Who Are You Developing?

What if developing people isn’t something leaders do in addition to the work, but the work itself?

Shan K. Bagby challenges the way we think about mentorship, arguing that as leaders become more senior, developing others becomes an increasingly important part of their responsibility. He identifies three modes of mentorship: direct mentorship, sponsorship, and institutional investment, each offering a different way to extend a leader’s influence.

The distinction between mentorship and sponsorship is particularly powerful. Mentorship offers guidance and perspective. Sponsorship requires leaders to use their own credibility and influence to create opportunities for others. At the institutional level, leaders can build structures that make development accessible and sustainable beyond individual relationships.

For HLF, this connects directly to a broader question: how do we develop healthcare leaders at scale? Individual coaching and mentoring matter, but so do the systems, communities, and cultures that make leadership development part of how organizations operate.

And the responsibility goes both ways. Bagby reminds us that effective leaders never stop being learners themselves. Staying open to challenge and continuing to seek mentorship may be essential to developing others.

Reflection Questions

• Are you primarily mentoring, or are you also sponsoring people?

• Where could you use your influence to create an opportunity for someone else?

• What structures could your organization build to make developing people part of the work?

• Who is still challenging your thinking and helping you grow?