The Secret to Project Management: Persistence (and a Phone)

The Secret to Project Management: Persistence (and a Phone)

I watched The Founder for the first time last week (late to the party, as ever!). While Roy Kroc’s philosophy doesn’t apply to every situation, it carries a crucial lesson for every aspiring Project Manager.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of good old persistence. Talent won’t; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius won’t; unrecognized genius is practically a cliché. Education won’t; the world is full of educated fools. Persistence and determination alone are all-powerful.“ — Ray Kroc

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The Road to Realization

I spent the first decade of my career learning how to be a good Project Manager. I spent the next decade trying to recreate the best attributes I’d learned on a larger scale, training others, building systems to improve best practices, and working with the Supply Chain to fix issues “at the source.”

In my final years at a major UK contractor, I spent one day a week on “recovery”, stepping into projects in extreme difficulty to claw back as much time as possible. While every project had its unique issues, the key differentiator between success and failure was almost always the persistence Roy Kroc lived by.

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My Top 3 Differentiators (In Reverse Order)

3. Experience (The Scars)

The best leaders had “been there and done that.” They had experienced the highs of a perfect outcome and the lows of a disaster. Crucially, they had failed, dusted themselves off, and learned. They didn’t just move on; they moved on as improved leaders.

2. Ambition (The Drive)

The best leaders simply wanted it. They wanted to be the best and weren’t ashamed to admit it. They would seek out experts, copy their methods, and replicate best practices. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be great; in fact, a lack of drive is far more concerning in this industry.

1. The Phone (The Execution)

The winner, by a mile, is simple: They had a phone, and they used it.

I am not exaggerating when I say I spent 10% of my career asking one specific question: “Did you call them?”

• “I sent an email.” → “Did you call them?”
• “I sent a text.” → “Did you call them?”
• “I left a message with the office.” → “Did you call them?”

You need to CALL THE PERSON.

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Why the Call Wins

I’ve always found this lack of direct communication puzzling but if I needed materials or labour that wasn’t on-site, I called the person who could help. I did this on my first day as an 18-year-old; to me, it was just common sense.

If they couldn’t help, I’d call the next person. Once I found the right person, I’d keep calling until I was 100% sure they would move heaven and earth just to stop their phone from ringing.

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The “Portsmouth Ferry” Lesson

We once built a primary school on the Isle of Wight, designed to be the fastest traditional build in the UK. The contract was 29 weeks. We finished everything in 27 weeks and 4 days, except for the BT phone line.

• Day 1: I called non-stop. I couldn’t reach anyone with actual authority.
• Day 2: I took the ferry to Portsmouth and stood outside the BT office at 8:00 AM. I asked every person walking in if they could help me “get these kids into their new school.”
• 1:00 PM: Someone finally came out and said, “For the love of God, just tell me which school it is and we’ll get it done.”
• Day 3: Lines were live. Project completed in 28 weeks and 2 days.

That didn’t take “skill.” It didn’t take a degree. It just took the willingness to do whatever was necessary to get the job done (within the bounds of safety and the law, of course!).

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The Secret

Persistence is the secret. In a modern society with dozens of ways to avoid real conversation: 

Call them. 

Do it now.