What The Avengers Teaches Project Leaders
Projectland Goes to the Movies
SERIES ARTICLE
By Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas
United States
In our previous article, we introduced the Four Ps for turning a memorable movie moment into a practical project lesson:
Clarify the PURPOSE. PICK the Scene. Name the PATTERN. Prepare to PIVOT.
This month, we put that approach to work with a familiar Projectland challenge: a group of highly capable people who are not yet functioning as a team.
Most projects include “heroes.” They may be senior engineers, functional leaders, subject-matter experts, executive sponsors, or other key stakeholders. They bring expertise, strong opinions, and a desire to make a difference. That is a tremendous asset—until individual agendas, competing priorities, egos, personality clashes, or unresolved conflict become more powerful than the shared goal.
Marvel’s The Avengers gives us a memorable illustration of this dynamic. Before the heroes can save the world, they have to stop fighting one another long enough to become a team.
- Clarify the PURPOSE: Helping a group of individuals work toward a shared goal
The purpose of using a movie moment is never simply to entertain a group or prove that the facilitator has good taste in films. Instead, begin with the project situation you need to address.
For instance, what if you need to help a project team recognize that its problem is not a lack of talent or capability, but a lack of alignment.
Misalignment among A-team players is common in Projectland. A technical lead may be protecting quality and maintainability. A business leader may be pressing for speed and customer impact. Finance may be focused on the business case and financial benefits. A sponsor may be looking for visible progress. You can see where this is going. Each person’s agenda can be reasonable in isolation yet still create friction collectively.
The project leadership question is not, “Who is right?” It’s, “What will help these talented people direct their strengths toward the same outcome?”
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Editor’s note: Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas are co-editors of the wildly popular book “Projectland Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies for Project Success” published in January 2026 by Project Guru Press. To learn more about the book, click here.
How to cite this work: Mahan, D. and Manas, J. (2026). “From Heroes to Team: What The Avengers Teaches Project Leaders” Projectland Goes to the Movies, series article 4, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pmwj168-Sep2026-Mahan-Manas-Projectland-Goes-to-the-Movies-article-4.pdf
About the Authors
Dawn Mahan
Florida, USA
Dawn Mahan is the founder of PMOtraining, LLC, and coined the term, Projectland®. She is a dynamic international speaker, award-winning project management consultant, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Meet the Players in Projectland: Decide the Right Project Roles & Get People On Board. Visit her website at PMOtraining.com.
Jerry Manas
Pennsylvania, USA
Jerry Manas is an internationally bestselling author, speaker, and consultant specializing in resource management and workforce effectiveness. His work—including Napoleon on Project Management and The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook—has been cited by business leaders such as Tom Peters and Orlando Magic Senior VP Pat Williams. Visit his website at jerrymanas.com.
Projectland Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies for Project Success (2026 Amazon Hot New Release) is available globally.
Visit https://books2read.com/projectlandgoestothemovies.
For bulk orders, tools to engage your group, or to inquire about storytelling workshops, email us: hello@pmotraining.com.
