In an office conference room in New Jersey, James McCoy sat quietly for 30 minutes while a client unleashed their four letter word frustrations. Three program managers had already been removed from the account via client request. The client was ready to walk. But instead of jumping to defend his company or offer quick fixes, James just listened.”The first 30 minutes was filled with the client cussing me and the organization out,” James says with a slight smile. This wasn’t your novice or intermediate project management approach. But James knew something his predecessors had missed – sometimes people just need to feel heard and cared about with more importance than following the process.
Listening When It Matters
The client had rejected the company’s implementation methods and processes. Senior program managers kept getting kicked off the account. Deadlines were slipping. Money and time was being wasted. James’s solution? Show up in person. Listen. Really listen. and actively listen.
“I documented their concerns and let them know that while this isn’t our usual approach, I would work on their behalf to find solutions,” he recalls. It meant spending more money and time than planned. It meant escalating to executives and bending some standard processes. Sure it took a little longer and cost a little more but it worked. The project got back on track, and the system was successfully implemented and the client satisfied. Account saved.
The Three Pillars of Project Success
Through years of managing complex projects, James has boiled success down to three simple things.
Show Up When It Counts
“I showed up,” James states simply. In an age of Zoom calls and remote work, he found that being physically present can change everything. Sometimes there’s no substitute for sitting across the table from someone, especially when things get tough.
Care About the Outcome
The second important factor is genuine concern. Not just pretending to care and keeping current processes in mind, but actually investing in understanding the problem and its impact. As James discovered in New Jersey, when clients see real commitment to finding solutions, their attitude often shifts from confrontation to being open and collaboration.
Learn to Listen
“It’s more listening than communicating,” James emphasizes. “And honestly, we live in a world where this is needed more and more – it’s a forgotten art.” He’s found that most people are so focused on what they want to say next, they miss crucial information that could solve their problems.
Getting the Basics Right
Before any fancy tech solutions, James focuses on two fundamentals: First, know your players. “Identify who the stakeholders are, what their agendas are, their influence on the project,” he explains. Not everyone needs the same attention or communication style. Second, plan your communication. Some people need detailed updates. Others just want to know if there’s a problem. Figure this out early.
James emphasizes the practical side of this approach. It’s not about creating complex stakeholder matrices or lengthy communication plans that nobody reads. Instead, he suggests starting with simple questions: Who needs to know what? When do they need to know it? How do they prefer to receive information? “Every stakeholder is going to have different needs. They’ve got different agendas, different desires,” he notes. This attention to individual preferences might seem time-consuming up front, but James has seen it prevent countless problems down the road. Project and program management keeps evolving around two things: new technology and company project problems. While AI might help with paperwork and analytics, James sees the human side becoming more crucial. “Everything’s about me and selfish these days,” he observes. “If somebody could just show up and care and listen, you’ve got the next steps covered.” As companies race to adopt AI and automation, maybe the real edge isn’t faster software or smarter algorithms. Maybe it’s remembering how to really listen to each other. To learn more about James McCoy, visit his website or connect via LinkedIn.
