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Women in pharma: Mentorship and sponsorship, why you need both

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A scientist by training with a PhD in Organic Chemistry, Barbara Morgan is responsible for the CDMO division of Lubrizol Life Science Health.  She is passionate about women in leadership and science and is the co-chair for Women in Lubrizol Leadership (WILL). In this series, Barbara discusses key themes around women in the pharma industry and offers advice for aspiring female leaders and their wider teams.

Focus from the first rung of the ladder

When discussing the progress of female talent in any industry, it is tempting to focus solely on women who have already made their way to the top. These leaders offer insights into their own journeys and the strategies that helped them get there. But what about the women just starting out and looking to lay the groundwork for a successful career?

A recent survey for McKinsey and Lean found that obstacles facing women can start long before the leadership level and in fact, at the very first promotion, in what they call ‘the broken rung’.  In their survey of 600 companies, they found that for every 100 men getting their first promotion, just 72 women are promoted.

Ensuring that women aren’t overlooked for opportunities early on in their careers requires a concerted effort and support from a variety of sources: inclusive organisational processes, supportive managers, mentors and sponsors. And while much of the corporate focus is on organisational infrastructure and training managers, it is important to also pay attention to the vital role that mentors and sponsors can have in advancing careers. The mentor and sponsor terms often get conflated, but they serve different purposes. In short, mentors advise you and sponsors advocate for you, and while mentoring programs are industry standard, it is just as important if not more important to have sponsors as well. This is especially critical for women since the vast majority (85%) need navigational support to advance their careers but studies have shown that they receive it much less often than men.   

In looking at mentor selection, keep in mind that they are there to provide support, advice and a trusted sounding board for ideas. They are not there to help you get a promotion or to provide you with new opportunities. Having been a mentor and mentee for several years, my key advice for effective mentorship is to have mentors or be a mentor that offers a different perspective. Understanding what your challenges are and receiving feedback from someone with an alternative insight, style and experience level to your own can provide invaluable learnings. This also builds on the continued theme from my previous article that diverse perspectives lead to improved outcomes.

Keep in mind that mentors don’t necessarily have to be in top senior positions or even people within your own organisation - it’s important to think externally not just internally. It’s an obvious choice to ask those who work closest to you or who have followed a similar path to yours, but someone from another department, or in your broader professional network, may also offer invaluable advice that gets you thinking outside the box. If we apply this perspective principle to women’s careers then there is a strong case for gender balanced mentorship, as opposed to all-female mentor groups.

As mentioned earlier, the perspectives gained from mentorship are just one piece of the puzzle. Ideas alone will not get you very far if you don’t have people to speak up for you in senior meetings. For women especially, an important and often overlooked element of career progression is sponsorship. Many decisions about talent and opportunities are made when you’re not in the room, so it’s important to have an advocate who can put you forward for the right opportunities to fuel your progression. This figure may be the individual acting as your mentor but not necessarily. Sponsorship can come from someone who is outside of your day-to-day working circle - you may have impressed them on a one-off project, for example.

Research has shown that men are particularly adept at sponsorship strategies and ensuring they have someone to keep them informed of upcoming opportunities. In contrast, women often lag behind on this and figures estimate that less than a third have a sponsor. To address the sponsorship imbalance and ensure that fewer females fall off at the first rung, it’s vital to have programmes in place that can guide and inspire.

My top tips for making the most out of mentorship and sponsorship include:

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