In partnership with
Today is International Women's Day.
And I'm going to be honest with you.
I didn't get to VP on my own.
Not even close.
I had two women who saw something in me and decided to spend their credibility on it.
One of them — nine years of working together. She didn't just mentor me. She pushed me into stretch roles, recommended me as her successor, and advocated for me in conversations I'll never fully know about.
Another one — three years and still going. She keeps opening doors and making introductions that have changed the trajectory of my career.
Mentors give you advice.
Sponsors give you access.
And here's what I've learned: The strongest leaders don't just mentor. They make room and step aside.
Every headline satisfies an opinion. Except ours.
Remember when the news was about what happened, not how to feel about it? 1440's Daily Digest is bringing that back. Every morning, they sift through 100+ sources to deliver a concise, unbiased briefing — no pundits, no paywalls, no politics. Just the facts, all in five minutes. For free.
Unplugged Truth
Elevating others isn't soft leadership.
It's how you build power and legacy.
Most people think leadership is about climbing. Getting higher. Achieving more. Proving you belong.
And for a while, it is.
But at some point, leadership stops being about what you can do and starts being about what you can unlock in other people.
The leaders who changed my career didn't just give me advice. They gave me opportunities. They recommended me for roles I didn't think I was ready for. They advocated for me when I wasn't in the room. They spent their political capital on my advancement.
That's not mentorship. That's sponsorship. And it's the difference between someone who gives you wisdom and someone who gives you a shot.
But here's the uncomfortable part: Elevating others requires you to share credit, visibility, and sometimes opportunities.
It means recommending someone else for the speaking slot you could have taken.
It means pushing someone forward for a promotion even when it means you lose a strong performer on your team.
It means stepping aside so someone else can step up.
And that doesn't feel natural to most leaders — especially women who had to fight for every inch of credibility they have.
But the strongest leaders do it anyway.
Because they know that power isn't diminished when it's shared. It's multiplied.
Sh*t That Helped
Here's what elevating others has actually looked like for me:
I recommended someone for a stretch project I could have taken myself.
She wasn't the most experienced person. But she had the potential, and she needed the visibility. I put my name behind hers. She delivered. And now she's being considered for roles she wouldn't have been in the room for otherwise.
I gave someone visibility in a meeting where they wouldn't normally speak.
In a leadership meeting, I handed the floor to someone on my team to present their work instead of presenting it myself. It wasn't about me looking generous. It was about her getting seen by the people who make promotion decisions.
I advocated for someone in a closed-door conversation.
When a role opened up, I didn't wait for someone to ask me who I'd recommend. I brought her name up first. I explained why she was ready. I vouched for her. That's sponsorship.
I stepped back from an opportunity and suggested someone else.
I was asked to speak at an event. I was already overcommitted. But instead of just declining, I recommended someone who needed that platform more than I did. She crushed it. And now she's getting more invitations.
I joined a community of women who actively elevate each other.
I'm part of an executive women's group called Wednesday Women. It's not just networking. It's real support. We share opportunities we can't take ourselves. We make introductions. We swap resources. When someone's navigating something hard, we show up. When someone wins, we celebrate. And when someone needs a door opened, we open it. Elevation isn't just what you do alone. It's what happens when you're in rooms with people who want you to win.
None of this made me weaker.
It made me a stronger leader.
Because the people I've elevated? They remember. They show up. And they pay it forward.
Closing Thought
Elevating others isn't charity.
It's strategy.
The leaders who spend their credibility on other people build teams that are loyal, capable, and driven. They create environments where people want to work. And they leave legacies that outlast their tenure.
The leaders who hoard opportunities, credit, and visibility? They might climb fast. But they climb alone. And when they leave, nothing remains.
Here's what I'm asking myself today: Who am I making room for? And what opportunity could I hand off to someone who needs it more than I do?
What about you? Who's the sponsor that changed things for you? And who are you elevating right now? Hit reply and tell me. I want to know who opened doors for you — and who you're opening doors for.
Talk soon,
Dina