Use the 2+1 Rule for Your Sponsor Network

A powerful sponsor can help you keep your job or help find a new one. But executives who rely only on one high-level backer may unexpectedly find themselves in a tight spot if their sponsor leaves the company. In sponsorship, it's smart to diversify your portfolio of champions and cultivate more than one sponsor relationship. Sponsors should be independent, so if one leaves the company, you will have one remaining. Having three sponsors is ideal. In organizations with fewer than ten people, pursue one sponsor within the firm and two outside of it in the same industry. In larger firms, have one outsider and two insiders — one in your area and one in a different department or division. With the 2+1 Rule, you will have a better chance of enduring a threat to your department, division, and organization.