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<big>[[Diversity and Inclusion Office|Homepage]] | [[Lifting as you Lead Mentoring Circles Program 2024|LLMC 2024]] | [[Perspectives sur le pouvoir du parrainage dans l'avancement de carrière : Aperçu de la classe de maître Diriger en élevant les autres|FR]]</big>

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== '''<big>Insights on the Power of Sponsorship in Career Advancement: Insights from the Lifting as you Lead Masterclass</big>'''  ==

== '''<big>Human Rights in the Federal Public Service with Richard Sharpe: Insights from the Lifting as you Lead Masterclass</big>'''  ==

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<big>Sponsorship is a crucial strategy for accelerating career growth and creating opportunities. The first Lifting as you Lead Mentoring Circle (LLMC) Masterclass of 2024, held on September 23, focused on The Power of Sponsorship.</big>  

<big>On November 4, 2024, LLMC held its fourth Masterclass of the year. Led by Richard Sharpe, this Masterclass was titled “The Values and Ethics of Human Rights Work in the Federal Public Service.” Richard spoke to participants about anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and human rights in the federal public service.</big>

<big>Presented by Gérard Étienne and moderated by Samantha Moonsammy and Suzan Richards, this session illuminated how sponsorship transforms careers, uplifts others, and fosters meaningful change across the public service.</big>

<big>Thoughtfully moderated by Samantha Moonsammy and Suzan Richards, this Masterclass session used the Netflix series Bridgerton as a starting point for reimagining the federal public service as a place free from discrimination, challenging organizational norms, and putting human rights work into practice.</big>

<big>Sponsorship goes beyond mentorship by actively advocating for someone's career progression. While mentors provide guidance and share knowledge, sponsors use their influence to promote their protégé’s advancement. Gérard described sponsorship as “a necessary condition to movement within the public service”, yet acknowledged its inconsistent application. Despite diversity and inclusion efforts, he noted, based on his PhD research, subject matter expertise, and first hand experience developing and providing Diversity and Inclusion Inventory Surveys, that public service demographics remain unrepresentative of Canadian diversity, particularly at the Executive level.</big>

<big>'''''Bridgerton'' & Reimagining the Federal Public Service'''</big>

<big>Equity-seeking groups and individuals with intersecting marginalized identities face significant barriers. For instance, Gérard highlighted that while women in general have gained representation in government, there are far fewer Black women, and “a Black woman who may have a disability will be a rarity within the federal public service.”</big>

<big>Richard opened his talk with a discussion of the television series Bridgerton (2020-), which takes place in alternate version of Regency-era England. The show reimages the time period’s upper-class society through a post-racial lens, and the characters that make up the “ton” (which Richard explained is the “values-based, rules-based of the social class they’re in”) come from a variety of racial backgrounds. For example, in the show, the Queen of England is a Black woman.</big>

<big>Sponsorship, Gérard explained, can counteract these gaps by enabling equitable access to career advancement opportunities. He emphasized treating others as they want to be treated, fostering individuality, inclusion, and empowerment—core principles of sponsorship as a form of inclusive leadership.</big>

<big>Richard noted that, in reality, this “time period was anything but free.” But, Richard argued, if it is possible to successfully reimagine history as Bridgerton does, “why not reimagine, if not history, then our present? Why not reimagine what our future will be? Can we  imagine a federal public service where people are not discriminated  based on differences that have no bearing on their ability to do their work?”</big>

<big>Samantha shared a personal story illustrating sponsorship's impact. Early in her career, a cubicle-mate became her sponsor years later by introducing her to an organization seeking her expertise. That pivotal connection eventually led to the creation of the LLMC program, which connects individuals across all levels of the public service, promoting mentorship and sponsorship.</big>

<big>'''Challenging Organizational Norms'''</big>

<big>The program exemplifies sponsorship’s ripple effect: one act of advocacy can catalyze systemic change. Gérard, Samantha, and Suzan emphasized that anyone can be a sponsor, regardless of position. Networking is critical to identifying these opportunities and creating meaningful connections.</big>

<big>In the next part of his talk, Richard emphasized the need to push for “substantive equality” within our workplaces. Grounded in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, instead of simply trying to help people that have trouble within the systems, substantive equality aims to address “the systems that cause the people to have the troubles.”</big>

<big>The LLMC program is a testament to the power of mentorship, sponsorship, and inclusion. By nurturing future leaders who champion diversity and equity, it takes concrete steps toward fostering workplaces that reflect Canada’s rich diversity. Inclusion is not just about words, it’s about actions, and the LLMC program is taking meaningful steps in the right direction.</big>

<big>Richard highlighted that “people from equity groups are not the problem that need to be fixed through training, or mentorship, or coaching. Systems are the problem that… inhibits access to opportunities and discriminates based on not fitting into hegemonic social norms.”</big>

<big>To emphasize its transformative impact, the Diversity and Inclusion Office, Materiel Group, National Defence, hosts the annual Lifting as you Lead Mentoring Circles (LLMC) program—the largest group mentoring initiative supporting Defence Team members and federal public service employees at large.</big>  

<big>One of the ways to challenge these systems, Richard explained, is through human rights work.</big>

<big>The program's fourth cohort, running from September to December 2024, includes over 1,100 participants from 60+ departments. These individuals joined 150+ mentoring circles, attended biweekly Masterclasses, and expanded their networks through robust opportunities.</big>

 

<big>The work that needs to be done to change systems, Richard explained, is structural and institutional. But everyone can contribute to it. Conversations between employees at all levels, even at lunch or around the water cooler or in the mailroom, help to change the culture and even move all the way up to the office of the Clerk of the Privy Council.</big>

 

<big>These conversations, and the connections formed through these conversations, are powerful.</big>

 

<big>As Richard noted, the federal public service is central to “birthing something different in our workplaces and the creation of something lasting, that has legacy, and that speaks to how we can evolve as people and as a society.” The LLMC program is one of the initiatives creating space for these conversations and driving these changes to create a more inclusive, diverse workplace for all.</big>

==<big>'''Recording'''</big>==

==<big>'''Recording'''</big>==

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