How to Be a Project Sponsor

In many of our past thought leadership pieces, we have discussed the importance of project leadership, especially as it pertains to organizational change management (OCM). Some of the highlights or key takeaways include selecting executive sponsorship at the right organizational level—those who are empowered to lead and have the respect of stakeholders. Equally important, we recommend project leadership deliver consistent and transparent communication, and serve as a positive driving force – rewarding successes while demanding accountability. The list of project sponsorship responsibilities continues, and we are often asked to coach and provide feedback during a project. This typically includes first defining individual roles and then providing strategic direction, customized for the different levels of project leadership. Many of these themes are discussed in a recent Point of View, Enhancing System Implementation Value with Executive Change Leadership.

Recently, I was asked to provide a concise but informal presentation on desired project leader behaviors. This is somewhat different from our usual requests, not because it isn’t an important consideration, but because project sponsors and leaders are usually named long before the Parker Avery team engages with a client. These are leaders who all have their own distinct leadership styles and we want them to remain authentic. Even more, when we do talk about “how to be a project sponsor” or “how to talk about a project leader” we speak in terms of tactical approaches and what needs to be accomplished, but not necessarily attributes. We are always aware of individual strengths and weaknesses or differing personalities and accommodate these variables with discretion.

However, I believe it is healthy and beneficial to discuss these expectations in an open forum. It not only helps sponsors and leaders understand what they have truly signed up for, but it also provides a way for them to support other stakeholders and impacted people through the overall initiative. For others, it provides a starting point or opening to get targeted executive support. Let’s take a look at some behaviors and attributes of great project sponsors.