????這種關(guān)系通常沒有固定的模式可循，“被擔(dān)保人”也不總是領(lǐng)情。洛杉磯Corazonas Foods食品公司CEO拉蒙娜?卡佩羅表示，在職業(yè)生涯早起，她得到了雀巢公司（Nestlé）一位很有身份的高管的指導(dǎo)。當(dāng)他得知卡佩羅被哈佛商學(xué)院（Harvard Business School）錄取的消息時(shí)，他建議她將上學(xué)的計(jì)劃推遲一年，并保證，如果她繼續(xù)留在公司，將可以接受更好的教育。卡佩羅聽從的這位高管的意見，在上世紀(jì)90年代中期，她成為雀巢公司副總經(jīng)理，然后是詩尚草本（Celestial Seasonings）副總裁，肯德-杰克遜酒園（Kendall-Jackson）執(zhí)行副總裁。其推薦人蒂姆?克魯爾成為雀巢美國公司的CEO。卡佩羅表示：“他是我的‘伯樂’，是他讓我找到了恰當(dāng)?shù)穆毼弧！?/p>

????你是否具有“千里馬”的潛質(zhì)？

????個(gè)人績(jī)效很重要。工作優(yōu)秀是必要條件，人們?cè)跊Q定為你進(jìn)行冒險(xiǎn)之前，必須確定你忠誠、值得信賴和可靠。希瑟?福斯特-卡明斯認(rèn)為，這些高管為你的職業(yè)發(fā)展押上了自己的信譽(yù)。她表示：“我們不會(huì)帶一頭驢子去參加賽馬比賽。沒有人會(huì)毫無顧忌地甘冒風(fēng)險(xiǎn)?！?/p>

????找出自己的閃光點(diǎn)。埋頭苦干不會(huì)引起別人的注意。福斯特-卡明斯建議，你所需要做的是，打出自己的名聲。比如，自愿接受更具挑戰(zhàn)性的任務(wù)，參加會(huì)議，成為業(yè)內(nèi)的積極分子等。

????順其自然。大部分關(guān)系都是自然形成的，如果你絞盡腦汁要求其他人成為自己的靠山，最終往往徒勞無功。人才創(chuàng)新中心總裁西爾維婭?安?休利特建議：不要把雞蛋放在一個(gè)籃子里。與多個(gè)人培養(yǎng)良好的關(guān)系，以避免擔(dān)保人離開公司所帶來的損失。

????要自信。即便擔(dān)心自己沒有資格負(fù)責(zé)某個(gè)重大任務(wù)，或掛念家中嗷嗷待哺的孩子，也不要向擔(dān)保人流露出這種矛盾情緒。休利特建議：“表現(xiàn)出你對(duì)機(jī)會(huì)的渴望?！痹谔幚矸答仌r(shí)，一定要經(jīng)得住考驗(yàn)，做好充分準(zhǔn)備，按照靠山的建議行事。

????知恩圖報(bào)。與師父不同，擔(dān)保人希望你報(bào)之以忠誠的支持。擔(dān)保者也將從“追隨者的能量”中獲益，作為自己職業(yè)發(fā)展的助力。畢竟，誰也無法單槍匹馬就能登上事業(yè)的頂峰。

????譯者：阿龍/汪皓

????These relationships often can't be scripted. And protégés do not usually do the picking. Ramona Cappello, CEO of Corazonas Foods in Los Angeles, says her early career was shepherded by a well-placed executive at Nestlé. When he learned she'd been accepted to Harvard Business School, he told her to delay it for a year and promised that she would get a great education by staying with the company. She did so and rose to become assistant general manager at Nestlé in the mid-1990s, then VP at Celestial Seasonings, and an executive vice president at Kendall-Jackson. Her sponsor, Timm Crull, became CEO of Nestlé USA. "I was found," she says, "and he made sure I had all the right roles."

????Are you a potential protégé?

????Performance counts. Great work is a must, and before anyone can take a chance on you, they must see that you're loyal, trustworthy, and dependable. These executives are betting their own reputations on your career, says Heather Foust-Cummings, a senior director of research at Catalyst, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding women's career opportunities. "You don't take a donkey to the Kentucky Derby," she says. "No one will take the risk on you."

????Find your star power. Don't assume that putting your head down and doing your work will get you noticed. You need to become a known entity, says Foust-Cummings. Volunteer for bigger assignments, attend conferences, and become active in your industry.

????Don't force it. Most relationships evolve naturally and won't happen if you flat out ask someone to be your sponsor. Hedge your bets against your sponsor leaving the company by nurturing relationships with multiple people, says Sylvia Ann Hewlett, president of the Center for Talent Innovation.

????Be confident. If you're worried you're not qualified for that major assignment or concerned about your 2-year-old at home, do not share your honest ambivalence with a sponsor. "Show you're hungry for an opportunity," says Hewlett. When you get feedback, handle it with a thick skin and be prepared to act on advice given.

????Return the favor. Unlike a mentor, a sponsor will expect your loyal support in return. A sponsor benefits, too, from the "power of the posse" to build his or her own career. After all, no one gets to the top alone.