As any change or program practitioner will tell you, a major reason programs fail is not having the correct sponsorship in place at the start. Leadership teams often question if a sponsor is required and think decisions can simply be made by committee, or assign an inappropriate person as sponsor. The benefits of having an engaged sponsor of an appropriate role and level to advocate for your program cannot be overstated. We’ll return in the future to the topic of choosing an appropriate sponsor – it’s something that’s easy to get wrong! – but for this post I’m going to focus on how, as a sponsor, you can exhibit behaviours to drive program success.
1. Set the vision
Vision through change (as I’ve explained previously) is a crucially important element and, as sponsor, it’s your role to maintain a clear and motivating vision. You also need to make sure that this vision aligns with your organisation’s strategy, so that people are clear about how the change fits the wider context of your business goals. You also need to make sure there is ongoing alignment there – for example if the overall business direction changes, you need to make sure the vision for your change is still valid.
2. Champion the change
This doesn’t just mean that you are supportive of the need to change (although belief in the need to change is obviously an important trait of a good sponsor!). This means walking the walk, as well as talking the talk. You should role model the new expected behaviours and traits and lead by example. As sponsor, you are at a high level of visibility in the organisation and the face of the change. Others will look to you to decide how to act and so your actions need to speak louder than your words. Your words, though, do need to be clear and consistent, and you should be articulating regularly the urgency and importance of the change at every opportunity.
3. Gain and retain management buy-in
If you’re an appropriate program sponsor, then you’ll have strong relationships across the organisation and be able to influence management. It’s important that the entire organisation and especially business leadership buys into your change, and as program sponsor you need to take an active role in ensuring they are kept informed and are engaged with what you are doing.
4. Remove blockers
You should be using your level of influence to clear the path for the change. This could range from securing the right resources or dedicated budget, right through to dealing with individuals or teams who oppose the change and making sure they are on board.
5. Alignment of environment
You are responsible for making sure that the company is ready to accept the change – in particular by making sure systems and processes support it. For example, you should look at your rewards framework, and make sure that behavioural changes which would positively affect your change will be rewarded and ensure the business isn’t rewarding any behaviours that could conflict with the change becoming successfully embedded.
When sponsors fail, it is often because they do not dedicate enough time to their role, seeing it more as a reactive/honorary position than something where they need to take the lead and be proactive. To be a good business sponsor, you need to feel ultimately accountable for the success or failure of the change, and put time and effort into your role. To all the great sponsors out there, please keep doing what you’re doing!
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