Leverage Your Leadership Position to Pay It Forward

Leverage Your Leadership Position to “Pay It Forward” 3 Ways to  Leverage Positions of Leadership to Effectively Pay It Forward   “Start where you?are.?  Use what you have.?Do what you can.” â€" Arthur Ashe   If you are in a position of leadership, chances are you didn’t get there on your own. Along the way, people have believed in you, invested in you, and supported you. You may not have always been in a position to pay these people back, but you are certainly in a position to pay it forward.     Sharon E. Jones, author of  Mastering the Game: Strategies for Career Success, says, “Use the skills, knowledge, and resources you have to serve others in need and causes that are important to you.” Here are her recommended strategies to leverage a leadership position to effectively pay it forward:     1.  Mentor  and  Vouch for Junior Professionals     One way to  pay it forward  is  by mentoring and vouching for junior professionals  behind you.  You have accumulated  a wealth of knowledge  over time as you successfully advanced in your  company. You can mentor junior employees and help them  strategically  navigate the  company’s  written and  unwritten rules.  You  can  also help  junior professionals  within the company by vouching for them,  essentially  making  positive  comments  about them based on  your  observations.  Your stamp of approval can help  make people at  your  company more comfortable  with  working with them, especially if they are new  or diverse.   2.  Leverage Your Network to Help Others   You can also  pay it forward  by connecting  people  to  reliable contacts  in your network who can help them achieve their goals. Even if you can’t directly help someone, you might know of someone else who can. Be generous with your time and network.  If you are viewed as a person who is always taking and never giving, your network will shut down on you.  Not only will existing connections fade away, but it will likely be more difficult to make future contacts because of your reputation as a taker.  By  giving generously within your means, you are viewed more favorably and maintain a strong network.   3.  Channel  Company Resources to  Causes  You  Care  About     Channeling your organization’s resources toward socially responsible causes you care about is  another  way to  use  your status as a leader to pay it forward.  You can encourage  your company to financially sponsor a not-for-profit cause about which you are passionate.  Additionally,  you can use your status as a leader to get your organization to pick a particular not-for-profit that matters to you for  company-wide  community  service days. If your company doesn’t have a community service day, consider proposing  one  as a team-building activity that  fosters  camaraderie and generates  positive publicity  for the company.     Start the Ripple Effect   As you create the life you have always dreamed of  as a leader, make sure that you give back and help the next generation of aspiring professionals. Never forget that you have the power to affect change.  Your efforts  to pay it forward can motivate the recipients of your generosity to also pay it forward, creating a long-lasting, positive ripple effect. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class ® right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!