Framework for Lifting Others While You Climb

Section One: Introduction

1.1 Research Background and Significance

For generations, the dominant metaphor for career advancement has been the ladder: a vertical structure where individuals climb higher and higher, competing for limited rungs at the top. This individualistic model of success has shaped organizational cultures, leadership development programs, and personal aspirations across industries and societies. Yet this framework has produced demonstrably inequitable outcomes. Research consistently shows that leadership teams rarely reflect the communities they serve, with women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, and queer and trans people significantly underrepresented in positions of power. This lack of diversity makes organizations "less effective in their work, less innovative, and less profitable too".

The practical significance of reimagining success cannot be overstated. In an era of heightened awareness around equity, inclusion, and belonging, organizations and individuals alike are seeking new paradigms for achievement—ones that do not require leaving others behind. For practitioners, the ability to advance while simultaneously lifting others has become a critical leadership competency. For individuals from historically marginalized communities, understanding how to navigate systems of power while creating pathways for others is essential for both personal success and collective liberation.

Theoretically, AJ Hikes' work fills a crucial gap in the literature on success and leadership. While mentorship has long been studied as a mechanism for career development, Hikes introduces a more active and consequential framework: sponsorship. Their distinction between mentorship and sponsorship—and their emphasis on using privilege and position to create opportunities for those traditionally excluded—represents a significant theoretical contribution. Furthermore, Hikes' framework supplements existing models by grounding the discussion of success in the lived experiences of marginalized communities and by centering collective advancement rather than individual achievement.

1.2 Core Concept Definitions

Lifting while you climb, as defined within Hikes' framework, is the active practice of using one's position, privilege, and power to create opportunities for others—particularly those who have been historically excluded from positions of leadership and influence—while simultaneously advancing one's own career.

Sponsorship is distinguished from mentorship as a more active and public form of support. Mentorship involves making connections, giving advice, and helping someone know when to ask for a promotion. Sponsorship, by contrast, involves using one's privilege, position, and power to give opportunities to someone else who has traditionally been excluded. While mentorship happens behind the scenes, sponsorship happens in the open: not just before the meeting but in the meeting, not just on private threads but in big group emails.

Questioning your surroundings refers to the practice of examining who is at the table and, more importantly, who is not. This involves noticing disparities in representation—whether women, people of color, people with disabilities, or others are present—and speaking up about these discrepancies.

Passing on the chance for glory involves creating opportunities for others who might not otherwise have access: offering one's seat on a panel, bringing someone into a meeting to present rather than observe, and passing on institutional knowledge to enable others to excel.

1.3 Current Research Status, Domestic and International

The study of success and career advancement has evolved through several distinct phases. Early research focused on individual traits and meritocratic assumptions—the idea that success flows naturally to those who work hardest and are most talented. This perspective, however, has been increasingly challenged by research on systemic inequality, implicit bias, and structural barriers.

The mentorship literature has been particularly robust, with scholars examining how mentoring relationships facilitate career development, particularly for women and people of color. However, critics have noted that mentorship alone is insufficient to address systemic inequities; mentees often remain dependent on mentors who may not have the power to create meaningful opportunities.

More recently, scholars and practitioners have turned their attention to sponsorship as a more potent mechanism for career advancement. Research has shown that sponsored individuals are more likely to receive promotions, pay raises, and high-visibility assignments. However, sponsorship has often been studied as an individual practice rather than as part of a broader framework for collective advancement.

Hikes' work addresses several shortcomings in existing research. First, it explicitly connects individual practices of lifting others to organizational outcomes of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Second, it centers the experiences of those historically left behind, recognizing that "there's no point being the first if we're also the last". Third, it provides concrete, actionable practices that can be implemented by anyone, regardless of their position or identity.

1.4 Framework and Core Objectives

This article follows a theory-oriented structure, examining Hikes' framework for lifting while you climb as a foundational approach to redefining success and building more equitable organizations. The core question it seeks to answer is: What are the principles and practices that enable individuals to advance their own careers while simultaneously creating opportunities for others, particularly those who have been historically excluded?

The article is organized into four main sections. Following this introduction, Section Two presents the theoretical framework, tracing the origin and evolution of Hikes' work, explicating its core assumptions and components, and discussing its conditions and limitations. Section Three addresses practical applications, common misconceptions, and key insights for readers. Section Four summarizes core conclusions and offers an outlook on future developments.

Readers should come away with a clear understanding of Hikes' three-part framework—questioning surroundings, pursuing sponsorship over mentorship, and passing on the chance for glory—along with concrete strategies for implementing these practices in their own lives and organizations.

Section Two: Main Body — Foundational Theory / System of Principles

2A.1 Origin and Evolution of the Theory

The origin of Hikes' framework lies at the intersection of personal experience, professional practice, and social justice advocacy. As ACLU Chief Equity Officer and a self-described "unapologetically queer and Black" social justice advocate, Hikes brings a unique perspective to the question of success—one shaped by both the experience of navigating systems of power and the commitment to transforming those systems.

The foundational concept of "lifting while you climb" was introduced to Hikes by their mother, "an absolute powerhouse in her work" who spent significant time working with younger Black women to help advance them. Their mother taught them that "the point of success isn't success for success's sake" and that "when you climb that ladder and you get to the top, you can take a moment to enjoy the view, but you must be principally concerned with using all of your might to throw the ladder back down for those who are coming behind you".

Hikes' professional work at the ACLU, where they provide "vision, leadership and direction for the ACLU's nationwide strategy to support equity, diversity and inclusion across all aspects of the organization's work and efforts", provided the institutional context for developing and refining these ideas. Their TED talk, delivered in October 2021 as part of The Way We Work series, has been viewed over two and a half million times and has "inspired a network of intersectional accomplices who are transforming equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace".

2A.2 Core Assumptions and Fundamental Viewpoints

Hikes' framework rests on several foundational assumptions. First, the traditional ladder metaphor for success is insufficient. While climbing higher and higher may serve individual ambition, it does not create organizations that are "diverse and inclusive and truly reflect the world that we live in". Individual success, in isolation, is not enough.

Second, diverse leadership makes organizations more effective. Hikes argues that organizations without leadership teams representing the communities they serve are "less effective in their work, less innovative, and less profitable too". This is not merely a matter of fairness but of organizational performance and sustainability.

Third, everyone has a role to play, regardless of their identity or position. "Whether you're a new hire who's a proud member of one or more of these groups or a longtime leader who is none of the above, each of us has a role to play in making this happen". This democratizing assumption distinguishes Hikes' framework from approaches that place the burden of change solely on marginalized individuals or on senior leaders.

Fourth, success must be redefined collectively. "Success is no longer about our individual ambitions, but about how we build something greater together". This reframing shifts the focus from personal achievement to collective advancement, from competition to collaboration.

Fifth, lifting is difficult but essential. "If your journey in inclusion feels easy, you have packed too light. So feel proud, feel uplifted, feel accomplished in your commitment to equity, but also feel like you have more work to do because lifting—it's difficult. And your help—it's essential".

2A.3 Essential Components and Framework Model

Hikes' framework consists of three essential practices, each building on the others to create a comprehensive approach to lifting while you climb:

Component One: Question Your Surroundings

The first practice involves developing awareness of who is present and who is absent in professional spaces. "One of the benefits, and really the consequences of privilege, is being around people whose experiences mirror your own". Hikes challenges individuals to "really examine who's there with you, and even more importantly, who isn't". This means looking for women, people of color, people with disabilities, and others who reflect the diversity of customers, clients, patients, and communities.

The practice extends beyond observation to action. Hikes offers a concrete example: "We have a lot of data that women get interrupted during presentations more than men do. So make counting this an activity that you try in meetings where there's multiple people presenting". By keeping a tally of interruptions and discussing discrepancies, individuals can address bias in real time. Simple interventions like saying, "Hey Fred, I think you interrupted June. June, can you repeat that?" or handing the mic back to someone who was interrupted create opportunities for everyone to "show up better".

Component Two: Pursue Sponsorship Over Mentorship

The second practice distinguishes between mentorship and sponsorship, advocating for the latter as a more powerful mechanism for creating opportunities. Mentorship involves "making a connection for someone, giving them advice, helping them know when to ask for a promotion". While valuable, mentorship alone is insufficient.

Sponsorship goes further: "using your privilege, your position, your power to give opportunities to someone else who's traditionally been excluded". This means not just saying someone would excel in a make-or-break project but "getting in there and helping them make it across the finish line". It means "sending their finished project to senior leaders and letting them know how strong you thought it was" and "reminding people where it came from and who produced it".

The key distinction is visibility: "If mentorship happens behind the scenes, sponsorship happens right there in the front: not just before the meeting but in the meeting, not just on the private thread but in that big group email". Sponsorship uses public platforms and visible advocacy to advance others.

Component Three: Pass on the Chance for Glory

The third practice involves actively creating opportunities for others, particularly those who might otherwise be overlooked. "Think about how you can create opportunities for the people in your organization who might not get them as often". This can take several forms:

• Offering one's seat on a panel to someone with bold ideas who might be overlooked because of race, gender, or disability, and then helping that person prepare.

• Bringing someone into a meeting not just to observe but to present.

• Passing on institutional knowledge—sharing what has worked and what hasn't so others can excel.

• Amplifying the work of colleagues who might be the only person like them on the team.

• Partnering with someone who does not share one's identities.

Hikes emphasizes that "it's on the leadership of your company or your organization to set goals and metrics for hiring equitably and bringing in more diverse employees, but when it comes to inclusion and celebrating others, you can help with that".

2A.4 Classification and Branches of the Theory

Hikes' framework can be understood through several analytical lenses:

Awareness Practices (Question Your Surroundings): These practices involve developing consciousness of systemic inequities and one's own position within them. They require honest self-examination and a willingness to see what might be uncomfortable.

Advocacy Practices (Sponsorship Over Mentorship): These practices involve using one's power and position to actively advance others. They require risk-taking, public visibility, and a commitment to using privilege for collective benefit.

Opportunity Creation Practices (Pass on the Chance for Glory): These practices involve deliberately creating pathways for others to succeed. They require generosity, institutional knowledge, and a willingness to share credit and visibility.

This classification is not rigid; the practices overlap and reinforce one another. Questioning surroundings creates the awareness that makes sponsorship possible; sponsorship creates the relationships that enable opportunity creation; opportunity creation, in turn, builds the diverse leadership that makes questioning surroundings easier.

2A.5 Applicable Conditions and Limitations

Hikes' framework is broadly applicable across industries, organizational levels, and professional contexts. Whether one is a new hire or a longtime leader, an individual contributor or a senior executive, there are practices within the framework that can be implemented. The framework is particularly relevant for organizations and individuals committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

However, several limitations should be acknowledged. First, the framework requires individuals to have some degree of privilege or positional power to be effective sponsors. Those who are themselves marginalized may have less power to leverage. Hikes acknowledges this implicitly by addressing "whether you're a new hire who's a proud member of one or more of these groups or a longtime leader who is none of the above".

Second, the framework does not address structural barriers that may prevent sponsorship from being effective. In organizations with deeply entrenched inequities, even visible sponsorship may not be sufficient to overcome systemic resistance.

Third, sponsorship carries risks. Advocating publicly for someone who is marginalized can expose both the sponsor and the sponsored individual to backlash. Hikes acknowledges that "lifting—it's difficult", but does not fully address the potential professional costs.

Fourth, the framework requires a willingness to confront discomfort. "If your journey in inclusion feels easy, you have packed too light". Not everyone is prepared for the level of self-examination and risk-taking that genuine sponsorship requires.

Section Three: Application and Implications

3.1 Practical Application Scenarios

For Senior Leaders and Executives: Leaders have the greatest capacity for sponsorship. They can use their positions to create opportunities for underrepresented talent—recommending them for high-visibility projects, advocating for their promotions, and ensuring their contributions are recognized publicly. They can also model the practice of passing on the chance for glory by stepping aside to let others present, lead, and shine.

For Mid-Level Managers: Managers are uniquely positioned to practice sponsorship in their day-to-day work. They can bring team members into meetings to present, not just observe. They can send finished projects to senior leaders with clear attribution. They can keep tallies of who gets interrupted in meetings and intervene when they notice disparities.

For Individual Contributors: Even without formal positional power, individuals can practice lifting while they climb. They can amplify the work of colleagues who might be the only person like them on the team. They can partner with someone who doesn't share their identities. They can question who is in the room and speak up about who is missing.

For Organizations: Companies can institutionalize these practices by setting goals and metrics for equitable hiring, but also by creating cultures where sponsorship is expected and rewarded. They can train employees in the distinction between mentorship and sponsorship. They can create formal sponsorship programs that pair senior leaders with high-potential talent from underrepresented groups.

Adaptation Strategies for Different Contexts: In large organizations, sponsorship can be formalized through structured programs. In small businesses or startups, it may be more informal but no less important. In non-profit and public sector contexts, the emphasis on service and collective advancement resonates particularly strongly. In creative industries, passing on the chance for glory might involve sharing credit on collaborative projects or recommending others for exhibitions and commissions.

3.2 Common Misconceptions and How to Avoid Them

Misconception One: Mentorship Is Enough. Many assume that mentoring someone is sufficient to support their advancement. Hikes argues that mentorship alone is insufficient; sponsorship—public, visible advocacy—is essential.

How to avoid: Ask yourself: Am I simply giving advice behind the scenes, or am I actively using my position to create opportunities? Am I advocating for this person in meetings, on email threads, and in front of senior leaders? If not, you are mentoring, not sponsoring.

Misconception Two: Lifting Others Will Slow My Own Climb. Some worry that investing time and energy in others will detract from their own advancement. In fact, lifting others can enhance one's own reputation, build valuable networks, and create a culture of mutual support.

How to avoid: Recognize that sponsorship is not a zero-sum game. When you help others succeed, you build a reputation as a leader and advocate. As Hikes notes, "success is no longer about our individual ambitions, but about how we build something greater together".

Misconception Three: Only Senior Leaders Can Be Sponsors. Many assume that sponsorship requires significant positional power. While senior leaders have more power to leverage, individuals at all levels can practice forms of sponsorship.

How to avoid: Identify the power you do have—whether it's access to information, relationships with decision-makers, or visibility in your organization—and use it to create opportunities for others. Even amplifying a colleague's work on a team email is a form of sponsorship.

Misconception Four: Noticing Disparities Is Enough. Some may believe that simply being aware of inequities is sufficient. Hikes emphasizes that awareness must be followed by action: "If we don't name it, we can't change it".

How to avoid: Move from observation to intervention. When you notice someone being interrupted, speak up. When you notice who is missing from the table, ask why. When you have an opportunity, pass it on.

Misconception Five: Sponsorship Means Doing It All. Some may feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of sponsorship, believing they must single-handedly solve systemic inequities.

How to avoid: Remember that sponsorship is about specific, actionable practices—not fixing everything at once. Start with one practice: keep a tally of interruptions in meetings, or offer your seat on a panel to someone else. Small actions, consistently practiced, create meaningful change.

3.3 Key Insights for Readers and Practitioners

Shift Your Mindset from Individual to Collective Success: The traditional ladder metaphor encourages competition and individual achievement. Hikes' framework invites a different orientation: success is not about how high you climb but about how many people you bring with you. "There's no point being the first if we're also the last".

Move from Behind-the-Scenes to Front-and-Center Advocacy: If you have been mentoring, challenge yourself to sponsor. Take your advocacy public. Send that email praising someone's work to senior leaders. Speak up in meetings. Use your platform to amplify others.

Start with Awareness, Then Act: Begin by questioning your surroundings. Who is in the room? Who is not? What patterns do you notice? Once you see disparities, do something about them.

Practice Small Interventions Consistently: You don't need to overhaul your entire approach overnight. Start with one practice: keep a tally of interruptions in meetings. When you notice someone being interrupted, hand the mic back to them. These small actions, repeated consistently, create cultural change.

Embrace the Difficulty: Lifting is not easy. "If your journey in inclusion feels easy, you have packed too light". Expect discomfort, resistance, and setbacks. But also know that "your help—it's essential".

Section Four: Summary and Outlook

4.1 Summary of Core Viewpoints

AJ Hikes' framework for lifting while you climb offers a powerful reimagining of success as a collective rather than individual endeavor. The three core practices—questioning your surroundings, pursuing sponsorship over mentorship, and passing on the chance for glory—provide actionable pathways for creating more equitable organizations. By using one's privilege, position, and power to create opportunities for those historically excluded, individuals can advance their own careers while simultaneously building a more inclusive world. Success, in this framework, is not measured by how high one climbs but by how many people one brings along the way.

4.2 Future Development Trends and Outlook

The field of equity and inclusion is poised for continued evolution, and Hikes' work points toward several promising directions for future research and practice.

Formalizing Sponsorship Programs: Organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of sponsorship over mentorship. Future developments may include structured sponsorship programs that pair senior leaders with high-potential talent from underrepresented groups, with clear metrics for success and accountability.

Integrating Sponsorship into Performance Evaluation: As organizations seek to institutionalize equity practices, sponsorship may become a formal component of leadership evaluations. Leaders may be assessed not only on their own performance but on their track record of creating opportunities for others.

Expanding the Definition of Sponsorship: Future research may explore how sponsorship operates differently across various identities and contexts. What does sponsorship look like for individuals with disabilities, for immigrants, for queer and trans people? How can sponsorship be adapted to address intersectional barriers?

Technology-Enabled Sponsorship: Digital platforms may facilitate sponsorship by connecting sponsors with potential sponsees, tracking advocacy efforts, and amplifying the work of underrepresented talent.

Addressing Systemic Barriers: While individual sponsorship is essential, future work must also address the structural barriers that limit its effectiveness. This includes examining hiring practices, promotion criteria, and organizational cultures that perpetuate inequity.

Section Five: References

1. Hikes, A. J. (2021, October). Want to truly succeed? Lift others up while you climb [Video]. TED Conference. https://www.ted.com/talks/aj_hikes_want_to_truly_succeed_lift_others_up_while_you_climb 

2. Deepstash. (n.d.). Want to truly succeed? Lift others up while you climb | Amber Hikes. https://deepstash.com/article/101154/want-to-truly-succeed-lift-others-up-while-you-climb-amber-hikes 

3. 微信公众平台. (2025, October 13). 想要真正的成功，自己向上的时候要拉别人一把-TED. http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=Mzk2NDQxMzQ1Nw==&mid=2247485338&idx=1&sn=20d7c95377344dfe129a158e8c166f89

4. TED. (n.d.). AJ Hikes | TED Speaker. https://www.ted.com/speakers/aj_hikes 

5. ACLU. (2020, September 30). AJ Hikes | American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org 

6. Keyt.com. (2023, April 12). The 10 most popular TED Talks about diversity. https://keyt.com