The next featured panelist in our blog series is MaryAlice Holmes, the Managing Director for Sponsored Activities at Harvard Business Review. Below, she gives us some insight into past challenges, advice to her former self, and her thoughts around the importance of professional mentorship.
To hear more about MaryAlice’s experience with sponsorship and her relationships, join us on October 26th at 6:30pm for our upcoming event: Sponsors: How to Find and Manage This Essential Relationship.
Describe a challenge that you’ve overcome in your career.
MaryAlice Holmes, Harvard Business Review
When I look back over my career, the challenging times tended to be when the marketing team was shifting the strategy on the sales team. I think remaining confident, supportive and acknowledging any unforeseen obstacles kept the changes on track and helped everyone through to the other side.
What’s a piece of advice you wish you could give your former self?
Remember to leave work at work. You need down time.
What’s one way that being or having a sponsor/champion/mentor has improved your company’s performance?
Perspective -- having someone who understands your role and who you can trust with confidential information -- has often allowed me to get a different viewpoint and helped me approach a challenge with the benefit of a trusted opinion.