One factor identified as vital to managerial success is that of being a part of a mentor relationship. That this is primarily a male relationship is due to subtle communication patterns within organizations that have grown out of male experiences with team sports and therefore exclude women. Among the various barriers women in organizations must overcome is their powerlessness due to insufficient knowledge of corporate politics and the informal communication system. Women denied access to a mentor experience can turn to one or two other alternatives--among them a women's network--but ultimately the focus returns to the necessity for women to have or to be sponsors in order to achieve success. (Author/HOD)