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When it comes to professional growth and career development, do you know the difference between a mentor and a sponsor? This is an important distinction that may affect how quickly you advance to department manager or executive level.
This was a key point raised during a recent panel discussion of female leaders in business events. The conference, titled “Strategies for Promoting Women in Business Event Leadership Roles,” was held in January during the Professional Meeting Management Association’s Leadership Conference.
One statistic immediately caught people’s attention: more than 70% of planners said they received no guidance. That’s according to a PCMA/Sydney Business Event 2023 survey of hundreds of planners around the world.
During the PCMA meeting, Lindsay Williams A senior manager of business development at GES noted: “I had a mentor who made an impact on my career. You need to build a real relationship with that person and share honestly, although you can change your mentor over time. Discuss different situations that arise in your work. Most of my mentors were accidental. I met them at PCMA chapter meetings.”
Wanda Johnson, CEO of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, added: “I had a male mentor in my organization: the CEO. At first I thought he didn’t really like me! It depends on where you are. Seek guidance on the current situation, but also interview people who do the job you think you want to do. By doing this, you’ll find out if this is what you really want.”
However, once planners have a clear idea of where they want to go, having a sponsor within the company is critical to advancement. While mentors share knowledge and provide guidance, sponsors actively promote growth and identify opportunities within the organization. Kati Quigley, Vice President of Portfolio and Consumer Marketing at SmartSheet, says, “A sponsor stands up for you in the decision-making circle. They vouch for you, so you have to build a relationship with that person by documenting your accomplishments and showing them every quarter. trust” Communicate them to sponsors, along with a vision of where you want to be and when.
Without an internal sponsor, planners can face an obstacle that remains ingrained in many organizations: unconscious bias. Quigley hit this roadblock about 20 years ago, temporarily slowing her career. “A male colleague got promoted at the software company I worked for, according to our manager, because ‘he has a family and he needs it.'” But I also have young children at home! “
However, because so few men take time off to care for children or the elderly (less than 15 per cent of men in the country do so, according to Workplace Gender Equality Australia), female employees must actively counter any preconceptions policymakers may have. view.
“For the first 10 to 12 years of my children’s lives, I chose to accelerate my career,” Quigley said. “When they become teenagers, I want to be involved in their lives and experiences. When they go to college, I can accelerate again.”
Johnson added, “You need to find a balance that works for you. I tell my coworkers that sometimes I will leave at 3 p.m. to go to my kid’s basketball game. Clear communication with coworkers and bosses is very important.”
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For the first week of March, check out the latest issue of MeetingsNet Digital Magazine and its cover story: From Planner to Executor: 4 Stories. It documents the career paths of female leaders who have risen through the ranks of event planning and offers advice for planners aspiring to leadership positions.
related articles:
How women can crack the career code
How women can excel in the meetings industry
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