Projects rarely fail from a lack of templates — they fail because of people. Author Dawn Mahan reveals the animal avatars that help you spot the cheerleader, the finicky fan, and the saboteur before one of them bites you in the ankle. Why do projects really fail? Not, as guest Dawn Mahan argues, from a shortage of templates or Gantt charts — but from the people around them. In this episode, Kim and Kate dig into the human side of project delivery: the stakeholders who love your project, the ones who quietly want it dead, and the "style under stress" that surfaces when the pressure cooker of Projectland heats up. If you've ever been blindsided by a saboteur or tripped up by an over-eager cheerleader, this conversation on stakeholder management, risk, and project leadership is for you. Kim and Kate welcome Dawn Mahan, author of the bestselling Meet the Players in Project Land and co-editor of Project Land Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies for Project Success. Dawn's premise is refreshingly human: projects rarely fail because the paperwork is wrong — they fail because the people involved aren't set up for success. Using animal avatars to make stakeholder behavior easier, and safer, to talk about, she gives project managers and leaders a practical vocabulary for the messy, political, feelings-driven reality of getting work done inside real organizations. Grab a drink and join us. Quotes from the Episode "If you're skipping through the meadow of project land toward your goal, one might just jump up and bite you in the ankle when you least expect it…" — Dawn Mahan "You've got a style under stress." — Kate Anderson "Instead of being a cheerleader, she accidentally became a saboteur." — Dawn Mahan "I believe PMs are in the pain prevention business." — Dawn Mahan "Any of us can sabotage our own lives, relationships, projects, even." — Dawn Mahan Practical Takeaways The three stakeholder archetypes — the cheerleader (happy dog), the finicky fan (flamingo), and the saboteur (snake), and how each one engages with or endangers a project. "Style under stress" — how both stakeholder and team behavior shifts under pressure, and why leaders should plan for those reactions in advance. Stakeholder analysis as a scheduled activity — running it privately with the sponsor, casting a wide net, documenting decisions, and coding the stakeholder register discreetly. The "Feel" question — asking "How do you feel about this?" instead of "What do you think?" to surface fear and identify project risk early. Managing cheerleaders with soundbites — the Stakeholder Gabby lesson on why enthusiastic champions can accidentally become saboteurs, and how to channel their energy constructively. Closing Reflection Perhaps the most human insight of the episode is Dawn's reminder that any of us can sabotage our own projects. Sabotage isn't always evil; more often it's fear, miscommunication, or a stakeholder who simply doesn't understand how Projectland works. The leadership question worth sitting with: who on your project is operating from fear right now — and what could you do to change that? 🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned PM Happy Hour Membership: pmhappyhour.com/membership PM Happy Hour Facebook Page

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