“No one gets to where they are on their own,” is a famous sentiment that is bandiedaround from the likes of Oprah to Elon Musk.
The fact is that you need the support of others, a strong network, to help you achievemore. If you want to advance in your career, you need to learn to step up and exerciseyour skills differently, which means having the right support and guidance from others whohave been there too. This helps you build your confidence and the ability to take on anelement of risk, which comes with any kind of leap or change.
Getting the right people, or sponsors, in place is crucial to help you step into more seniorroles. A sponsor is to advocate for you when and where you need to be more visible –they put your name forward for roles you did not know existed or might be coming vacant,for example.
However, it’s important to be very conscious about what sponsorship or network you needto support you in your career.
Here are five steps to follow to help you do that.