After studying finance in university, John Gravel worked in shipping and logistics. He gravitated toward procurement, then worked for a mining company.
“As I got more involved in mining projects, I really got involved in this world of project management,” he said. “I saw that the mining industry didn’t know what they didn’t know when it came to project management.”
Gravel, now director at professional services firm Turner & Townsend, said he’s learned the importance of asking the hard questions, even though that might be uncomfortable at times.
He added that he’s motivated by a desire “to understand where the project is and where it’s going.”
“People can put down on a piece of paper that they want to achieve a certain objective, but you really analyze how they are going to get to that objective. Have they thought through all the steps?”
Making a point of asking those hard questions can save companies money in the long run, though the resulting decisions, such as, say, recommending that a client not proceed with building a mine, can make things uncomfortable in the short term.
“I’ve had clients yell at me over the phone,” Gravel said, “saying, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ or, ‘That’s not fair.’
“To tell a client that they’ve underestimated their cost overruns, that’s definitely hard. That’s something they don’t want to hear.”
To be able to tell it like you see it and still maintain a good relationship with clients, solid interpersonal and management skills – such as coaching and team-building – are a must, Gravel said.
“We often represent the owners of these projects, but we also manage down to the construction level, as well as manage sideways, which is managing our own team. So the interpersonal skills are critical.”
On not being a yes-man | “That was one of the things that interested me in moving to this firm: because it’s privately owned and independent, they’re not beholden to shareholders or to clients to get that next deal.
They have no issues in telling the clients how they see it. Reputation is everything, and if you waver on that, people are going to call you on it.”
Has a work or life challenge taught you a key career lesson? Contact Jen St. Denis at [email protected]
