The Courageous Sponsor | Book Review

My top tip is to be less of a whip-cracker and more
of an inspiring leader and coach. Be present (p. 171).

Many competent technical professionals and first-time project managers mistakenly believe their individual or team competence are the only prerequisites for success. Years ago, in a CEO role, our wise (think Owl) board chair coached me and our company through a remarkable transformation where all of our strategic programs became unified, with an accountable sponsor for each as well.

Annie Sheehan shares her own wealth of experience in response to the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Pulse of the Profession findings that over 33% of strategic initiatives fail (p. 25).

Our review links the three parts of Sheehan’s book:

Part A Prepare
Part B Experiment
Part C Reflect

With Academy Leadership workshops, in particular the Accountability Compass. Similar to individually developed follow-on Leadership Excellence Course Action Plans, Sheehan includes very helpful Action Steps at the end of most chapters.

Part A | Team | Leadership Philosophy

Sheehan introduces personas as simplified characteristics of six different bird types that represent sponsor traits (p. 6):

Peacock
Magpie
Ostrich
Duck
Eagle
Owl

With a particular focus on the highlighted middle four. How fun! We can think of the Peacock as the preening, useless boss and the Owl as the paragon of wisdom and envision our leader journey primarily from Magpie to Eagle. A useful sponsor self-assessment workshop (pp. 20-21) list ten characteristics of the bird types, of note availability, advocacy and empathic. Collectively, these traits resemble those of a mentor, extending beyond executive coach traits.

Sheehan prudently distinguishes that business leaders are business experts, not project experts (p. 27). The combination of accountable sponsor and project expert/manager are key for a successful business outcome. 

Examining the behaviour column of a Sponsor Productivity Ladder (p. 38):

Level         Behaviour                   Project Impact

Five            Transforming               Kicking goals
Four           Learning                       Developing a game plan
Three         Stable                           Drills (routine)
Two            Coping                          Make a move
One            Paralysed                     Out of the game

One sees a form of Accountability Ladder, like the one used in our Accountability Compass workshops. Once we leave the level one paralysed state (lower ladder rungs), we are making progress toward goal completion.

Sheehan recommends a collaborative problem-solving approach, (p. 46), the same recommended strategy from our Leveraging the Power of Conflict workshops. A win-win. 

The Owl sponsor is the ideal role model to emulate, protecting the group from unwanted interference (p. 60). Some of the best Personal Leadership Philosophy examples call out shield as a leader role. Sheehan extends this philosophy to a Working Together Agreement (p. 64) worth considering:

• Who we are
• What we stand for
• What we will not stand for
• How we reward our team
• How we deal with breaches 

Part B | Duck to Eagle | Deliberate Practice

At the stable, level three ladder step,  Sheehan promotes team drills as a disciplined regime with a routine activity that gives you immediate feedback (p. 74). We may consider this a form of deliberate practice (see Peak), allowing continuous performance improvement and results. In her book Mindset, psychologist Carol Dweck talks about the growth mindset – believing that you can learn and improve you skills over time, and that talent and capability are not inherent (pp. 80-81). This leadership mindset allows us to become Eagles.

Sheehan advocates for both sponsor micro and macro views (p. 92). Think of the After Action Review, frequently used in the military, where a safe environment for all points of view, or Chatham House (p. 95) rules of engagement, apply. 

Feedback has become a euphemism for criticism,
but it doesn’t have to be negative. (p. 103)

Recall from our Feedback, The Essential Connection workshops, there are three types of feedback: Appreciation, Evaluation and Coaching. Sheehan also has an expanded definition (pp. 107-108): 

• Show appreciation
• Be supportive
• Request a post-implementation review
• Schedule regular celebrations

Rather than over evaluating (think of the myriad metrics and terms available), these activities correspond to performance coaching, or  Eagle, best practices. 

Alignment is vital. Start with tying your personal purpose (or leadership philosophy) to your project’s purpose (p. 115). Especially for longer term projects, have clarity on what success look like to you (p. 126). Consider a visual statement at the beginning of a personal leadership philosophy (e.g. “Imagine a World Without Electricity”). 

Part C | Journal | Lead | Soar | Advocate

Mention “journaling” to a professional, and if they don’t look away a defensive “I don’t have time for that!” often follows. Yet these same project managers will tell you they don’t wish to remain Ducks forever.

General Stanley McChrystal shares the same reflective journey, ultimately establishing his Operations & Intelligence (O&I) briefings as described in Team of Teams. Sheehan urges the same process: ask your project manager to check what critical project communication channels are available in your organization (p. 143). She offers the analogy of a scoreboard at a sporting event, which is time-saving for the team and engaging for everyone (p. 134), the equivalent of the rebuilt aircraft hangar McChrystal used.

Most project have setbacks. Sheehan offers a version of John Boyd’s OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) Loop for when at a project impasse (p. 155-156): 

• Prioritise
• Adjust
• Wait
• Kill

Now you can take those experiences and add a dash more courage to take your game to the next level and become a consistent Owl sponsor (p. 161). Or, in McChrystal’s case, Lead Like a Gardner, by nurturing the growth of others.

Summary

Our Coaching to Develop Leaders workshops integrate eight prior workshops, since our ultimate expression of leadership is developing others.

Sheehan concurs, in this enlightened, humorous, and practical work for any project leader.

Annie Sheehan generously provided a copy of her book for review.