By: Joshua Finley

James McCoy is not what springs to mind when one thinks of a Knight in Shining Armor, but for companies that needed an account saved, he was one that saddled up. His 36-year track record speaks for itself. He became the ‘go-to guy’ called upon to provide Project Management skills that would rescue problematic client accounts and potentially save his employer millions. It’s a task where he boasts a 100% track record of success.

The Premier Laid Plans

James McCoy’s journey towards leadership of Project Management or PMOs for some of the largest and most well-respected organizations in the United States was not a career path he’d anticipated.

“I can say with conviction that being a project manager was not my lifelong dream,” says McCoy with a laugh. “I wasn’t the kid who organized his legos alphabetically. I earned an Associate degree in Electronic Engineering because I had a dream of reinventing AM/FM radio, I was going to change the world! I think I still have my original circuit board in the garage somewhere. Times change and so does technology.”

The School of Hard Knocks

Change would characterize the first years of McCoy’s professional life. His first foray into the professional world was as a technician employed at General Electric Computer Service (GE), later part of IBM and eventually, Siemens.

“I was brought on board as a network technician, but later I developed a reputation as a successful and dependable troubleshooter. It was about eight months into my employment when things began to click at the company. They grew somewhere between three and four million dollar business. I was completely unprepared when the VP in charge caught me walking down the hallway and simply said, ‘Congratulations, you’re Project Manager now.’ It was a position that my education had really not prepared me for.”

McCoy quickly built a reputation as a trusted resource to get projects completed consistently. Also, as a dependable resource with challenging clients or situations when no one else could do the job.

“It was a different world back then. I learned very quickly that clients wouldn’t spare the new guy. I remember vividly being at one of my first client meetings in New York. I found myself at a boardroom table being cussed out by the client in NY fashion. Or another instance in St. Louis when sitting in the lobby and the client placed a phone call to the VP asking ‘Why are you sending a boy to do a man’s job?’ Not sure that would fly in today’s world. Or another instance in New Jersey where the client was absolutely going to leave the company because they didn’t want to follow the implementation process. The client cussed me out and vented for about 30 minutes; I still remember the comment that really ate him up “we don’t have unnatural clients’ alluding to the customer data that wouldn’t migrate. In this situation; I escalated internally and received buy-in from executives that we were going to do some work outside of the process resulting in a saved client. There were a few challenging client situations. But, once given the chance, clients were saved and satisfied. I received the highest award given by the company in one instance for being a core part of saving a client.”

This was a scenario that would repeat itself as McCoy worked his way up the corporate ladder, in his words “I learned by immersing myself in the role, I realized that if my educational background wasn’t enough, then I’d have to go the extra mile to get to grips with the complexities of project management.” The good news is companies like General Electric, TSS/IBM, and Siemens provided some of the best project management, leadership, and management training that existed at the time.

The Secret of Success

McCoy’s success is because of a few personality traits that made him the perfect choice for the role. “Perhaps the VP was right all those years ago, he saw something that others might have missed. Even myself.”

That VP had noticed that, aside from his qualifications, McCoy is a people person – any conversation with him is rewarding because he is one of those rare people/consultants who listen. He focuses his entire attention on the input from his clients. He is incredibly detail-oriented, recalling even the most obscure facts from decades-old client accounts. “Many consultants go for the money, multiple processes/products, etc. and want to talk more than they listen.”

“I found myself dropped in at the deep end of project management. I learned by doing, by immersing myself in the job and the clients’ businesses. It’s been about 36 years, so I guess I did something right,” 

Today, McCoy wears many different hats. He continues to provide finest-in-class advice in the project management field, but he has also launched the mentoring program at the Mile High chapter; his local Chapter of the Project Management Institute (where he has been President for three years) and has become a much sought-after public speaker and thought leadership.  McCoy works as a PMO manager in a technology start up company where he manages resources and was quickly immersed into a large challenging account when hired. He is sought-after in mentoring, coaching, and training. When pressed, McCoy is more than happy to share what he regards as the secrets to success for anyone who wants to become a PM or PMO expert.

“The most important advice I can give any aspiring Project Manager is to develop the skill of active listening and pay attention to the details. It’s like reading the room. Find out what the real pain point is for clients and address that – and that will only happen if you commit yourself to building a relationship with the client. Don’t avoid the challenging situation (the hard stuff) and be ready to not take things personal or get emotional; and be open to all forms of communication. Lastly, immerse yourself in the job, and you’ll quickly find out that it will become a passion.”

McCoy concludes his advice by saying with a laugh, “Progress relies on perseverance, never give up.” 

If you would like to know more about James McCoy and his unique approach to the PM or PMO role in the modern organization, visit his web page at jamesmccoypmp.com.

Published by: Holy Minoza