What Does It Take to Be an Effective Executive Sponsor for Change Management Initiatives to be Successful?

When I speak to senior leaders about executive sponsorship it is not unusual to hear that they are very good at this role because they?sign the project charter, the budget and diligently attend the launch of the change initiative?via the Town Hall. It is unfortunate though that this is a?skewed view?of what being an effective sponsor really means.?

The overall common view of what an effective executive sponsor requires to do signifies that often a senior manager is assigned by the CEO or by the Executive Committee to be an executive sponsor of a?multitude of projects?(also in the double digits!). Due to the lack of understanding of what they have to do - and their main focus being their day job - the executive sponsors end up?not providing much input?to the project, instead of carrying out an activity that gives direction and guidance. Even worse, this common view of what an executive sponsor does, entails that they are not held accountable for a project in case of its failure.?

What can you do?to ensure that your senior managers do?understand what their role is?when they accept to be the executive sponsor for a change management initiative?

1. It is key that the executive sponsor and the project leader meet to define and clarify the expectations. According to an article by Ron Ashkenas published by the Harvard Business Review “the project leader can address the amount of guidance, senior level support, and resources that would be needed for the project, and the executive sponsor can analyse and sharpen the project objectives, establish key milestones and approve a review and communication schedule”.?
2. According to the Prosci Best Practices in Change Management, it is critical for the executive sponsor to be aware of the roles that s/he has to fulfil during the entire project lifecycle, the?ABC: being Active and visible, Build the coalition of sponsors and communicate directly with the employees. These are not “nice to have’ roles, they are must haves. In fact, Prosci’s research shows that there is a?direct correlation?between the level of effectiveness of the sponsor and the probability that the project will meet or exceed its objectives. This means that the sponsor has to be aware (and trained) of the roles that they have to carry out.?
3. Being an effective executive sponsor?requires time and commitment. Being involved in 10, 12 or 15 projects is not going to be feasible. This means that it is unlikely that a senior individual can be effective in his/her role when appointed to be the executive sponsor to more than a handful of change initiatives. The CEO and the Executive Committee have to make a conscious choice to appoint individuals that do have?authority in the organisation and?bandwidth to carry out their role?of primary sponsor in a meaningful way, being accountable for the results of their contribution.?

As change management practitioners we play a key role in making sure that the executive sponsor is aware of his/her role and the effort that is required to fulfil it to a significant standard that can improve the probability of the project success. This means educating the business as to who does what in a change management initiative and what are the activities that have to be carried out, setting the correct expectations in terms of skills and time required and the risks for the project when appointing an individual that does not have the knowledge and time to do what is necessary to be successful at implementing change management: failure.