27: Beyond Methodology

The wise project manager has an awareness of everything that needs taking care of on the project; he misses nothing. In return the members of the project team need the project manager to steer them in the right direction and facilitate their work. 

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

A good walker leaves no tracks;

A good speaker makes no slips;

A good reckoner needs no tally.

A good door needs no lock,

Yet no one can open it.

Good binding requires no knots,

Yet no one can loosen it.

Therefore the sage takes care of all men

And abandons no one.

He takes care of all things

And abandons nothing.

This is called “following the light.”

What is a good man?

A teacher of a bad man.

What is a bad man?

A good man’s charge.

If the teacher is not respected,

And the student not cared for,

Confusion will arise, however clever one is.

This is the crux of mystery.

26: Centred & Grounded

The wise project manager is not subject to passing whims or sudden excitement. He is stable, has a sense of self and will not be knocked off balance.

The Tao

Lao Tzu tells us:

The heavy is the root of the light;

The still is the master of the unrest.

Therefore the sage, travelling all day,

Does not loose sight of his baggage.

Though there are beautiful things to be seen,

He remains unattached and calm.

Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots act lightly in public?

To be light is to loose one’s root.

To be restless is to loose one’s control.

25: What is the Way?

Describing the way is not easy as it is not a thing and it has no form or qualities. The wise project manager knows that the way is not dependent on anything, it just is.

The Tao

Lao Tzu tells us:

Something mysteriously formed.

Born before heaven and earth.

In the silence and the void,

Standing alone and unchanging,

Ever present and in motion.

Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things.

I do not know its name.

Call it Tao.

For lack of a better word, I call it great.

Being great, it flows.

It flows far away.

Having gone far, it returns.

Therefore, “Tao is great;

Heaven is great;

Earth is great;

The king is also great.”

These are the four great powers of the universe,

And the king is one of them.

Man follows the earth.

Earth follows heaven.

Heaven follows the Tao.

Tao follows what is natural.

24: Try Softer

The wise project manager knows that trying to rush things gets you nowhere. 

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.

He who strides cannot maintain the pace.

He who makes a show is not enlightened.

He who is self-righteous is not respected.

He who boasts achieves nothing.

He who brags will not endure.

According to followers of the Tao,

“These are extra food and unnecessary luggage.”

They do not bring happiness.

Therefore the followers of the Tao avoid them.

23: Being Still

The wise project manager trusts his team and in turn the team trust him. Reflect and be still, this is the Way. 

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

To talk little is natural.

High winds do not last all morning.

Heavy rain does not last all day.

Why is this? Heaven and earth!

If heaven and earth cannot make things eternal,

How is it possible for man?

He who follows the Tao

Is at one with the Tao.

He who is virtuous

Experiences virtue.

He who looses the way

Feels lost.

When you are at one with the Tao,

The Tao welcomes you.

When you are at one with virtue,

The virtue is always there.

When you are at one with loss,

The loss is experienced willingly.

He who does not trust enough

Will not be trusted.