OC20: Career Lifelines with Dr. Jovina Ang

Dr. Jovina Ang is a hugely successful corporate leader and has worked for multiple Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Dell and Cisco Systems. Throughout her career she has been interested in evaluating the contributors to career success and she studied this topic academically for her Ph.D. Jovina has also spoken widely and written a book about the importance of career lifelines; what are they? Why they are so important for establishing a successful career and how do you go about in developing them? Jovina began our conversation by describing the difference between a career sponsor, a mentor and a coach. All are important but there is a hierarchy and the real career lifeline is the sponsor because they will advocate for you and take active steps to propel you forward. A sponsor is vested in your success. Building relationships is a key skill in any occupation and for those not keen on networking it is especially important to build a strong relationship with a line manager. Part of this relationship includes being prepared to discuss career aspirations. The magic of asking for help and establishing a clear career pathway is a huge step forward. There are a few key reasons why people take the step of becoming a career sponsor; some do it to give back; some to cement their own position and some because it makes them feel better. However, in order to benefit from a sponsor's vital career lifeline the sponsee must engage and be prepared to be an active partner and above all deliver in their role.