Sponsorship is the most valuable resource in consulting

Sponsorship is essential for a career progression in consulting. But, consultants often struggle to build it effectively.

As a consultant, I had no idea I needed to build sponsorship. I didn’t even understand what it really meant.

I was a good 'worker bee'. I believed I would be fine if I did my job well. But I was far from fine.

I was missing the invisible ingredient of success. It was like a dark matter; you could not see it, but it held everything together.

Then, I met my true sponsor.

His name was Tim. He was a superstar manager, two years ahead of me. He was extremely smart. His unique skill was building fantastic relationships with senior leaders and clients.

Over time, we became good friends.

He helped me navigate the firm. He went above and beyond to support me. He proactively created opportunities, introduced me to partners, and vouched for me. He mobilized and rallied partners to support my promotion.

I could ask him any question and get a sharp and practical answer. It felt like having a flashlight and a map in the intricate system of caves.

I realized that this was not an ordinary relationship. I was so grateful that whenever he called me, my world would stop, and I would focus only on his requests.

Interestingly, I had known Tim for a few years before he started supporting me.

But he started supporting me only when I dramatically improved my performance. Remember when I told you a story about Alex, a bright business analyst who taught me How to Create Great Slides?

In hindsight, I understand that Tim started supporting me only when I became valuable to him. And he became comfortable associating his name and reputation with me.

That was a profound insight for me.

High performance is an essential prerequisite for building strong relationships. Only then can you look for people willing to sponsor you.

But building sponsorships is not easy.

It’s the culmination of all your hard work.

Here are five principles for building sponsorship:

1. Don't beg for sponsorship, earn it

First, help someone, help them again, then again, again and again, and only then might you have a raving fan.

Please, understand this. Your partners are extremely busy. At some point, all consultants start looking the same to them.

But if one consultant stands out by doing fantastic work and adding lots of value, partners can't help but notice.

Average work won't cut it here.

In a competitive meritocracy, fantastic work is the best way to differentiate. You must impress and over-deliver.

2. Look for a personal fit

We are all humans and have our own preferences.

There are people you instantly hit it off with, and others with whom you can't find a common language.

Learn to recognize YOUR people early and prioritize them over other random people.

3. Sponsorship is a by-product, not an end goal

Don’t approach this transactional and mechanically.

Remember, you want to build strong relationships with your partners when they care about you and go out of their way to help you.

The foundation of a great relationship is Trust.

I really like this formula of trust:

Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-Orientation

Building Credibility, Reliability, and Intimacy takes time, but you can give up Self-Orientation just by your own decision.

4. Not everyone can be a great sponsor

Some people simply are not capable of being great sponsors.

They are very transactional in nature and don't see any value in supporting others.

Spot these people early and don't bother investing time in them. No amount of fantastic work can change them.

Keep good professional relationships with them, but don't overinvest and expect fantastic results. Otherwise, you will be sorely disappointed.

But also be careful labeling people. If you realize that all the people around you are not sponsor material, maybe it’s not them but something with how you work. It can’t be that all the people around you are bad.

5. Share your wins with your sponsors

This one is so simple, but many consultants don’t do it.

Give your sponsors credit for helping you.

They will think of your success as their own.

It will cost you nothing but will strengthen your relationships.

It will motivate them to make you even more successful.

But be sincere.

People can recognize insincerity pretty well.

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I focus on helping MBB consultants from a very niche segment:

- active MBB consultants (generalists);
- experienced hires;
- post-MBA or post-PhD;
- in their 30s;
- second-year consultants (>12 months tenure);
- in good standing (no negative rating);

These consultants face the most challenging times in consulting, and I know this because this was my personal experience. Now, I want to help these consultants succeed and experience much less stress and pain.

This narrow specialization allows me to provide very precise and tangible advice to these consultants to accelerate time to impact.

I developed a coaching program for MBB consultants to help them achieve high performance and become successful.

If you are an MBB consultant and sick of struggling with performance and development, I would like to speak with you.

Book a Free 1-1 Consultation to discuss whether I can help you through my coaching program. There is no commitment, and you can ask any burning questions in a risk-free environment.

Read this post to learn more about the Hero’s Journey coaching program.

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