Leadership Capability

In This Section

Guide to Sustaining Organizational Change

Section 1.3: Sponsorship and Mentorship

Talent Processes

Section 3.0: Mentorship

1.3 Sponsorship and Mentorship

As board members and leaders of the organization, it is important to consider the role you play in equitably sponsoring and mentoring potential board candidates.

A sponsor is someone who talks about you in decision-making spaces and advocates for you using their own professional capital to help progress your career forward. Implementing formal mentorship and sponsorship programs enhances employee engagement and retention, improves employee performance, and promotes a culture of talent recognition and support.

As board members you can take the following actions within your organization:

Support the implementation of a formal sponsorship program, where managers and above are paired with employees from the five priority groups
Get board members committed to sponsoring and mentoring board candidates from the five priority groups, with the goal to recruit them to the board
Enable and support the success of potential board candidates from the five priority groups
- For example: Pair yourself with a high potential board candidate and sponsor them when they apply for a board position
- For example: Help and encourage new board members where you can, such as with board meeting preparation and sharing their points of view

As leaders, you can take the following actions within your organization:

Implement a formal sponsorship program, where managers and above are paired with employees from the five priority groups
Get managers on board and committed to mentoring employees from the five priority groups by highlighting benefits to both them and the organization
Advise mentors to encourage employees from the five priority groups to apply for leadership positions or promotions as they are less likely to do so
Promote the skills, talents, and ability of the individual you are sponsoring, and help them work through mistakes
Reach in at key moments and encourage, even nudge, towards the next role

3.0 Mentorship

Welcome to Mentorship!

Now that you have hired your leader, your next step is to help them grow within your organization.

Mentorship fosters a sense of belonging and ensures your leaders are able to learn from others on how to be successful within their role.

It is critical that mentorship is offered equally to everyone, and that the mentor opportunities cater to the unique identities of all leaders.

3.1 Mentorship: Formal Mentorship Opportunities

Formal mentorship opportunities are organization-developed programs that provide employees with the tools to enhance their leadership capabilities.

leading practices:

Focus specific mentorship programs / events on allyship to encourage leaders to support co-workers who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ and/or gender and sexually diverse individuals
Facilitate mentor training on how to become an impactful mentor and champion for leaders
Encourage senior leaders and board members to open space in their schedules to allow for mentorship opportunities for the next generation of leaders

Specific actions to follow:

Establish formal mentorship programs within your organization to support high-potential and board-ready talent in receiving active feedback and coaching to achieve senior leadership positions
Allow mentorship programs to be sponsored by senior leaders to ensure that junior leaders are receiving visibility and benefit from expansion of their network
Advise mentors to encourage mentees of priority groups and empower them to apply for leadership roles
Provide equal mentorship opportunities to all leaders to remove influence of informal mentorship mechanisms
Mentorship program activities should be inclusionary in nature. All mentees should receive an invitation and options to ensure the activity is not “traditionally exclusionary” (e.g. team-building events rather than golfing or hockey games, dinner at a restaurant rather than drinks after work)

Mentorship: Regional and Industry Considerations

Industry: Technology

The 2020 People of Colour in Tech report demonstrated that less than 5% of the workforce for large technology companies are composed of Black, Latinx and “Aboriginal” and/or Indigenous tech professionals. Employees of Colour find it difficult to access mentors, and Black employees reported it 62% more difficult to find a mentor than white respondents.

Priority group employees in the technology sector often do not see many leaders who look like them, and struggle to progress within the organization due to a lack of exposure.

Consider the following:

Design mentorship programs keeping in mind career progression, to enable priority group employees to achieve leadership positions
Host priority-group specific technology mentorship events, such as Black Professionals in Tech
Partner with community-based organizations to provide mentorship to young professionals looking to enter the technology industry

Region: Atlantic Canada

According to a 2022 report from the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, women are well represented in employment in Atlantic Canada, consisting of approximately 50% of the workforce. Racialized, Black and/or People of Colour however only account for about 1 in 20 workers. The report also indicated that Black employees specifically are less likely to be promoted to manager and leader roles.

Consider the following:

Provide mentorship opportunities specific to diverse talent and leaders new to Atlantic Canada to help them expand their local network, and reduce social isolation that often arises from not being a local
Ensure mentors can provide education and learning for those learning French, if required by the role
Provide training on intersectionality to mentors, so they are able to support diverse talent