A Common Language

One project in South Africa left a lasting mark on how James Greaney builds teams.

Over a 30‑year career spanning engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations, James has delivered complex power projects across four continents.

In 2011, he took over as site manager on one of the largest power construction projects in the world: nearly 5,000 megawatts of capacity, 25,000 workers at peak, towering boiler structures rising more than 100 meters into the air, and immense pressure to deliver.

Getting the right tools, equipment, and people in place was essential. So was building trust across a large and varied workforce.

To help accelerate construction, James brought in experienced steelworkers from northern England. He was confident in their technical ability, but how quickly the teams would find common ground was harder to anticipate.

About six months in, James walked into the mess hall and found his answer taking shape.

Newcastle and Everton flags hung on the walls. South African workers were wearing Premier League jerseys, brought back by British colleagues returning from home rotations.

Football had become more than just football.

“Football became a common language. These guys came out with jerseys, flags, boots. They embraced it completely.”

James observed that the two groups had far more in common than the project itself may have suggested. Many came from working‑class communities where football, community, and hard work were sources of pride and identity.

“There was more in common than I had actually budgeted for,” he recalls.

What began with football grew into something more. Relationships formed. Trust developed. Experienced crews began mentoring local workers. Skills were shared. Teams that had once worked alongside one another began working together.

By January 2012, less than seven months after James assumed leadership, the boiler structure on the project’s first unit had reached full height, an outcome many believed was unattainable on that timeline.

It is an approach James has carried throughout his career, and continues to bring to Endeavor’s projects across Africa.

Delivering power in West Africa requires technical depth and careful planning. As James demonstrates, it also requires the ability to build trust across cultures, develop local capacity, and build teams capable of executing in complex environments.

That combination is what makes Endeavor’s people the foundation behind our projects.