The Web That Holds You: Why Leadership Isn’t a Solo Sport
Early in my career, there were leaders who saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself.
They didn’t just encourage me.
They advocated for me.
They put my name forward for assignments that stretched me.
They recommended me for rooms I hadn’t imagined entering.
They lent credibility to my leadership before I felt fully ready.
And in doing so, they built confidence in me that didn’t yet exist.
That’s sponsorship.
And it changes everything.
The Myth of the Self-Made Leader
We love the story of the self-made leader.
The one who rose on grit alone.
The one who figured it out without help.
The one who didn’t need anyone.
But that story isn’t true.
Leadership is not a solo sport.
Every leader has a root system.
Every leader grows because someone steadied the soil.
The question isn’t whether you have support.
The question is whether it’s intentional.
Support is Not Sponsorship
This month I’m revisiting ideas from Expect to Win by Carla Harris — particularly her distinction between mentors and sponsors.
Here’s the difference in simple terms:
A mentor talks with you.
A sponsor talks about you.
Support steadies you.
Sponsorship advances you.
I have been fortunate to have both.
There were people who listened when I was unsure.
And there were people who used their influence to move my name into rooms.
Both mattered.
But they did different work.
Your Root System Determines Your Reach
If leadership is the visible canopy, relationships are the roots.
Your root system determines:
How far you can stretch
How much pressure you can withstand
How visible you can safely become
Without support, leaders burn out.
Without sponsorship, leaders plateau.
Strong leadership requires both.
Sponsorship Is Responsibility
When I look back now, I don’t just feel gratitude.
I feel responsibility.
Because if someone once used their influence on my behalf, then I am accountable to use mine on behalf of others.
That’s how leadership becomes generative instead of extractive.
That’s how systems become healthier.
That’s how confidence compounds across generations of leaders.
From Reflection to Design
It’s one thing to appreciate the people who helped you.
It’s another thing to design your ecosystem intentionally.
Leadership maturity means asking:
Where am I well supported?
Where am I isolated?
Who advocates for me when I’m not in the room?
Whose name am I advancing?
Not emotionally.
Strategically.
That’s why I created a simple reflection tool to help you see your ecosystem clearly.
Because clarity changes behavior.
Leadership isn’t a solo sport.
Your root system determines your reach.
Strengthen it.
And be someone else’s roots.
Affirmation for This Month:
I do not rise alone. I am supported, and I am responsible. I strengthen my roots, and I become roots for others.
Practice Prompt:
Take 10 quiet minutes this week and reflect on the following:
Who believed in me before I fully believed in myself?
Where in my leadership do I currently feel well-supported?
Where am I stretching alone?
Who might be ready for me to advocate for them — even if they don’t yet feel ready themselves?
Write down one name.
Then take one small action:
Send the note.
Make the introduction.
Have the conversation.
Leadership isn’t built in grand gestures.
It grows in quiet acts of advocacy.
