Should I Sponsor Everyone I Mentor?
During a recent conversation with the Butler Center advisory council, a comment made me pause and ponder: “Mentoring and sponsoring don’t always overlap. I may sponsor someone without mentoring them, or mentor someone I'm not ready to sponsor.” Another colleague shared a thought that added more nuance: perhaps mentoring is the starting point of it all; it creates an opportunity for cultivating a growth-supportive relationship. In that space, coaching and advising often happen naturally. Sponsorship, however, may emerge later, once both parties have established deeper trust and appreciation. At that point, the sponsor can confidently advocate for the mentee, endorsing them for opportunities, promotions, or recognition.
This distinction matters. Too often, we blur the lines between coaching, counseling, consulting/advising, mentoring, and sponsoring. Each plays a unique role in a person’s development. Coaches help set goals and facilitate movement toward them. Counselors support you in overcoming past experiences and help you navigate mental and emotional challenges. Consultants provide subject-matter expertise to solve specific problems. Sponsors leverage their influence on behalf of a person. Mentors can be all of the above, but they don’t need to be. Ultimately, mentors are individuals who invest in a long-term, growth-supportive relationship with you, motivated by genuine care for your success and well-being.
Mentoring as Relationship, Not Just Advice
The more I listen to colleagues discuss mentoring, the clearer it becomes: mentoring is fundamentally about relationships. It goes beyond simply telling someone what to do or navigating a career milestone. And it is definitely not about you. At its core, mentoring means showing up consistently, honestly, and supportively for someone. It means being a wise and friendly travel companion who offers perspective drawn from experience. Trust and mutual respect deepen over time, making it a growth-oriented connection rather than a one-off transaction.
That's why mentoring feels different from coaching, counseling, or consulting. Coaching clarifies your path and goals, counseling heals past wounds, and consulting solves problems. Mentoring, at its core, is about walking alongside a person as they become more fully themselves, offering guidance from a position of wisdom, empathy, and trust.
Mentoring as the Foundation for Sponsorship
This relationship-centered view highlights that sponsorship often grows out of mentoring, although they don’t always coincide. It’s possible for someone to mentor without sponsoring, or vice versa, because the two roles serve different functions. A mentor might not be in a position to sponsor, or the mentee may not yet have reached a point where sponsorship is appropriate.
BUT….
When a mentor has invested time in a mentee and seen their growth, integrity, and capabilities firsthand, sponsorship can be transformative. It becomes more than just vouching for someone based on superficial knowledge of their competence and qualifications; it’s sharing your belief in them. This depth of trust makes sponsorship even more powerful.
Without this foundation, sponsorship risks feeling transactional. When there is a sincere relationship, sponsorship becomes extraordinarily meaningful: a statement of belief made tangible through advocacy and opportunity.
Why Mentoring Matters Most
All forms of support (e.g., coaching, consulting) contribute to personal and professional growth. Yet, mentoring transforms us at a deeper level. It doesn’t just help us earn an opportunity; it helps us develop confidence, clarity, and resilience so we’re ready to seize it. For those receiving mentorship, the impact can be profound. It offers perspective in moments of uncertainty, encouragement when confidence wavers, and access to wisdom that might otherwise take years to learn. A skilled mentor doesn’t merely impart knowledge; they help mentees see their own potential more clearly, often before the mentee recognizes it. That kind of support fosters greater self-belief and inspires the courage needed to embrace new challenges.
A Two-Way Street
Before we close, I want to leave you with this: mentoring isn’t a one-way street. Think about the best mentoring relationship you have. In it, the line between mentor and mentee often shifts, with each bringing something valuable to the table — wisdom, fresh perspective, honest challenge. That exchange is what keeps the relationship alive and meaningful.
At its best, mentorship isn’t about hierarchy at all. It’s about partnership. Sometimes the most powerful moments don’t come from assigned roles, but from open, humble conversations where both people walk away changed. That’s the real gift of mentoring: shared growth.
Recommended Reading:
Eby, L. T., & Robertson, M. M. (2020). The psychology of workplace mentoring relationships. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7, 75–100. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012119-044924 [Full Text PDF]