Sponsors are supposed to promote and protect your project. But what if there is someone out there who is trying to do just the opposite? Usually, they will be operating from the shadows to undermine your project. Let’s call them The Phantom Menace.
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Problem Project Sponsors
I have written a couple of big articles about dealing with tricky problems arising from your Project Sponsor.
The first was:
How to Handle a Difficult Project Sponsor: [7 Different Types]
It got a lot of interest. But a couple of people came back to me, in private.
Their concern was not that their sponsor was hard to handle…
No. They worried that their sponsor seemed to be actively undermining their project. For them, the advice in that article did not go far enough. They challenged me to think about a new level of behavior.
To do this, I had to categorize the different ways a Project Sponsor can go rogue. From disruptive behavior to the extremes. What if your sponsor is corrupt, for example?
This led me to write the article:
Rogue Project Sponsor: What to Do when Sponsorship goes Bad
But there’s a possibility I don’t address…
And that was deliberate. Because I wanted to keep the article about rogue sponsors.
The Phantom Menace: What if someone else in the sponsoring organization is working against your project?
We know that organizational projects need substantial top-level support, to succeed. But what if someone is trying to undermine your project? But they are doing it in an underhand – or even covert – way?
The Phantom Menace
Any fans of the Star Wars franchise will know where that will lead.
So, what can you do about the Phantom Menace?
I don’t want to suggest anything that can create a toxic atmosphere in your organization. Or your project. But you do need to expose the phantom menace in your midst.
The best approach is to recognize that no one can undermine a project on their own. They do it by influencing others. Either by:
- persuading other stakeholders, or
- trying to win over one or more of your team.
That’s politics.
Project Politics
So, for a project manager who thinks politics is not part of your role: you are wrong. A big part of your job is to strengthen and maintain relationships all across your project. This is why I have not just written about the subject, but also done a short video (Get to grips with Project Politics) and a Livestream about it.
It may have a bad name for you, but politics is something you need to get used to.
‘Wherever there are two people in a room… you have politics‘
So, slowly, gently, start taking the steps you need to take. Build your network of influence across and around your project. It’s the safest course, to prevent, spot, and deal with a phantom menace.
Recommended Videos
Carefully curated video recommendations for you:
- Building a Working Relationship with Your Project Sponsor – With Jonathan Norman | Video
- Working with Your Project Sponsor: 5 Tips | Video
- The Game of Projects: How to Win at Project Politics
- Get to Grips with Project Politics | Video
- Projects and Politics: Navigating the Interfaces [Livestream]
What Kit does a Project Manager Need?
I asked Project Managers in a couple of forums what material things you need to have, to do your job as a Project Manager. They responded magnificently. I compiled their answers into a Kit list. I added my own.
Check out the Kit a Project Manager needs
Note that the links are affiliated.
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