Sponsors are the new mentor

I've been preaching for a long time that having a mentor isn't enough to get you big dog status. The Washington Post has a great article that drives that point home. From the Washington Post: Much ado has been made recently about the importance of sponsors, versus mentors, in the career advancement of women. Just this summer, Catalyst released a study, Sponsoring Women to Success , pointing to the fact that sponsorship may in fact be the single most critical strategy for accelerating a woman’s career.

So just what is the difference between a mentor and sponsor? Think of mentors as the friendly guides who dispense helpful information, offering up input and advice to mentees. Sponsors, on the other hand, are defined by their organizational clout and ability to open doors; they will personally advocate for a cause, project or promotion on a protégé’s behalf.

Women, it’s time to get a sponsor.

What may in effect sound like a slight distinction actually has major implications. Research substantiates that women tend to lag behind men when it comes to promotions, even when women have mentors. Yet when women’s mentors are high ranking—that is to say, when they fall into the ‘sponsor’ category—women are just as likely as men to get promoted. As the Catalyst study authors note, a sponsor “can propel a protégé to the top of a list or pile of candidates or even eliminate the list itself.”

Read the rest here.

Getting it together

My life has taken a big turn from worklife balance to crazy tightrope of life. As always Rosetta Thurman has been able to put this feeling together in a beautiful blog post about how to start getting it back together. From Rosetta:

I probably don’t have to tell you just how many things are vying for our attention these days. Well, maybe I do. I have a point to make here. We’ve all got so much to do all the time that it seems to be getting harder to concentrate fully on everything we have to do in the first place. Couple that with technology and you have all the possibility that more opportunities, more networking, and more connections bring.  Alas, they also bring the little things.

You know, the little things that run counter to that “balanced life” we all seem to want to lead. Little things like email (we all get way too much), social media (it’s great, but who can really keep up with 12,000 people on Twitter?), long to-do lists at work and at home (where not much ever seems to really get “crossed off”), tedious meetings and conference calls (many of which seem unnecessary). All these little things add up to one big thing.

I’ve been putting off hiring another assistant ever since business slowed down for me late last year. But then what happens? All spring, all summer and now fall, my speaking and coaching schedule is heating up, and things are moving faster than I can keep up with them. I’m like the little tortoise trying to enjoy the race and the hare is just whizzing by, running around me in circles, taunting me with a full inbox, piled up voicemails and the red glare of unread Facebook updates.

Thing is, I suspect that I’m not alone. Everyone in my circle always seems so damn busy. (Or maybe I just need a new circle?) With the pace of technology, many of us seem to have gone way beyond that magic 150 number of people we can sanely keep track of in our mental rolodex.

Read the rest here.

Become an organizational change agent

There seem to be a common complaint among people that are frustrated with their organizations, it sounds something like this "my boss is an idiot" or "my organization is a mess, it is so hard to get things done". I get the frustration but don't get the common reaction, which is to continuously complain about the situation and not do anything about it. That's where this great blog post from YNPN Detroit comes in handy. Learn how to become an organizational change agent. From YNPN Detroit:

As we look to transform our community, we often overlook the powerful role that we can play as change agents within our own organization. After all, if we work to ensure our organizations are more effective and just, we can help to boost their transformative impact.

But becoming an organizational change agent isn’t always easy. Here are some thoughts for how you can get started:

• Prove yourself. The leadership of your organization is not going to be interested in seeing you take on additional projects if you haven’t demonstrated success in the work you were hired to do. Make sure you are always delivering over and above on the work you’ve been assigned before you start exploring other opportunities to impact the organization.
• Start small. You might have a grand idea that would have a transformative impact on the organization’s work, but most likely that won’t be the first place you are able to exercise influence. Find areas where you can build up a number of small wins, so that you can earn the trust you need to tackle the big things.
• Find allies. Not everyone is interested in listening to the young “whipper snapper” who’s full of ideas. That means that some times you need to send your message through someone else. Find those folks in management who are most receptive to change, and let them carry your ideas forward. Better to see the change take place than to get the credit.

Read the rest here

Speakers Announced For Leadership Intensive

The speakers for the Nonprofit Rockstar Leadership Intensive have been announced. The full list is below but let me just say how excited I am that these experts from the nonprofit sector, government, and philanthropy will be sharing their insights with the retreat participants. I'm even more excited that I will get to learn from their stories of leadership. More info about the retreat is at www.becomeanonprofitrockstar.com. Rebecca Cokley | Director of Priority Placement for Public Engagement, White House Presidential Personnel Office

“Personal Branding for Career Advancement and Community Impact”

Rebecca is responsible for outreach to constituency communities to identify the most qualified candidates to fill political appointments across all agencies. She previously served as the Confidential Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education and has spent the last 15 years reaching out to marginalized and underrepresented communities. During the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Rebecca served on the leadership team of the Obama Disability Policy Committee. Rebecca has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California Santa Cruz and is an alumnus of the Education Policy Fellowship Program.

Robert Egger | Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen

“Authentic Leadership: What It Is, What It Looks Like and How He Does It”

Robert Egger is the Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen, the country’s first “community kitchen”, where food donated by hospitality businesses and farms is used to fuel a nationally recognized culinary arts job training program, where unemployed men and women learn marketable skills while donations are converted into balanced meals. Since opening in 1989, the Kitchen has produced over 23 million meals and helped 800 men and women gain full time employment. The Kitchen operates its own revenue generating business, Fresh Start Catering, as well as the Campus Kitchens Project, which coordinates similar recycling/meal programs in 30 college or high school based kitchens.

In Washington, Robert was the founding Chair of both the Mayor’s Commission on Nutrition and Street Sense, Washington’s “homeless” newspaper. He was also the Co-Convener of the first Nonprofit Congress, held in Washington DC in 2006.

Robert’s book on the non-profit sector, Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient and Rewarding For All, was released in 2004 by HarperCollins. It received the 2005 McAdam Prize for “Best Nonprofit Management Book” by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management.

Robert was included in the Non Profit Times list of the “50 Most Powerful and Influential” nonprofit leaders from 2006-2009. He was the recipient of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s 2007 “Lifetime Achievement” award and the 2004 James Beard Foundation “Humanitarian of the Year” award. He has been named an Oprah Angel, a Washingtonian of the Year, a Point of Light and one of the Ten Most Caring People in America, by the Caring Institute. He is also a 14-gallon blood donor to the American Red Cross.

Robert speaks throughout the country and internationally on the subjects of hunger, sustainability, nonprofit political engagement and social enterprise. He writes blogs and editorials to share his ideas about the nonprofit sector and the future of America.  To check out Robert’s most recent speaking schedule, blogs, and editorials, please visit www.robertegger.org.

Melissa Johnson | Executive Director of Neighborhood Funders Group

“Movin’ On Up: Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Nonprofit Executive Director”

Melissa Johnson is the Executive Director of the Neighborhood Funders Group. Prior to NFG, Melissa served as the national field director for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.  With over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit  sector, she has served as a philanthropic consultant helping to seed giving circles, develop models of community philanthropy, and advising foundations on issues of social justice and racial equity. Melissa’s career in philanthropy began in her work with community foundations in her native state of North Carolina where she served as a program officer and other key roles in rural and urban grantmaking, funding collaboratives, and major community initiatives. Additionally, her prior work at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits grounded her commitment to build nonprofit capacity and strengthen the sector as a whole.

She holds a B.A. in English and Sociology from Wake Forest University and a Masters of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration on community practice and community development. Melissa’s voluntary service has spanned several organizations including Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, Guatemala Human Rights Campaign-USA, North Carolina’s Youth for Tomorrow (ncyt), NCNG Emerging Leaders Network, United Way of Greensboro, YWCA of Greensboro, Resource Generation, and the University of North Carolina’s School of Social Work Alumni Council.

Monisha Kapila | Founder and CEO of ProInspire

“Developing Valuable Expertise: Essential Skills for Nonprofit Managers”

Monisha founded ProInspire to address the gap between nonprofits that seek broader pools of talent, and business professionals who want to transition into the sector. Monisha brings 10 years of experience in the business and nonprofit sectors. Most recently she was a Senior Marketing Manager for Capital One Financial Corporation. Prior to Capital One, she was a Harvard Business School Leadership Fellow with ACCION International, a pioneer in the commercial approach to microfinance. Monisha has worked with a number of leading non-profit organizations throughout her career, including CARE, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and the Clinton Foundation. She began her career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen.

Monisha has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was recipient of the Dean’s Award, and a BBA with distinction from the University of Michigan. She received her Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. Monisha is an Advisor to the Social Enterprise Program at American University and previously served as Vice Chair of the Board for the I Do Foundation.

Time to Reap and a Time to Sow

The last 6 months have been a whirlwind. I have had the opportunity to meet amazing young professionals across the country as I have been touring for "How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar", the book was nominated for a  Terry McAdam Book Award, which has brought new visibility and years of relationship building on behalf of Headwaters has led to new collaborations and enhanced resources to do our work.

I am really excited about all of this wonderful things that are happening but when I had a second to breathe I was reminded that I need to plant seeds for the next harvest. All of these things have happened because of hard work and planning and the time to do that hard work is not when you are ready to do the next harvest. I will admit that it is hard to plan for the future when you are really enjoying the present but that is when it is the most critical.

That is why I am personally so excited about the Nonprofit Rockstar Leadership Intensive that is happening September 30 to October 2nd in Washington DC. We have nonprofit professionals from all over the country coming to plant the seeds for their next harvest and that sort of environment is what it will take for me to get my own house in order. Taking 3 days out of the year to plan for the future may feel like a luxury but it is a definite necessity if you want to be able to do your best work and increase your sense of purpose. I hope you join me there.

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