Difficult Project Sponsors

The one most important relationship to any project manager is the relationship with the project sponsor. The sponsor provides the direction, budget, and executive support. A poor or combative relationship with this person can be a disaster for any project.

• Why are these relationships so often difficult?
• What can a project manager do to improve that relationship?

There is no single, easy answer to these questions. This one-hour web seminar will provide solutions to real-life stories and common situations. Project sponsors and project managers can and should work well together. They want to meet the same goals, and this session will help you find out how to improve your relationship with your project sponsor.

This session includes three one-hour recordings of the live web seminars. You will be able to interact with me via an on-line discussion area. Bring your toughest questions and your most difficult problems. We will work on them together.

Learning Objectives

• Be able to list at least three strategies to deal with a difficult person
• Understand your own default or automatic response when dealing with difficult people
• List common sources of conflict between a project sponsor and a project manager
• Understand why respectful conflict between sponsors and project managers is healthy for the project, the sponsor, and the project manager

What Is Included

• Access to recordings of three one-hour live web presentations
• Accessible with all major web browsers and computer platforms, including Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Access to recordings of the live events with video and audio (MP3, AVI, iPod MP4)
• R.E.P. PDU credit for the events, whether you experience them live or recorded
• Discussion before and after the event in an exclusive on-line learning area

About the Presenter: Alex S. Brown, PMP IPMA-C

Alex has managed projects for 15 years and has worked some some of the toughest project sponsors in the financial services industry. He has spoken at project management conferences all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, and Australia. His articles have appeared in newsletters and websites internationally.

Alex owns Real-Life Projects, Inc., and does speaking, training, and consulting for his clients, to help them improve and transform their businesses. He says he is the person to call “when you don’t have time to waste” and you need an experienced adviser.

You can learn more about Alex at http://www.alexsbrown.com and about Real-Life Projects at http://www.rlprj.com.