Training Today: Paying It Forward Pays Back

High-potential talent who were themselves mentored, coached, or sponsored to advance in their careers are more likely to “pay it forward” by developing the next generation of leaders, according to a Catalyst report, “Leaders Pay It Forward.”

And paying it forward pays back: It benefits not only protégés but leads to career advancement and compensation growth for those providing the assistance—$25,075 in additional compensation between 2008 and 2010, according to the report, which is based on responses from 742 full-time employees who had attended full-time MBA programs.

Why? It may be that developing other talent creates more visibility and a following within the organization for the high-potentials who are doing the developing, which leads to greater reward and recognition for the extra effort. Women, the report finds, are even more likely than men to develop other talent. Sixty-five percent of women who received career development support now are developing new talent, compared to 56 percent of men. And 73 percent of the women developing new talent are developing women, compared to only 30 percent of men. This finding helps bust the oft-cited “Queen Bee” myth that women are reluctant to provide career support to other women and may even actively undermine each other.

The report found that the men and women who are more likely to be developing others:

• Have themselves received developmental support (59 percent) vs. those who have not received this type of support (47 percent).
• Were sponsored (66 percent) as opposed to not receiving sponsorship (42 percent).
• Are in senior executive/CEO-level positions (64 percent) vs. those at non-managerial levels (30 percent).
• Are more proactive when it comes to their own career advancement (63 percent) vs. those who are relatively inactive (42 percent) with regard to their own career advancement.

The report poses key questions for companies to consider, such as: How is your organization creating a culture of talent development? What will motivate your talent to “pay it forward” to the next generation of leaders?