I got a call the other day from a senior HR person inviting me to help out with a coaching assignment. It seems that two senior leaders in her organization are having a difficult working together. She wanted to know if I would be interested in helping them build a productive working relationship.
I said “yes, with one condition. I want to kick off the process with a meeting with the boss of these two individuals in attendance. I want him (the boss) to let both people know that they must find a way to work together productively”.
In effect, I wanted the boss to sponsor the coaching…
Sponsorship is a concept I discuss often with leaders I coach. A sponsor is a person with juice – someone who can set direction and commit resources. Leaders must be effective sponsors for the things they want to happen in their organizations.
Sponsorship is active. It differs from support. Support is a passive process. I support world peace, and an end to hunger and disease. Other than voting and writing an occasional check, I don’t do a lot about any of them.
To return to the example I used at the beginning of this post, I want the senior leader to sponsor my work with his people. He can sponsor my work by kicking off the project, letting both of them know that he is dissatisfied with things the way they are, and that he is providing them with a resource (me) to help them fix the problem.
Notice, he isn’t fixing the problem for them, or telling them what he wants them to do. He is merely informing them that the current situation is no longer acceptable and he is directing them to correct it. He is providing an outside resource to help, but he is placing full responsibility on them to fix the problem.
By taking these actions, he is legitimizing the project, and my role as a change agent. He is setting direction and committing resources. In short, he is sponsoring, not supporting, the work I will do with his two direct reports.
Sponsorship and leadership go hand in hand. Effective leaders sponsor the initiatives they want to see accomplished. They participate actively in the process. They spend their time, energy and money making sure that these things happen.
The common sense point here is simple. The next time you want to make something happen in your organization – get involved. Let people know that this is important to you by your words and your deeds. Sponsor, don’t support, major initiatives. You’ll be surprised what a little effort in the form of active sponsorship will get you.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more leadership common sense. Check out my other blog www.CareerSuperStar.com for common sense advice on becoming the life and career star you are meant to be.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
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