The importance of sponsors vs. mentors during the recession

"In times of strife, men are more likely to have role models or mentors who can protect or guide them through company instability" says Ilene Lang, CEO of Catalyst Inc. "The recession has not been kind to women." Wall Street Journal

We have been coached for decades to get mentors. We were appointed mentors, have debated self selecting vs. being assigned mentors, we have learned how to find mentors. But as women, I'm afraid we haven't been looking for the right things. We have found a great support group - people who can listen and provide advice and perspective... people who can commiserate and pump us back up... people who can share experiences and stories.

What we haven't found are people who will protect us from the inevitable landmines, who will pull us through the organization, who will give us the challenging and visible roles, and who will set us up to be seen as a leader. People who will push us to the senior leadership positions.

And this is hurting us. It's especially important when times are uncertain - we need people to guide us through the company's challenges.

As a mother of girls, I am worried about how to help them learn to find the people they need to pull them into leadership roles.  Yes it is important to find a good support group of mentors - but that is easier and more natural for us. It is harder and requires more guidance to find the person/people to sponsor us in the company.