How to Use Advocates for Career Growth

Your sponsor just left. The one who advocated for you in rooms you weren't in. The one who pulled you onto high-visibility projects. The one whose name next to yours meant something. Gone. And suddenly you realize how much of your career was built on a single relationship. I've watched this play out dozens of times in 25+ years in financial services. A leader loses their sponsor to a reorg, a departure, a retirement, and they're left scrambling. Not because they weren't talented. Because they were under-networked. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵. One sponsor is a single point of failure. If your entire visibility, protection, and advocacy runs through one person, you've built a career on borrowed infrastructure. And borrowed infrastructure gets called back without warning. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. You need advocates across functions, levels, and power centers. Not just one champion, but a coalition of people who know your work and will speak for you. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝘁. If the only senior people who know you are the ones your sponsor introduced you to, you're exposed. Find ways to contribute to cross-functional initiatives, volunteer for enterprise-wide projects, build your own relationships with decision-makers. 𝗕𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘆𝗲𝘁. The best time to build relationships is when you don't need anything. Share insights. Make introductions. Offer value with no ask attached. Those are the relationships that hold when the ground shifts. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁. Stop asking: "Who's sponsoring me?" Start asking: "How many people in this organization would go to bat for me if my sponsor disappeared tomorrow?" If the answer is one or two, that's your wake-up call. Your sponsor leaving doesn't have to be a career crisis. It can be the push you needed to stop relying on one relationship and start building the broader network that will carry you through every reorg, every leadership change, and every unexpected exit. 💭 Have you ever lost a sponsor and had to rebuild? What did you learn? ------------ ♻️ Share with someone whose career depends too heavily on one relationship 🔔 Follow Courtney Intersimone for real talk on leadership and career mastery

The most overlooked skill in career growth? Strategic relationships. Not just mentors. Not just peers. → 80% of all jobs (including executive roles) are filled through networking and personal connections. (Source: LinkedIn Editors, 2025) I didn’t ask for a seat at the table. At 27, someone I trusted pulled out the chair before I knew I needed one. That moment changed everything. And now? I see the same silent pattern in high achievers every day: They don’t stall because they’re unprepared. They stall because they’re unremembered. You don’t rise by being good alone. You rise when your name is spoken in rooms you haven’t entered yet. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design. That’s why you need to build your Invisible Board of Allies™ before you need a bailout. Here are 7 essential roles to future-proof your career: 1/ The Sponsor Advocates for you in rooms you're not in. → You don’t ask them to fight for you. They already are. 2/ The Challenger Pushes your thinking forward. → If no one’s poking holes in your logic, you’re not growing. 3/ The Connector Builds bridges where you see walls. → Introduces you to people and opportunities you never knew existed. 4/ The Mirror Reflects your blind spots with care. → The one who says, “Here’s what you’re missing—and why it matters.” 5/ The Emerging Peer Grows with you. → You rise together and celebrate each other’s wins out loud. 6/ The Truth Teller Gives feedback you don’t want to hear, but desperately need. → They’ll risk your comfort to protect your growth. 7/ The Legacy Holder Reminds you of your 𝘸𝘩𝘺 when you’re tempted to settle for the 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. → Keeps your leadership aligned with your purpose. Keeps you anchored in purpose. Your dream role isn’t waiting on a job board. It’s waiting on a conversation. Start here to build your personal board: ✔ Audit your circle → Who challenges you? Who champions you? ✔ Initiate → Reconnect. Reintroduce yourself. ✔ Give first → Share insight. Make intros. Celebrate others. ✔ Show up when it’s not about you → That’s when trust is built. ✔ Repeat weekly  → Consistency is everything. You’re one relationship away from your next level. If your name isn’t being spoken in the rooms that matter, build a board that puts it there. Before burnout. Before breakdown. Before missed opportunity. Social capital isn’t soft. It’s strategy. Which of the 7 roles do you need most right now? And which one are you playing on someone else’s board? ➕ Follow @Loren Rosario-Maldonado, PCC for career growth insights that actually move the needle. 💬 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳™ 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦? DM me “BOARD” and I’ll send it your way.

The best promotions don't go to the most talented people. I’ve worked with thousands of professionals in my career. If there’s anything I’ve noticed after a decade in tech, it’s the fact that the promotions and high-visibility projects go to those with advocates. Here are the key reasons why advocates are essential for career growth (and some practical tips to gain and nurture them) 🔵 Advocates amplify your visibility. ↳ They talk about your achievements to others. This spreads your name and work beyond your immediate circle. 𝗧𝗶𝗽: If you’re a heads down person like me, it’s time to lift your head up to build relationships with colleagues and mentors who can vouch for your skills and contributions. 🔵 Advocates provide opportunities. ↳ They recommend you for projects and roles. This opens doors that you might not even know exist. 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Show your value consistently so that advocates feel confident in recommending you. 🔵 Advocates build your credibility. ↳ They lend their reputation to yours. This enhances your professional standing and trustworthiness. 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Maintain integrity and professionalism to ensure advocates are proud to support you. 🔵 Advocates ensure your efforts are recognized. ↳ They make sure your hard work is seen by decision-makers.This leads to promotions and career advancement. 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Document your achievements and share them with your advocates regularly. Bonus: 🔵 Advocates help you build a network. ↳ They introduce you to influential people. This expands your professional connections and opportunities. 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Your network is one of the most valuable things you’ll take with you in your career. Don’t let these opportunities go to waste! Seize the opportunity to build strong advocates and supercharge your career in the final months of 2024. If you’re not sure where to find your first advocate, try building a good relationship with your manager. Here’s my FREE LinkedIn Learning Course that can help you turn your managers into your #1 advocates: https://lnkd.in/gPXXNckd 💬 What are your obstacles when it comes to finding advocates at work?

I used to think mentorship was the key to career growth. And while mentorship is great, here’s what I learned: advocacy is what actually moves you forward. 🔹 A mentor offers advice and guidance. 🔹 An advocate actively champions you in rooms you’re not in. During a recent career conversation, I realized I need both—but advocates are the ones who open doors. They’re the people who say your name in promotion discussions, recommend you for opportunities before they hit the market, and vouch for your value. I’m now focusing on identifying my advocates—inside and outside of my company. Who’s already invested in my success? How do I nurture those relationships? And how can I also be an advocate for others? If you’ve had an advocate in your career, how did you find them? #CareerGrowth #Leadership #Mentorship #Networking #ProfessionalDevelopment

Your skills transfer perfectly. But nobody's buying it. Someone recently asked me how to convince others their skills can transfer. (And if you're in the geoscience job search, you may be having this experience right now.) I gave them a general answer, but it's been bothering me. Because HAVING transferable skills isn't the problem. The problem? Communicating them in a way that lands - with the right person. Every successful career transition I've coached has one thing in common: they found that one advocate. Not five. Not ten. One person who saw their value and was willing to listen to their story. How do you find that person? And more importantly, how do you get them to see what you see? It starts with two things: 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 & 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 Stop talking about what you did. Start talking about what they need. Focus forward, not backward. Moving into A&D? Your technical skills matter, but only in the frame of your integration skills with a financial bent. The vocabulary changes. The focus shifts. You need to speak their language, not yours. This isn't just about swapping buzzwords. It's about understanding what keeps them up at night and positioning your experience as the solution. So first, do some research in this space. Read, analyze, talk to people, think about how you would explain where you fit in their narrative. Then reframe. Make the translation. Show them the value only you can bring. And while you're doing this research and reframing: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 Your advocate isn't just someone who likes you. They're someone who finds value in what you bring AND is willing to share their resources, make introductions, and vouch for you. How do you find them? Start with research conversations. Every informational interview serves two purposes: learning the landscape and testing whether this person could become your champion. If you two click, build the professional relationship through conversation. Another win: These research conversations naturally reveal the language and pain points you need for the reframe. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 Sometimes, no matter what you do, someone won't see your value. That's fine. Move on. The difference between those who successfully transition careers and those who don't? The successful ones kept searching until they found their advocate. Who was the advocate that changed your career trajectory?