The Modern Manager

378: How to Lead Projects and People without Chaos and Burnout with James Louttit

15 snips
Oct 7, 2025
James Louttit, author and former CIO turned leadership coach, joins the conversation to share insights on effective project management. He introduces his "eight lenses," emphasizing prioritization as the key to avoiding chaos and burnout. Listeners learn about engaging stakeholders, managing risks, and estimating project effort versus duration. James also highlights the importance of blending agile and waterfall methods for efficiency. Through relatable examples, he illustrates how strong leadership can protect teams and drive project success.
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INSIGHT

Eight Lenses Plus The Missing One

  • James presents eight lenses for projects: scope, time, cost, quality, team, stakeholders, risk, and assumptions/dependencies/issues.
  • He adds prioritization as the often-missed eighth lens that drives stress and success.
ADVICE

Prioritize By Value And Effort

  • Show value and effort for each project or task and use that to decide what to do and what not to do.
  • Prioritize high-value, low-effort 'pawpaws' rather than many small prickly tasks to reduce stress.
INSIGHT

Match Work Type To Management Style

  • James identifies three work types: reactive, proactive, and planned, and three management approaches: JFDI, agile, and waterfall.
  • He warns that lacking prioritization forces JFDI and piles pressure on teams instead of decision makers.
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