Welcome to Edition #62 of Did You Know? (DYK), the weekly newsletter by Gorick Ng, Harvard career adviser and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of The Unspoken Rules, where we deconstruct the untold story of how someone (or something) became successful—and what you can do to follow in their footsteps.
Sign up now to receive weekly career strategies!
Did You Know? You need mentors and sponsors!
(1) A story from the past
Did you know? JD Vance, newly nominated as Donald Trump’s Vice President, would not have gotten to where he is today had he not gone to office hours and met a special guest speaker while in law school.
Just last week, JD Vance was announced as Donald Trump’s pick for VP. 14 years ago, though, he was a 1L (first year) student at Yale Law School.
About 200 students enroll at Yale Law every year. But how many can say that they walked away with not just a diploma, but also a book deal, a job with a billionaire, and lifelong champions who’d propel them to candidate for Vice President?
Just one: JD Vance.
What did he do?
In 2010, Vance enrolled in a contract law class taught by Amy Chua (who you may know as the author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother). Countless students have taken Chua’s class. But Vance did what few dared: He approached Chua after class and went to her office hours. Chua heard about his background growing up low-income in Appalachia (specifically Middletown, Ohio) and immediately said:
“You should write a book.”
Vance agreed and Chua introduced him to her literary agent. Fast forward six years to 2016 and Vance released his book, Hillbilly Elegy. It became an instant bestseller—and lodged Vance into the public spotlight as someone who “gave voice to an America left behind.” Chua made such an impact on Vance that Vance even thanked her in his book’s acknowledgments (curious what he said? I’ve pasted it below).
But Amy Chua wasn’t the only person Vance met in his first year at Yale who’d go on to change his life.
In 2011, Peter Thiel (billionaire co-founder and former CEO of PayPal) came to campus. Vance attended his talk, along with surely countless other students.
But Vance once again did what few dared: He approached Thiel after the talk and spoke about how much Thiel’s talk on “technological stagnation and the decline of American elites” resonated with him. Vance got Thiel’s contact info, stayed in touch, and, five years later, got back in touch with Thiel. Vance then joined Thiel’s investment firm, Mithril Capital.
Although Vance later said, “how useful I've been [at Mithril] is probably debatable,” Vance definitely benefited personally from being Thiel’s apprentice. Thiel introduced Vance to Steve Case (co-founder of AOL)—and, 1 year later, Vance joined Case’s venture capital fund.
3 years later, Vance started his own investment fund—named Narya Capital as an homage to the Lord of the Rings-inspired namesake of Thiel’s firm—and, you guessed it, got Thiel to fund his venture.
In 2022, 6 years after Vance worked at Mithril Capital, Thiel gave him another career boost: a $15 million check to help him run for the Ohio State Senate. Vance won. It put him (back) on the political map—and, given that Thiel donated at least $1.25 million to Donald Trump in 2016—this move arguably put Vance on Donald Trump’s radar, too.
The thing about life is that it’s hard to find a “counterfactual”—a fancy way of saying “how things would have turned out had something happened or not happened.” So, it’s hard to say where Vance would be without Chua and Thiel.
But, it’s also hard to imagine that Vance would be a bestselling author, highly-connected politician, and now Donald Trump’s running mate had Vance not also been the protégé of those with as much access and resources as Chua and Thiel.
What does this mean for you? The next time you come across someone—whether it's a professor, guest speaker, coworker, or even client—remember JD Vance, who transformed strangers into mentors, and ultimately, into sponsors.
PS: It’s not just Vance who benefitted from turning a stranger into a mentor into a sponsor. Just ask Ursula Burns (tap here to read my story on how she became CEO of Xerox!).
(2) A strategy for your future
Did you know? Potential mentors and sponsors are all around you. You just need to say “hi.”
JD Vance needed mentors and sponsors—and you need them, too.
What’s a mentor? It’s someone who opens your mind. They know something you don’t—and can help you figure out what you don’t know you don’t know… but should know.
What’s a sponsor? It’s someone who opens doors. They’ve got the connections and influence to introduce you to people, pull you into closed-door meetings, and convince people to give you a chance, even though you’re unproven.
Chua and Thiel were both mentors and sponsors for Vance.
Chua spilled the unspoken rules of publishing a book and building a strong personal brand (a mentorship move). She also introduced Vance to her literary agent (a sponsorship move).
Thiel spilled the unspoken rules of starting an investment fund (a mentorship move). He also hired Vance and introduced him to the founder of AOL (a sponsorship move).
Back to networking: You, too, can learn to network like Vance! It all begins with saying “hi” to the people who are already in front of you.
Taking a class with a professor you like (like Chua for Vance) or attending a talk featuring a speaker who inspires you (like Thiel for Vance)?
Try the following talking points, taken from my HOW TO SAY IT flashcard series (join the waitlist here! https://www.gorick.com/flashcards):
Ask for advice! By sharing your…
- COMMONALITIES: “Like you, I _________ and would love to follow in your footsteps…”
- STRUGGLES: “…But I’m wrestling with _________ and _________…”
- QUESTIONS: “…If you were in my position, [what do you think about / what’s your advice on] _________?”
Tell your story! By sharing your…
- UPBRINGING: “I grew up in _________, where I was _________.”
- HARDSHIPS: “I always wanted to _________, but _________.”
- CONSTRAINTS: “I never had access to _________, so I _________.”
- GOALS: “Ever since _________, I’ve always wanted to _________.”
You won’t click with everyone. After all, it’s hard to believe Chua and Thiel were the only people Vance introduced himself to. We don’t hear about all of the other people who rejected Vance because we’re all victims of “survivorship bias.” But, as the saying goes, “You only need one ‘yes’”—and it might just be the “yes” that changes your life!
I know it because I’ve experienced it: I had an eerily similar experience as Vance in my second year at Harvard Business School. It was a professor I met during office hours who encouraged me to write a book… and the rest is history!
Seek mentors and sponsors!
Gorick
PS: Curious what Vance said about Chua in his book’s acknowledgments section? Here it is:
“Besides Tina [Vance’s literary agent], the person who deserves the most credit for this book's existence is Amy Chua, my Yale contracts professor, who convinced me that both my life and the conclusions I drew from it were worth putting down on paper. She has the wisdom of a respected academic and the confident delivery of a Tiger Mother, and there were many times that I needed (and benefitted) from both.”
Sign up now to receive weekly career strategies!
Sources
