--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Star performers are very likely to…" description: "\"“Star performers are very likely to attract sponsors, and loyal performers are very likely to keep them. But if they fail to distinguish themselves, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_leadership_star-performers-are-very-likely-to-attra_538754.jpg" --- # Star performers are very likely to attract sponsors, and… ![“Star performers are very likely to attract sponsors, and loyal performers are very likely to keep them. But if they fail to distinguish themselves, these loyal performers run the risk of becoming permanent seconds, lieutenants who never make captain. To position themselves for the top job…” quote by Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_leadership_star-performers-are-very-likely-to-attra_538754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_leadership_star-performers-are-very-likely-to-attra_538754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_leadership_star-performers-are-very-likely-to-attra_538754.jpg) > ““Star performers are very likely to attract sponsors, and loyal performers are very likely to keep them. But if they fail to distinguish themselves, these loyal performers run the risk of becoming permanent seconds, lieutenants who never make captain. To position themselves for the top job, protégés must therefore contribute something the leader prizes but may intrinsically lack:”” [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. High‑potential employees need a unique contribution that aligns with the leader’s values to avoid being stuck in supporting roles. **In simple terms:** Stand out by offering what leaders value but lack. Key Takeaway Identify and develop a distinctive skill. Themes leadership career advancement talent management Mood determined optimistic Type advice insightful When to use this quote - career planning - mentorship - performance reviews Key Concepts strategic contribution personal branding Questions to Reflect On - What unique value can you bring to your leader? - How can you discover what your leader truly prizes? A Different Perspective Leaders may not recognize all valuable contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) ## Related quotes > [We need strong personalities and only one world champion to attract sponsors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-karpov/we-need-strong-personalities-and-only-one-world-champion-to-attract/) [Anatoly Karpov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-karpov/) > [You can have Asians being leading men that are sex symbols. You can have leading women powering through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-golding/you-can-have-asians-being-leading-men-that-are-sex-symbols-you-can/) [Henry Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-golding/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/leaders-need-to-compromise-negotiate-with-members-of-both-parties-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Some people you speak to you speak into their heads. It's logical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/some-people-you-speak-to-you-speak-into-their-heads-it-s-logical/) [Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/) > [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [“Under the treaty of Sevres in 1920 Greece had been given Smyrna, and by 1922 the Greek army was trying to push its way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/under-the-treaty-of-sevres-in-1920-greece-had-been-given-smyrna-and/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [It is absolutely necessary... for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-absolutely-necessary-for-me-to-have-persons-that-can-think-for/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) ## More by Sylvia Ann Hewlett > [For women the wage gap sets up an infuriating Catch-22 situation. They do the housework because they earn less, and they earn lessbecause they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/for-women-the-wage-gap-sets-up-an-infuriating-catch-22-situation-they/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [ Fashions change, and with the new psychoanalytical perspective of the postwar period \[WWII\], child rearing became enshrined as thespecial responsibility of mothersany shortcoming in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/fashions-change-and-with-the-new-psychoanalytical-perspective-of-the/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [The decision to have a child is both a private and a public decision, for children are our collective future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/the-decision-to-have-a-child-is-both-a-private-and-a-public-decision/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [“Sponsorship, done right, is transactional. It’s an implicit or even explicit strategic alliance, a long-range quid pro quo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/sponsorship-done-right-is-transactional-it-s-an-implicit-or-even/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [“It is executive presence—and no man or woman attains a top job, lands an extraordinary deal, or develops a significant following without this heady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/it-is-executive-presence-and-no-man-or-woman-attains-a-top-job-lands/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [“Do your job well, make sure your boss is fully informed, and don’t be afraid to ask for help,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/do-your-job-well-make-sure-your-boss-is-fully-informed-and-don-t-be/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [Recently we've been hearing a lot about women "having it all." Myself, I think that is not really an accurate description of female lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/recently-we-ve-been-hearing-a-lot-about-women-having-it-all-myself-i/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [There are six elements of gravitas critical to leadership: grace under fire, decisiveness, emotional intelligence and the ability to read a room, integrity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/there-are-six-elements-of-gravitas-critical-to-leadership-grace-under/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [“how you act (gravitas), how you speak (communication), and how you look (appearance) count for a lot in determining your leadership presence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/how-you-act-gravitas-how-you-speak-communication-and-how-you-look/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [The feedback women are getting at work is amazingly ineffective or vague. You need to signal to your boss or senior colleagues that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/the-feedback-women-are-getting-at-work-is-amazingly-ineffective-or/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [Women have made enormous progress on the lower and middle rungs of the career ladder, but we are failing to make the leap into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/women-have-made-enormous-progress-on-the-lower-and-middle-rungs-of/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [Quite simply, promotions are not just functions of ability, values, or the numbers you hit, but also rest critically on how you are perceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/quite-simply-promotions-are-not-just-functions-of-ability-values-or/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [“classic female mistake. I thought that it was all about doing my job extraordinarily well. If I put my head down and worked as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/classic-female-mistake-i-thought-that-it-was-all-about-doing-my-job/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [American feminists have generally stressed the ways in which men and women should be equal and have therefore tried to put aside differences… Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/american-feminists-have-generally-stressed-the-ways-in-which-men-and/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in the form of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea-and/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) [Explore all 21 Sylvia Ann Hewlett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) ## More Leadership quotes > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. 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And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“Under the treaty of Sevres in 1920 Greece had been given Smyrna, and by 1922 the Greek army was trying to push its way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/under-the-treaty-of-sevres-in-1920-greece-had-been-given-smyrna-and/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [Some people you speak to you speak into their heads. It's logical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/some-people-you-speak-to-you-speak-into-their-heads-it-s-logical/) [Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/leaders-need-to-compromise-negotiate-with-members-of-both-parties-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [You can have Asians being leading men that are sex symbols. You can have leading women powering through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-golding/you-can-have-asians-being-leading-men-that-are-sex-symbols-you-can/) [Henry Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-golding/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) [Browse all 20,954 Leadership quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Star performers are very likely to attract sponsors, and loyal performers are very likely to keep them. But if they fail to distinguish themselves, these loyal performers run the risk of becoming permanent seconds, lieutenants who never make captain. 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