What is Sponsorship at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain? And How to Build it Effectively.
Sponsorship in MBB consulting is an absolutely important ingredient for successful career growth. But many lateral hires struggle with understanding what sponsorship is and building it effectively.
What is Sponsorship at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain?
And how to build it to get your next promotion.
When I joined McKinsey at 34 as a lateral hire, sponsorship was the weirdest thing for me. I just couldn't understand what that meant.
I worked with partners. They were somewhat friendly to me. I worked really hard, busting my *ss for them. What else was I supposed to do? I just couldn't get it.
But apparently, all of that was not enough.
My hard work was taken for granted. And partners simply didn't care if I worked really hard.
At the same time, I could see how partners treated other consultants preferentially. But they were doing seemingly similar work to what I was doing.
It felt extremely unfair. I thought partners were unfair. I thought that to build strong sponsorship, I had to schmooze and brown-nose. I didn't want to do that.
As a result, I decided that consulting was not for me. I was not cut out for this job.
I only understood what sponsorship was later, when I became an EM and AP.
I could just see that some consultants deserved to be supported, and some did not.
They were not just working hard. They were going the extra mile. They were highly valuable. They stood out from the crowd.
They didn’t work harder. Everyone was working hard. But they were working better. The quality of their ideas, insights, and so-whats was on another level.
It was a no-brainer who to support. And it was not about schmoozing and brown-nosing. It was about the value they created.
If you are an MBB lateral hire struggling with sponsorship and want to build a strong support partner group, I recorded a new YouTube video discussing this and sharing some practical tips and tricks.
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