Having and having a career sponsor

So a little while ago a friend, kinda fabulous friend and all round amazing women, asked me to write about having a career sponsor.

At the time I felt like a bit of an imposter. I didn't really know anything about the topic apart from a general idea of how cool it would be to have a career sponsor. At the time I couldn't say I had ever had one.

Then this thing happened at work. A fairly major structure change and people were ringing me, and asking how it affected me! Well. Truth be told, long story short, it wasn't that great. I always respect the need for businesses to make decisions,  however if they affect me negatively and my career goals, well then, I'm not going to be happy about it.

The skeptical part of me said that those people calling thought I might have the inside scoop on the changes (I didn't) and the part of me that thought these people cared, said the opposite. I would say 90% were the later.

You see my purpose is to make organisations better place for people to be. I do this through working with leaders, to help them be better and more effective. Maybe that sounds naff, but I don't care. That's me. And I want to work in organisations where I get to do that, at least for some of the time.

The change in structure, in part, would hinder my ability to do this. So what do I do? What would you  do?

I always believe that we all have choices. Some are better than others of course. Should I take a few days off and build my network and meet all the Senior HR recruiters in Singapore? Or should I stay put and ride it out?

My decision rested on a number of people who advocated for me and supported me. People who I thought might think I was ok, or did an ok job, but who actually spoke up and were positive supporters. I guess I had hoped they would, but learning that they took some sort of action....well, I was/am humbled. Some were my peers and some were more senior. Wow!

That doesn't mean that anything has changed except for knowing I have some powerful supporters, and that is pretty cool.

Tell me about your career sponsors.....