cultivate it. That's fine, but it also means senior leaders from underrepresented groups may have a harder time finding sponsors, because they have fewer senior leaders who look like them or share their background. Lucas: That's a real issue. Research from the same Center for Talent Innovation shows that women and people of color are often over-mentored and under-sponsored. The advice is there, but the advocacy isn't. One solution is to look for sponsors who may not share your identity but who have a track record of sponsoring diverse talent. Ask around: 'Who in this organization has a reputation for advocating for people who aren't like them?' Luna: That's a good way to identify potential sponsors. And once you find one, how do you maintain the relationship over time? Lucas: Keep them updated on your wins, but also on your challenges. A sponsor can't advocate for you if they don't know what you're working on. Send a quarterly email: 'Here's what I accomplished this quarter, here's where I'm stuck, here's where I could use your insight.' Not asking for anything every time, just keeping them informed. That way, when you do need something, they're already up to speed. Luna: And when you get the promotion, do you drop them? Lucas: No—and this is key. The best sponsor relationships evolve into peer relationships. Once you're in the C-suite, you may become a sponsor for others. But you should also maintain that connection with the person who sponsored you. They become part of your personal board. And down the road, they might sponsor you for a board seat or a CEO role at a different company. Luna: So it's a long-term investment. Let me ask you this: can your boss be your sponsor? Lucas: Yes, but with a caveat. Your boss has a vested interest in your success because it reflects on them. But they also have competing priorities—like keeping you in your current role because you're hard to replace. A true sponsor advocates for your career even if it means losing you. So the best sponsors are often one or two levels above your boss, or someone outside your reporting line. Luna: That's a really important distinction. I've seen leaders held back by bosses who gave great mentorship but actively blocked their promotion because they didn't want to lose a top performer. Lucas: Exactly. So if your boss is your only advocate, you're vulnerable. You need at least one sponsor who has no conflict of interest in seeing you advance. Luna: How many sponsors do you think a senior leader should have? Lucas: One solid sponsor is worth ten mentors. But I'd say two to three is ideal. One inside your current organization, one who's an alumni or former colleague who's now in a powerful position elsewhere, and maybe one board member or external executive. That gives you multiple angles of advocacy. Luna: Let's say a listener is a VP at a Fortune 1000 company and they realize they have zero sponsors. What's the first step they should take this week? Lucas: Make a list of three people who have seen you perform at a high level—ideally in a high-stakes situation like a board presentation, a turnaround, or a major negotiation. Then, for each person, ask yourself: 'Do they know my career aspirations?' If not, schedule a 15-minute call to update them. That's the entry point. From there, you can ask for a specific advocacy action when the right moment comes. Luna: And if they say no to the first ask? Lucas: Then you move to the next person. It's a numbers game. But also reflect on why they said no. Was it a lack of trust? A lack of familiarity with your work? Or a political conflict you didn't see? Use that feedback to refine your approach. Luna: That's practical. Lucas, I think the biggest takeaway for me is that sponsorship is not about being liked—it's about being known by the right people in the right way. Lucas: Exactly. And the time to build those relationships is before you need them. If you wait until you're up for a CEO role to ask for a sponsor, it's too late. The advocacy has to be in place months or even years ahead. Luna: So here's a question for our listeners: do you have someone who has actually seen you negotiate, present to the board, or handle a crisis? If not, that's your starting point. Lucas: And if you do, great. But make sure they're not just a mentor—make sure they're willing to use their political capital for you. That's the difference between career advice and career acceleration. Luna: On that note, next episode we're going to look at the flip side: what happens when a sponsorship relationship goes wrong, and how to exit gracefully without burning bridges. Lucas: That's a good one. Thanks for listening.