Sponsoring Women: What Men Need to Know

It’s Going to Take More Than Mentoring
“Women need the sponsorship of men, and men owe it to women, not because men are to blame but because they are in control. Otherwise they limit their firms’ potential for top performance, growth and innovation.”
– Ida O. Abbott, J.D.

Ida Abbott speaks directly to men in this timely book designed to arm men, women and all firm leaders with the tools and perspective they will need to usher professional women into the top ranks of their firms. She tackles and finishes off all the tough issues: the appearance of impropriety, confusion about the nature of the relationship, management communications, spouses. But she also clearly describes what is to be done, step-by-step.

The perfect gift for your mentor, supervisor, managing partner, general counsel — or someone you wish would sponsor you!

“While Ida Abbott’s thoughtful book provides a framework to understand the complexities, it is above all a practical book, providing tools that will be useful to managers — men and women — who recognize that advancement and retention of women will benefit their organizations. Helpful to anyone who cares about the issue and is in a position to do something about it.”
— Jorge A. del Calvo, Partner
    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

“ Ida Abbott’s new book, Sponsoring Women: What Men Need To Know, confirms the challenges and concisely details how men can take meaningful steps to dismantle the obstacles of a male dominated leadership tier. By working from the inside-out, men can open the doors to an incredible pool of talent. It’s genius in its simplicity, and powerful in its practicality.”
— Mike Mika, Video Game Developer
Creator of the Donkey Kong Hack that enabled girls to play as Pauline to save Mario

The perfect gift for your mentor, supervisor, managing partner, general counsel — or someone you wish would sponsor you!

Table of Contents

Part I: Why Sponsoring Women for Leadership Matters

• Why Organizations Need More Women Leaders
• Sponsorship Is More than Mentorship
• Sponsorship Is Essential for Women to Advance
• Why a Man Might Not Pick a Woman as a Protégée

Part II: How Men Can Successfully Sponsor Women for Leadership

• Establishing a Sponsor-Protégée Relationship
• Essential Elements of Sponsorship
• How to Effectively Sponsor a Woman

Part III: Dealing with Feedback, Flexible Schedules, Parenting Leave, Family Obligations and Concerns About Sex

• Giving Your Protégée Feedback
• Dealing with Flexible Schedules, Parenting Leave and Family Obligations
• Concerns Related to Sex

About the Author

Ida O. Abbott has long been recognized as a leader in the fields of mentoring, leadership development and professional development. For many years, Ida has been at the forefront of efforts to promote women in the professions. She is co-founder of the Hastings Leadership Academy for Women at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where she is also a Faculty Fellow. She is on the Advisory Board of the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation and operates the Roundtable for Women Leaders. Ida is a member of the Executive Committee for the National Legal Mentoring Consortium, Advisor to the Institute of Mentoring and Special Advisor to the International Bar Association Law Firm Mentoring Program. She is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. Before starting her consulting firm, Ida practiced law for 20 years. She specialized in complex litigation at Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, where she also ran the firm’s professional development and pro bono programs. Ida received her J.D. from Hastings College of the Law, M.A. from the University of Miami, and A.B. from Smith College. Ida is the author of several books and publications, including Women on Top: The Woman’s Guide to Leadership and Power in Law Firms and The Lawyer’s Guide to Mentoring.

“Ida Abbott did a great job of engaging the men in the audience, as well as all of the women, who are at very different stages in their lives and careers. Her presentation was factual and very down-to-earth, and while she was clear on the hard facts of where women stand in our profession, she avoided the judgmental tone that would have made the men in the room stop listening immediately.” — Liz Sharrer, Management Committee Chair, Holland & Hart

“Ida Abbott is an expert on the retention and advancement of talent and has been a wise guide on women’s issues for institutions and individuals for years. Her new book, Sponsoring Women: What Men Need To Know, offers  much needed and pragmatic action steps for men who are seeking to make a difference in women’s careers. The book is a must-have for men who are well-meaning and want to help, but are not sure how. Ida is the ultimate coach, clarifying the goals, anticipating the barriers, naming the skills  and encouraging new behaviors. I hope that many men will read this book and realize that, as the book explains,  helping women reach the highest levels  is not just good for women, they benefit too,  as does the health and prosperity of their organizations.” — Verna Myers, Diversity Management Consultant and author, What If I Say the Wrong Thing? 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People

ISBN: 978-0-9895293-1-0.
Copyright 2014 Ida O. Abbott and Attorney at Work.
Format: Softcover. Also available as an e-book.

When ordering 10 or more copies at a time, contact us directly at
mark@attorneyatwork.com for the bulk ordering discount.