The journey to executive leadership positions is rarely facilitated by going solo, and seldom follows a charted course, full of careful steps. That is why anyone aspiring to have a successful career needs mentors and sponsors.
While Hispanics make up 18 percent of the labor force, only about 11 percent are in management positions. And, according to the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) Corporate Inclusion Index, Latinos hold just 4 percent of executive officer positions. In associations, Latino representation is also slim. For example, the ASAE Research Foundation’s Benchmarking in Association Management: 2018–2019 Policies and Procedures, Volume 2, reports that only 6.5 percent of association staff members self-identify as Latino/Hispanic. With the projected increase of Latinos as a proportion of all U.S. workforce, a dearth of Latino leaders is a serious concern.
What can we do to increase the presence of Latinos and other underrepresented minorities in the C-suite? Mentors and sponsors make a difference, and anyone aspiring to career success and advancement needs both. The role and importance of mentors is well-recognized, but the concept of sponsors is not as pervasive in organizations. Yet the lack of sponsors has been identified by The Center for Talent Innovation (CTI), now Coqual, as one of the reasons few minorities hold executive positions at Fortune 500 companies.
Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE's Center for Association Leadership.