Stakeholders Who Show Up

The project was going great until the stakeholder disappeared.

Sound familiar? You have the power to change this.

Research shows that approximately 70% of change projects fail to achieve their objectives, often because projects are "installed" rather than "implemented" and benefits are never fully realized. A key factor: stakeholders act as decision makers who determine whether they will be influenced through commitment or mere compliance. When the person with authority is absent, nothing gets decided. But when they show up, everything becomes possible.

Here's the pattern. Someone with authority kicks things off. They're excited. They have opinions. They show up for the first two meetings. Then they get busy. They delegate to someone who "can represent their view." That person doesn't have the authority to say yes or no. So nothing gets decided. The team spins. The project stalls. You can break this cycle.

The fix is simple and powerful: the person who can say yes has to show up. Not once a month. Not when there's a crisis. Daily if the project is hot. Weekly at minimum. In the room. On the call. Making decisions. PMI research emphasizes early identification of stakeholders, continuous engagement throughout the project lifecycle, and clear communication channels with regular feedback loops. Imagine the impact when you commit to this.

When stakeholders are absent, teams fill the void with assumptions. They guess. They build what they think was asked for. Then the stakeholder returns, sees something wrong, and everyone goes back to the drawing board. That loop kills projects. But you have the power to create a different outcome.

If you're the stakeholder: block the time. Show up. Decide. If you're the team: don't start until the person who can say yes is in the room. It's not bureaucracy. It's the only way to move. Take the lead. Your team is counting on you.