The Hidden Flaws In Your Mentorship: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Construction Career

SEASON 4 | Episode 4 | Why Your Current Mentorships Aren’t Elevating Your Career

Are you in the construction industry and looking for mentorship to take your career to the next level? It’s a common desire, but did you know that not all mentorship relationships are created equal?

In this episode of the Space to Build Podcast, our guest, Andrea Janzen, a Certified Executive Coach with an MBA, breaks down the difference between Sponsorship and Mentorship and the unconscious bias associated with them.

Andrea is passionate about coaching women in construction to develop themselves, set leadership goals, and get results. She has coached and trained over 1,000 construction professionals since 2018.

Andrea explains the difference between Sponsorship and Mentorship, two concepts that are often used interchangeably. Mentorship involves a more experienced person sharing their knowledge and experience with a less experienced person. Sponsorship, on the other hand, involves an individual in a position of power advocating for a less experienced person and using their influence to help that person advance in their career.

Andrea goes on to explain the unconscious bias associated with mentorship and sponsorship, particularly in the construction industry. For example, men may be more likely to sponsor other men, leading to a lack of opportunities for women and other underrepresented groups.

She also shares her hot take on formal mentorship programs – they aren’t nearly as effective as anticipated. Mentorships and sponsorships are stronger when they happen organically, with individuals building relationships and advocating for each other based on shared interests and goals.

If you’re interested in learning more, Andrea also shares information about her leadership coach program and podcast. And as a bonus, she and I also discuss public speaking and how she built her confidence as a conference presenter.

If you’re in the construction industry and looking to take your career to the next level, it’s worth taking the time to understand the nuances of mentorship and sponsorship by listening to today’s episode.

Check it out here.

Want More?

If you enjoyed this episode of the Space to Build Podcast with Andrea, you will also enjoy this episode of the Ambition Theory Podcast. I join her as a guest on her show to talk about how to attract and retain the next generation of emerging construction professionals. Some of episode’s highlights include:

The value that younger millennials and Gen Z bring to the construction industry.
How you can connect and build relationships in unconventional ways.
The unfortunate truth is that women don’t always support other women.

Andrea and I would love your feedback on both episodes. If you have a moment, do you mind leaving us a review letting us know what you think?