#professional-networks

#professional-networks

These events, also called retreats, bring colleagues together for a mix of structured activities and free time - freeing them from their regular work obligations. For one or two days, employees take a mandatory break from their normal routines at work and at home. Participants spend a lot of that time making small talk with colleagues, as well as engaging in structured interactions that may include awkward icebreakers.

Sponsorship, or the act of using your own social capital to advocate for a junior employee, is often touted as a fix for inequities and key for fostering the talent pipeline. While it's true that most protégés generally benefit from receiving sponsorship, this relationship doesn't have to be only about the protégé. It can also present an opportunity for the sponsor to grow, allowing them to deepen and expand their own relationships with peers and senior leaders as they help connect a junior employee.