“Success calls for getting the right balance between managing your sponsors, team and customers,” said one MD. “People often think that climbing the corporate ladder will lead to them spending their days directing strategy – but this isn’t the case. Frequently you spend increasing amounts of time managing your bosses – or the banks and shareholders. That is fine – because morally you must satisfy your sponsors. But you will only be able to deliver the results if you also lead a superb team and satisfy your customers. Getting the right balance is the key to achieving success.”

Imagine you are a leader. Let’s explore how you can get the right balance between managing these three groups of stakeholders.

1) You can manage your sponsors.

What percentage of your time do you spend managing your bosses: 10%; 20%; 50%? What percentage would you like to spend?

“Nowadays I spend around 10% of time managing my bosses,” explained one MD. “That is a far cry from my previous job, where I spent 80%. On that occasion I spent hours fielding emails and answering calls about the day’s events. My employers recruited me to turnaround the business, provide a vision and deliver future success. That was the plan. But my bosses kept supervising tactics. After one year I moved on to my present company, but I contracted like hell. My bosses are demanding, which is their right. But they give me the autonomy and authority to deliver the results.”

How to manage your sponsors? There are several guidelines worth remembering. It is important: a) To work for sponsors with whom you have a values-fit; b) To make crystal-clear contracts about ‘What’ must be delivered; ‘How’ – in broad terms – and ‘When’; c) To be clear on the ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ for working well with the sponsors – particularly in terms of the levels to which they want to be kept informed; d) To get some early successes – because this will reassure them and buy time; e) To be proactive in managing the sponsors – keeping them up to date and continually delivering results. Taking these steps will give you time to manage other aspects of the role. Satisfying your sponsors is crucial, however, because otherwise you will be out of a job. Try completing the following sentences.

The percentage of time I spend
managing my sponsors is: ____ %

 

The percentage of time I want to
spend managing my sponsors is: ____ %

 

The specific things I can do to
make this happen successfully are:

*

*

*

2) You can manage your team.

What percentage of your time do you spend managing your team? Actually, this is a misnomer. Your role is to lead a superb team that delivers the goods. You can then focus on managing tomorrow’s business, while they manage today’s business. You may need to spend considerable time up-front, however, making sure you build a super team. This calls for being able: a) To communicate a clear picture of perfection; b) To get the right people who want to contribute towards achieving the goals; c) To encourage, equip and enable them to deliver success. Getting the right people is crucial – otherwise you are sunk. They must be positive, professional and want to deliver peak performance. They must also know how to manage you – their key sponsor – and deliver your picture of success. You can then devote your time to managing the team outcomes, rather than the details. Try completing the following sentences.

The percentage of time I spend
managing my team is: ____ %

 

The percentage of time I want to
spend managing my team is: ____ %

 

The specific things I can do to
make this happen successfully are:

*

*

*

3) You can manage your customers.

“During the last year I have reconnected with my customers,” explained one leader. “This has proved vital in reviving the business. Before I arrived the senior team spent virtually all their time being internally focused. Nowadays each director plays to their strengths. One or two are concerned with internal issues, but most spend masses of time with customers. The benefits have been enormous. They have boosted sales, coached other sales people and forged good relationships with new customers. Directors must get out there. They must see what is happening, satisfy customers and develop the future market.”

How much time do you spend with your customers? How much time would you like to spend? What would be the benefits? Try completing the following sentences.

The percentage of time I spend
managing my customers is: ____ %

 

The percentage of time I want to spend
managing my customers is: ____ %

 

The specific things I can do to
make this happen successfully are:

*

*

*

So what is the ideal percentage of time spent between managing your sponsors, team and customers? Circumstances vary and sometimes you must spend considerable time with your bosses. But one ratio that seems to work is 20 – 40 - 40. Managing your sponsors is essential. You can do this by clarifying their picture of success, making clear contracts and delivering results. You can only achieve the latter, however, by building a superb team and satisfying your customers. Making this happen will provide the foundation for delivering ongoing success.