A recent LinkedIn conversation brought to the forefront an issue I’ve been working on and writing about for quite some time. Executive sponsorship in Strategic Account Management (SAM) is critical to ensuring initiatives succeed. The discussion underscored a persistent challenge. While executive sponsors bring credibility, influence, and resources to SAM initiatives, their involvement is often unstructured, reactive, or misaligned with the SAM’s strategic role.
During that conversation, Chris Auty, a seasoned expert in people, purpose, and performance and the founder of Purple Spruce, highlighted a key tension. Despite their best intentions, executives sometimes struggle to balance their natural leadership instincts with the nuanced role of an executive sponsor. Chris described how executives can slip into a directive, boss-mode mindset, unintentionally overshadowing the SAM and disrupting trust in the customer relationship.
In my response, I shared that effective sponsorship is collaborative, not directive. The SAM serves as the strategist, leading the account and owning the relationship, while the executive sponsor acts as a sounding board, mentor, and advocate. They provide critical support, resolve internal roadblocks, and help the SAM gain access to higher-level customer stakeholders. However, even well-intentioned efforts can falter when sponsorship lacks structure and clarity.
This dynamic reminds me of the relationship between a mountain climber and a Sherpa. The SAM, like the climber, leads the ascent, makes strategic decisions, and focuses on reaching the summit. Like the Sherpa, the executive sponsor provides stability, guidance, and essential support—clearing obstacles, anticipating risks, and ensuring the climber has the resources to succeed.
This article builds on those insights to explore the behaviors that define effective sponsorship. It examines the challenges sponsors face in finding the right balance, the importance of coaching to equip them for success, and how leading indicators provide structure, clarity, and accountability to their role.
Sponsorship in the Real World: Common Challenges and Pitfalls
Executive sponsorship is one of the most powerful levers driving SAM success, but only when executed well. In practice, sponsorship often stumbles, not because of a lack of intent but because of misaligned expectations, unclear boundaries, and conflicting priorities. These challenges are rarely the result of poor leadership but instead stem from a lack of clarity about the role executive sponsors should play.
One of the most common pitfalls is ego dynamics. Executives are natural leaders, wired to take charge and drive outcomes. However, this instinct can backfire in the context of a SAM initiative. When an executive sponsor dominates conversations with customers or takes on decisions that should be led by the SAM, it undermines the SAM’s authority and can disrupt trust in the relationship.
Another recurring issue is role ambiguity. Without clearly defined responsibilities and expectations, executives may overstep their boundaries or withdraw entirely from the process. SAMs might assume that their sponsors understand their role intuitively, but in reality, effective sponsorship requires intentional alignment and ongoing dialogue.
Lastly, time constraints remain an ever-present challenge. Sponsorship often gets deprioritized amid an executive’s competing demands. While the sponsor may fully support the SAM initiative in theory, their engagement can become inconsistent, reducing their ability to advocate effectively or resolve critical roadblocks.
The good news is that these challenges are preventable. They aren’t symptoms of poor leadership but rather of unstructured sponsorship dynamics. Clarity of roles, mutual respect, and regular alignment meetings can mitigate these pitfalls and set the stage for impactful executive involvement.
Equipping Leaders for Strategic Impact
Even the most experienced executives, with their wealth of leadership expertise, often find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory when stepping into a sponsorship role. They may default to familiar patterns—taking charge, driving outcomes, or stepping in to “fix” problems—all with the best intentions. However, these instincts can inadvertently disrupt the SAM’s strategy and authority.
Sponsorship is a distinct leadership behavior that requires coaching and structure to be effective. Sponsors need clarity about their roles, boundaries, and unique ways to add value without overstepping.
The SAM’s Role in Coaching Sponsors
While executives bring authority and credibility, SAMs are the strategists for the account—they understand the customer landscape, account dynamics, and the objectives driving success. This makes SAMs uniquely positioned to coach their sponsors effectively. Here’s how:
● Clarify Roles and Expectations: Define responsibilities upfront, including where the sponsor should step in and when they should step back.
● Regular Check-Ins: Create space for ongoing alignment and feedback.
● Provide Constructive Feedback: Address missteps respectfully to maintain clarity and alignment.
Peer-to-Peer Executive Coaching:
Sponsors can also benefit from peer coaching within the executive team. When sponsorship is viewed not as an individual responsibility but as an organizational behavior, executives can share experiences, challenges, and best practices with one another. This fosters a culture where effective sponsorship becomes the norm, not the exception.
When sponsors are coached and aligned effectively, their role becomes transformative. They step into customer conversations confidently, not to take control but to unlock opportunities and build trust. Internally, they become powerful advocates for SAM initiatives, breaking down silos, securing resources, and ensuring alignment across teams.
Leading Indicators for Sponsors
Executive sponsorship is often evaluated using lagging indicators like revenue growth or account retention. While these are important, they only tell the story after it’s been written. When poor results appear in these metrics, it’s often too late to make meaningful adjustments.
Leading indicators, on the other hand, act as a real-time dashboard, offering immediate insights into whether executive sponsorship is driving the intended impact. They measure the actions and behaviors that predict long-term success, allowing both SAMs and sponsors to identify and address misalignments early.
Key Leading Indicators for Effective Sponsorship:
● Stakeholder Engagement: Are sponsors engaging meaningfully with key customer stakeholders?
● Strategic Alignment: Are account plans aligned with corporate goals?
● Internal Advocacy: Are sponsors securing resources and removing obstacles effectively?
● Regular Check-Ins: Are sponsor-SAM alignment meetings consistent and productive?
These indicators don’t just measure outcomes—they provide a guide for proactive adjustments. For example, if stakeholder engagement begins to decline, the SAM and sponsor can address the issue immediately, preventing downstream problems.
From Alignment to Amplification
Strategic alignment sets the stage, but executive sponsorship brings the strategy to life. Without active, intentional sponsorship, even well-aligned initiatives risk stalling, losing visibility, and failing to deliver results. Sponsorship isn’t about being present—it’s about being purposeful. It empowers Strategic Account Managers (SAMs) to lead confidently while providing guidance, breaking barriers, and ensuring alignment.
The question isn’t whether your organization has executive sponsors—it’s whether those sponsors are equipped, engaged, and empowered to drive success. I’d love to hear your perspective. What strategies have you seen succeed in executive sponsorship, and where do challenges persist?