Fiona Jackson & Radhika Bajaj - How to Find a Sponsor for Career Growth

Sometimes you need more than a career mentor, you need a sponsor!In this episode of Leaders With Babies, we focus on finding a sponsor and why exactly they are so crucial for your career.So what is a sponsor? A sponsor is a senior leader who advocates for you, believes in you, and champions you at work and the evidence is very clear that having a sponsor makes a massive difference for the career progression of parents. Plus, it's also very helpful for when you need to have those tough conversations around flexible working.I chat with Leaders Plus Mentors Fiona Jackson and Radhika Bajaj to hear their real-life experience of finding a sponsor and how it benefitted their careers. Fiona is an award-winning expert in diversity and inclusion and Radhika is an experienced recruitment specialist team leader and both managed to find senior leaders to champion them early on in their career as working parents.They share practical advice on how parents - especially mothers - can find, manage, and leverage a sponsor to help progress their careers.We hope you enjoy our conversation.This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 Lockdown.Are you progressing a big career whilst raising small children? Each month we send out a helpful round-up email featuring useful info and brave new ideas for ambitious mums and dads. Sign up now.Applications are now open for our NHS FellowshipOur FMLM accredited NHS Fellowship is a career development programme for working parents in the NHS who want to lead positive change. Apply by 11/07. Find out more.

Om Podcasten

Big Careers Small Children helps ambitious parents progress careers they love whilst being present with their children. Through honest and informal conversation, senior leaders divulge what they have learnt on their own journey of combining big careers with young children to our host Verena Hefti MBE. Expect lots of aha moments, inspiration, fresh ideas, and practical support, so you can move forward in your career in a way that works for you and your family.This podcast is hosted by our social enterprise Leaders Plus. We believe that no parent should have to choose between progressing the career they love and enjoying their young children. Through the Big Careers, Small Children podcast and our award-winning Fellowship Programme, we have supported thousands of Leaders with young children to make brave decisions about their future. We unapologetically help more mums (and dads with significant caring responsibilities) to get to senior leadership positions, because only by helping parents to progress their career can we have true gender equality at the top and address the gender pay gap.Be part of our positive movement for change and sign up to receive our informative monthly emails at www.leadersplus.org.uk/newsletterWe hope you enjoy listening to our podcast and invite you to follow us on social media @leaders_plus #BigCareersSmallChildren