James manages to endear himself to management by being a solid presence on the ice and in the locker room. As soon as they leave the arena James becomes just another guy, but within he does his best to be a reliable foundation for younger members of the team. He remembers being a new hockey player, back before he joined the SHL, where he had to claw his way to notability, and how awful it was. You have to be able to trust your teammates, to pass the puck when you need to. James knows to give those opportunities to others, running endless drills to teach them not only where they need to improve, but remind them of where they already succeed. For management, this is a huge plus because it gives them an obvious go-to for strategies and just makes them money. On the personal side though, even though many would have trouble seeing this act as anything but pragmatic, it's remembering the little things that makes James notable as a leader.