Effective Sponsorship

In talking to a few colleagues and clients recently about upcoming or ongoing changes, the topic of sponsorship seems to be a recurring theme. I had to laugh as I took the CCMP exam last week, as I had what felt like a disproportionate number of questions about “sponsorship.” As this is an area I have seen widely overlooked, it made me think that the writers of the CCMP exam recognize this reality as well and wanted to really drive home that point. For me personally, I have grown to understand what true sponsorship means and have worked to deliberately make it a focal point of my change practice.

So how can we develop effective sponsorship? So often, I see a project or change team left to their own devices-- trying to influence employees in other parts of the organization to adopt and embrace a change.

But truly effective sponsorship demands an active leader who has the accountability for the change and the authority to drive it. In most organizations, that points to a direct leader of the affected stakeholders; because, simply put, in most organizations, your boss’ priority is your own. A project or shared services leader will often struggle to meet that criteria and successfully deliver change (or at least sustainable change).

The hard part is always freeing up the sponsor to lead the change. After all, they are the ideal sponsor because of their role in the organization, and that almost always comes with a hefty workload. But the data speaks for itself-- investing in sponsorship increases likelihood of meeting objectives (a.k.a. return on investment)!

In my experience, the biggest miss on the road to effective sponsorship is in preparing the sponsor for their role. Even the strongest and most effective leaders often need coaching and a well laid out plan on how to effectively sponsor transformational change. An experienced change management partner can provide the plan and support that your sponsor needs to succeed and to deliver sustainable change.

So let’s talk sponsorship. Are your projects setup for success right now? Are your sponsors bought in and prominently promoting the changes you seek to implement?

The data:
https://lnkd.in/gWJpanHB