The Project Manager’s Guide to Dealing with Difficult Sponsors

  Communications Management   Knowledge Shelf  

Part of the challenge that the project manager faces is the reality of having to serve so many different stakeholders and sometimes being pulled in very different directions. Most of us have been taught that our “sponsor” is the person who is the champion of the effort. Indeed, the sponsor is often the one that we are required to seek out for support and issue resolution throughout the project. So what do you do when your sponsor is the problem? As I travel across the country and sometimes beyond to speak to business analysts, project managers, and team leaders about how to deal with difficult team members, I am astounded by how often someone raises their hand to ask, “But what do you do if your sponsor is the problem?” I have to admit that having a problem sponsor poses an interesting dilemma, but strategies do exist that you can use to address this not-too-uncommon situation. Let’s explore a few different varieties of the “difficult sponsor” and see how they can be managed for optimum success.

Sponsor Type 1: “I hope you don’t mind me intimidating everyone with my overbearing nature at your team meetings…I’m just trying to help you speed things along.”

Sometimes the problem is getting the sponsor to show up for meetings as requested. On the other hand, sometimes we’re sorry they did show…

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