But a sponsor must do more than bless an effort, give it some funding, and direct the improvement group to make the project happen. A successful improvement effort needs a committed sponsor, not just an involved sponsor. The best way to define the difference between committed and involved is to make a comparison between a chicken and a pig in breakfast. The chicken is involved by giving its eggs and the pig is committed by giving its life. Senior-level sponsors need to exhibit commitment.
Leadership is influence.
A strong sponsor has to establish and foster a vision, define the compelling need, establish a management team that turns the vision into reality, and stick with it until the end. A sponsor needs to lead with vision, not manage by it. Only the sponsor can move an organization from the strategic plan to reality. Far too frequently, organizations minimize the importance of a mission, a vision, goals, and strategic planning. Senior-level managers find these tasks to be unrewarding and to be in the way of doing their real work.