Everyone talks about sponsors—the person who’s in the room when they’re deciding your future and actively advocating for you. But I feel like I only hear about sponsors after people have already succeeded. Like, nobody’s ever walked me through what that relationship actually looks like in real time, why a senior banker would choose to become someone’s sponsor, or what you’re supposed to do to earn that.
My worry is that ‘finding a sponsor’ is one of those concepts that sounds simple until you try it, and then you realize it’s way more nuanced. Like, does your direct MD automatically become your sponsor? Can you have multiple sponsors? Do you ask someone to be your sponsor or does that just happen naturally?
I’ve read stories about people whose careers took off after they found the right advocate. But I’m skeptical that those stories capture the actual early conversations or what made that person invest in their mentee.
Can someone break down what sponsor relationships actually look like from the inside? What would make an MD or partner actually choose to fight for your promotion?
A true sponsor relationship isn’t something you ‘ask for’—it’s earned through consistent demonstration of both competence and alignment with that person’s goals. Your direct MD becomes your sponsor when you consistently make their job easier: you deliver clean work, catch mistakes before they escalate, and show judgment that lets them trust you on complex deals. Secondary sponsors emerge when other senior bankers across your group see you repeatedly deliver value. The sponsor chooses to advocate because promoting you reflects well on them. They’re backing their judgment. I’ve sponsored associates because they made my life operationally easier and I was confident they wouldn’t embarrass me in front of clients. It starts simple and compounds. You don’t ask; you earn it through 18-24 months of being the person they call when stakes are high.
real talk: sponsor relationships aren’t mystery. they happen when a senior person decides you’re worth their political capital. and that decision usually comes down to whether you make them look good or at least don’t make them look bad. you’re not ‘finding’ a sponsor—you’re being useful enough that someone naturally wants to back you. most sponsor stories conveniently skip the part where the person just did their work really, really well for a couple years.
so it’s not something you force—it just develops naturally when you’re consistently valuable? that’s actually less stressful to think about
Yes! Focus on being excellent and thoughtful in your work. Build genuine relationships and let advocacy happen naturally. The right people will notice and support your growth!
Research on mentorship and sponsorship in investment banking shows that 73% of sponsor relationships begin informally through project-based collaboration rather than formal mentorship programs. The relationship typically matures over 18-36 months, with sponsors usually promoting individuals who’ve reduced their workload (clean execution, fewer errors) and increased their visibility to clients (positive feedback). Notably, most sponsors weren’t specifically ‘selected’—they emerged as the senior banker with highest interaction frequency and lowest friction.