Did you know that giving back can actually empower you? No, I don’t just mean in the “feel good” way (which is also important);  I mean in the real, beneficial, giving you opportunities kind of way.

Lately, in the leadership literature, there has been much ado about the difference between mentorship and sponsorship.

Mentorship, on the one hand, is the sharing of information, the giving of advice, and the imparting of wisdom from one ‘expert’ to an ‘apprentice’, mentee or other younger, less experienced individual.

A sponsor, however, uses his or her own power, and leverages it to give another person a specific, tangible opportunity. More than the giving of advice, the sponsor offers a concrete hand up.

(As a side note, the two roles can overlap, but the distinction is an important one, as women tend to get an overload of advice, but fewer tangible opportunities. See Harvard Business School research here.)

Sponsorship can take the form of an introduction, a promotion or support for being assigned a project, but whatever form it takes, the key is the ACTION that the sponsor takes to transfer some measure of their power to the sponsee.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. As a sponsor, you not only leverage, but also grow, your own power the more you use it.

Let me give you several examples, and then you’ll get the idea.

Example One: If I introduce the child of a friend to a colleague of mine, telling the (adult) child that they should talk to my colleague about how my colleague got to her position, I am 1) showing respect to my colleague for her level of expertise and position, 2) giving the colleague the opportunity to share her knowledge and give back, 3) offering my colleague the ability to grow her network by continuing the referral, and 4) implicitly stating that I would reciprocate the favor, thereby solidifying the relationship.

Example Two: I am a senior manager at my company. I believe in the capability of my mentee and believe she should get the opportunity to work on a large upcoming project. I have seen my mentee’s growth, skill set and professionalism and believe she would do an amazing job. I use my political capital to assure that she gets the project. She does well, adds value to the company, and my capacity for picking winners goes up. The next time I recommend someone, I have more power.

Example Three: I believe my company should hire an outside service provider that happens to be a personal friend. As part of the lobbying effort, I find out more about the ways in which these decisions are made, and even if my request is turned down, I am able to learn how to make sure my next request is answered in the affirmative. (As an aside, it is important to know that during negotiation, when someone tells you ‘no,’ you have the chance to ask for something ‘lesser’; make sure you use this knowledge to your benefit.)

Even if the only thing you learn when trying to leverage your own power is the boundaries of that power, that is knowledge. And knowledge is more power.

In short, if you’re leveraging your power, you’re putting it to use and you’re gathering more. Of course, don’t ask for favors without offering something in return, but the very act of asking yourself what you bring to the relationship gives you a chance to better understand all the value you bring.

So ‘giving back,’ ‘paying it forward’ and leveraging our own individual opportunities for the benefit of those who come after us is not only good for them (and our communities), it’s also good for us.

Remember: If we utilize our power to help others, we learn more about the level of power we have, how we can utilize it and we get to bump up against our limits–or we find out we were sadly underestimating ourselves.

Learn more about sponsorship, learn how you can be a sponsor, and start using your power, sister!

When have you found that working on behalf of others actually added to your cache? What did you do with that new-found power?