Supervisor, Mentor or Sponsor?

So often, supervisors become mentors or mentors become sponsors, but it’s worthwhile to be intentional when building this aspect of your network.

By definition, a supervisor observes and directs the execution of tasks.

So, what does a good manager look like to you? Regardless of what level you’re at, are you actually seeking someone to literally direct your work, or do you want a mentor, or maybe a sponsor?

A mentor is an advisor who can offer advice and help you work toward your goals. It makes sense that many of us seek a supervisor who’s also a mentor.

Most think of a mentor as someone more senior to them, but there’s also peer mentoring and reverse mentoring.

To paraphrase a recent HBR article, the difference between a mentor and a sponsor is that a sponsor actively advocates for someone and uses their connections to open doors.

This article spotlights new research actually derived from following pharma companies for 25 years and goes on to say that women in particular often benefit from having a sponsor. “Third-party ties allow women to be seen through the prism of their strengths and competencies rather than through a lens clouded by societal preconceptions.”

Whether you have a great boss who’s also your mentor or you work for yourself, our profession as communicators is built on a foundation of relationships.

It takes time for such relationships to blossom, but our aim is for Ticket to Biotech to be a place to reconnect with each other as well as to jumpstart new connections, including for mentors and sponsors. What do you seek in these types of relationships?