Project Management

How to Engage the C-Suite Executives

G. Michael Campbell

Abstract: They are every project manager’s dream

­assignments—the projects that offer you the chance to
work directly with senior executives. These ­opportunities
can be launchpads for career success—or lead to misfires
that can set you back. However, project managers often
have ­difficulty understanding how to engage these key
stakeholders. In this article, I will provide insights for
project managers so they understand the environment
and political atmosphere in the C-suite, followed by
­practical suggestions for ­engaging executives to garner
their ­support for a project.

Keywords: communication, company politics,

C-suite, difficulty with executive support, engaging
management, project management, project sponsor,
project strategy, senior management

Why Is Managing Executives So Difficult?

In talking with project managers over the years, one
­concern has been the ability of project managers to get
G. Michael Campbell, PMP (Austin,
Texas), has managed many large,
global projects involving senior
executives. He has also written
Succeeding with Senior Management:
Getting the Right Support at the Right
Time for Your Project, The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Project Management
and Communication Skills for Project
Managers and authored numerous
industry publications. He is currently
adjunct professor of business
management at St. Edward’s University.
the time and attention they need from their ­sponsor and
other e ­ xecutives. Often the support of these i­ ndividuals is
crucial to the success of the project, but these ­executives
do not seem to recognize how important their support
is. Project managers ask me, Why is that? I believe part
of the answer lies in the nature of project management
­itself. ­Project managers think, as the name implies, like
­managers as they manage their work breakdown s­ tructure,
schedule, and budget. S­enior ­ management, generally,
think more strategically and are really not i­nterested
in the details of the projects they sponsor. Therefore,
­sponsors and project managers don’t speak the same lan-
guage, nor do they approach the execution of a project
the same way. For example, most leaders ponder long and
hard over whether a project should be undertaken and
whether the reward is worth the i­nvestment. From their
strategic perspective, the capital being invested in the
project could have been used in other ways to make the

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 Project Management
company money, but they ­determined that
a given project was the right move and so
they placed their bet. Once they have sifted
through all the o ­ ptions and made the deci-
sion to go ahead, they believe their work
is largely done. They assign the p ­roject
to a project manager and expect them to
return when the project is ­
­ completed—
with o ­ccasional reports ­ submitted along
the way. The only senior manager who is
still ­interested in the p­ roject, even though
it is often a remote interest, is the executive
named as the sponsor.
A project manager, on the other hand,
is a person whose predisposition is to view
a project as the tactical implementation.
Therefore, they are often not well equipped
to engage with senior management since
they tend to focus on tasks and activities
and not the strategic business outcomes
that are the focus of senior management.
In that respect, they are very similar to
middle managers, who suffer from the
same lack of ability to communicate and
engage with their senior executives.
Facts of Life for Executives
First of all, as project managers, we have
to understand the environment these
executives are in on a day-to-day basis.
­ these two key items.
As senior management, the leadership
must manage two important workstreams
simultaneously.
Dual Tracks that Executives must Navigate
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Daily Operational Performance
On the one hand, there are all the elements
to succeed in operational performance.
The operational priorities are:
■■ Constant pressure to produce profits
■■ Minimize headcount as much as possible
■■ Increase productivity to do more with less
■■ Improve efficiency to drive waste out of
the processes
These subjects are the topics, at a high
level, that CEOs, CFOs, and others must
be prepared to discuss during quarterly
­conference calls with Wall Street and their
own board of directors.
Then there are the two major consider-
ations that come from the customers and a
company’s competitors:
■■ Provide lower prices
■■ Deliver better service
Customers are constantly demanding
lower prices and want better ­ products
and services for those lower prices. All
executives know that the company’s
­competitors will work hard to take cus-
tomers if the company fails to deliver on
Planning for Future Performance
Projects and programs may have a v ­ ariety of
outcomes in the forecast, but one c­ onstant
is the same—the need to i­mprove perfor-
mance in the future. The s­ponsor is the
person tasked by the ­executive to ­deliver
on the business benefits. The p ­roject
manager is the person who takes overall
responsibility for coordinating a project,
­
­regardless of its size, and for m
­ aking sure
the desired end result comes in on time
and within budget. That is why it is so crit-
ical that the sponsor and project manager
work together closely.
The whole plan for future performance
starts with a discussion about what the
leadership team believes the customers will
want in the future. They must address the
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 Project Management
following questions regardless of whether
the customer needs are simply incremen-
tal or are a true step-change.
One executive told me that in discussing
new products and services, they must have
answers to these four questions:
1. Why do we believe that customers will
pay us money for this new product or
service?
2. Do we believe that we can successfully
deliver this new product or service?
3. Can we manage the risks that may be
involved in delivering this new product
or service?
4. Do we have confidence that we can get
the right return on investment once
we put this new product or service into
operations?
As you can imagine, the discussion is
long and hard because the answer to all of
these questions is based on various assump-
tions. If another executive challenges the
assumptions, the individual proposing the
new ­ product or service must be prepared
to defend the assumptions utilized. Obvi-
ously, there are no guarantees. In essence,
the leadership team is really coming to a
­consensus about where to place their bets.
And their bets usually involve large amounts
of money! Add to that fact that there is only a
­limited amount of capital the company ­either
can, or is willing to, spend on these future
­initiatives. Once consensus is reached, the
leadership team will decide which i­nitiatives
are sanctioned and become projects.
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The crazy reality is that once the deci-
sions are made, most of the executives
no longer think about a particular project
­except one—the one who was named spon-
sor and is accountable for delivering the
initiative.
This is the point where we, as project
managers, usually enter the picture. We
were not privy to all the discussions that
occurred up to the point. We are tasked
with the project. If the project manager
understands the business requirements
that are driving the project, the project will
succeed. If not, it won’t. In the long term,
the project will be judged, not only on how
well it met the targeted objectives, but also
by whether it achieved its overall business
objectives and the anticipated business
value it was supposed to capture. In other
words, the project could be a technical suc-
cess, but a business failure.
Politics and the C-Suite
Another fact of life for you to understand
is the political arena your ­sponsor ­operates
within. The higher a person gets to the
top of the organization chart, the more
­competition there is for the next ­promotion
because there are so few ­
­ positions to
move into. And don’t forget that at this
level, ­every company has a suite full of
Type A personalities who are aggressive as
well as assertive.
Warren Buffet once observed that there
are two rules in corporate business: “The
first rule is not to lose. The second rule is
not to forget the first rule.”
That environment poses real hazards
to your sponsor. They must appear to be
in control of their project. Perception is a
powerful force at this level. If the sponsor
is perceived as weak or their project is out
of control, there will be a political price
to pay. You must recognize that if your
project has the appearance of being out of
­control or failing, your sponsor will begin
to distance themselves from you and the
project. They cannot afford the price politi-
cally with their peers.
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