Effective sponsorship is essential to career development and increasing diversity in our field. It is vital that current leaders and aspiring leaders understand the factors that result in successful sponsorship. There continues to be significant challenges to increasing diversity in many medical fields, including otolaryngology, as well as in leadership positions. Mentorship is consistently recognized as an important factor in assisting individuals with diverse backgrounds to achieve their career goals. Sponsorship is less well understood and less often discussed as a mechanism to ensure career success and to increasing diversity in leadership. Sponsorship, in addition to mentorship, is critical for successful career advancement and is essential for increasing diversity in our field. Sponsorship requires a different set of skills and is conducted in a framework that is unique from mentorship. It is essential that current leaders and others utilize sponsorship as a purposeful and carefully conducted career advancement strategy. This panel will provide an evidence-based review of sponsorship, demonstrate the differences between mentorship and sponsorship through a discussion of representative cases and provide practical advice for sponsors and those seeking sponsorship. The information provided will be important to a large audience including otolaryngologists in private and academic practice, young physicians, researchers, residents and medical students, advanced practice providers and leaders.