Sunfish
It sounds like you have done a course that was called the Strategic Selling course. A lot of corporates did it in the 80's and 90's.
Sponsor, Coach, tie in the project, success, all were used.
You are spot on with your assessment.
"1. You gently but insistently suggest to the target, be it Alan Joyce, a Board member or the senior manager responsible that the project is tied around their neck and their success (and by implication their career prospects) depends not only on the projects success but the project being seen to be a success by the Board and senior management..
2. Once that thought is firmly implanted, the target then, with a little prodding, decides that the project must be protected at all costs from any adverse criticism from anywhere. Once that subvocal decision is made, the outsourcer has a new staff member - the Qantas manager who sponsored the project!"