How to Engage Your Sponsor in 10 Ways

While no two change initiatives are the same, there are some basic, fundamental hallmarks of change management that can be applied to any scenario that will help ensure a successful transformation.

The focus of this blog centers on a very critical change element: Executive Sponsorship. Or rather, how to establish and build trust with your executive change leader or sponsor.

Every change manager worth their salt knows that sponsor support is critical to project success, but what we also know is that not every sponsor wants to be the one in charge!

Here are 10 ways (in no particular order of importance) to make sure your relationship starts well and continues to thrive throughout the project.

1. Know your Sponsor

Lean in and listen with a focus on becoming a trusted advisor. It is key to understanding their point of view and their history with not only the project, but the company. Understanding context will help you connect with them on a personal level.

• Research their communication preferences.
• Understand their management style.
• Discuss what keeps them awake at night and share potential solutions whenever possible.
  
  

2. Highlight the Benefits and Risks

Understand the why in enough detail to have an informed conversation with your sponsor. Get background from lots of sources before you meet with the sponsor.

• Read the business case.
• Understand the history of change in the organization.
• Identify what other current projects/changes are affecting your stakeholders.
  
  

3. Establish Clear Expectations

Your job is to make theirs easier. Set expectations early so that you will be their trusted partner and adjust when necessary.

• Have a written agreement regarding your deliverables.
• Keep an updated sponsor plan document. It is iterative and should continue to evolve.
• Define a specific approval process for communications.
  
  

4. Engage in Stakeholder Management Together

Getting to know the receivers of the sponsor’s messages is key when they are trying to express their enthusiasm about the change. Their way of communicating must land well with the audience.

• Seek out early stakeholder identification.
• Host interviews with a cross section of employees, not just the list given to you.
• Identify the What’s In It For Me (WIIFMs) of the project by group, as comprehensive as you can get.

5. Provide the Necessary Resources

One of their main jobs is to help manage resistance but they probably won’t hear a lot of it directly. Make sure you are the funnel for the feedback loop.

• Establish a “From the office of email” where you get the replies.
• Condense the issues and reinforce the why/positive outcomes/goal.
• Have the team develop solutions to present rather than just issues.

6. Foster Open and Authentic Communications

The quickest way to make a sponsor disinterested is to give them standard templates that they must personalize. Make sure you have done your homework.

• Understand your sponsor’s “voice.” Read as much of their writing as possible.
• Refrain from colloquialisms. You can still have a casual tone if that is the voice of your sponsor, but being casual doesn’t mean being careless with words, tone, slang, etc.
• Be authentic in your conversations both with the sponsor and in your communication drafts.
  
  

7. Lead with Efficiency and Effectiveness

Their time is important, and limited. Make sure the time you do have with them is structured to maximize your time together and provide value.

• Have an agenda for your meetings.
• Be specific about what you need from them.
• Take copious notes so you don’t need to ask questions again.

8. Assess, Reflect, and Adapt

Assess what you are doing with the sponsor. Always take a second, and third, look.

• Assess – make sure you are revisiting your plan and making necessary tweaks. Check in with the sponsor and ask if there is anything you’re
• Host multiple mini lessons learned sessions during the project and make sure the sponsor sees the recaps and has time to reflect on how these could change for the remainder of the project and/or future iterations/changes.
• Adapt the plan as needed based on assessment and reflection — there may never be a good time to course correct!

9. Provide Continuous Support and Coaching

It’s easy to say they should be able to handle the pressure, but sponsors of projects have their day jobs plus the responsibility of being advocates, liaisons, and coaches for their teams.

• Respect their schedule.
• Rely on others on the project team to help support the sponsor. 
• Provide a safe, confidential space for them to express their frustrations, and the occasional, “venting” session. 
  
  

10. Celebrate Success Together

• Showcase quick wins early in the process.
• Highlight successes to help boost their confidence in the project and provide them with tangible evidence of the change progress.
• Recognizing them publicly and expressing appreciation for their leadership strengthens your relationship and reinforces their ability to lead future change initiatives.

Engaging an executive sponsor in change management is not a one-time task; it requires ongoing effort, communication, and collaboration to ensure that your executive sponsor is not just involved, but actively engaged in driving the success of the change initiative.

Stacy Dunbar is a Principal Consultant with Avaap. Her experience includes managing large scale projects for Fortune 100 and international companies. As an organizational change management consultant, PMP, and certified executive coach, Stacy helps companies advance strategic priorities and successfully transition employees to a business’s new normal. Stacy’s work in HR and deep experience in change and project management focuses on helping employees be not only ready, but excited, to make a transition.