04: The Way Is Not a Thing

This blog has just been selected as one of the top 25 project Management blogs by TopManagementDegrees.com, many thanks guys.

The Way
The Way is not a thing, it is a single unifying principle, it is about how things happen.  It cannot be found and it cannot be learned, it is just there.  The wise project manager does not search for the way, he runs his project in harmony with the way by following natural law and the single principle.

The Tao is like a well,  
It is used, but never used up.  
It is like an eternal void,  
But filled with infinite possibilities.  

Extracted from “The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.

03: Simple Wisdom

Well the New Year diet and exercise have now kicked in after the excesses of the holiday season. It’s funny how the weight builds up so quickly and takes ages to shed again but it’s all part of the Way.

Project 2013
I’ve finished working right through the text and screen shots now and am doing a thorough check and building the index. It’s funny how you keep spotting something that could be improved just a little, and then one thing leads to another. Of course Microsoft haven’t released Project 2013 Standard yet but I’m assuming for now it will have the same limitations as the previous version.

The Way  
The wise project manager concentrates on making sure the project team have what they need to create the project deliverables and protects them from external interference.  The wise project manager is concerned that the team functions well and that what they do is effective.  This is simple wisdom, for this is the way of the project manager.  

The sage would lead by:  
Emptying people’s minds,  
And filling their stomachs.  

Extracted from “The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.

02: Try Softer

Project 2013 in Easy Steps
Managed to get three more chapters done this week, two to go, but the next one is the toughest as all the report features have changed. I’ve been having problems trying to convert the screen shot images to CMYK in Paintshop Photo Pro X3 so I’m leaving them as RBG and hope the publishers can convert them.

The Way
I once received some excellent advice from a ski coach.  He said that I should try softer rather than trying harder.  “Imagine that the handles of the ski poles are little canaries in your hands”.  Several dead canaries later I finally stopped trying so hard and it worked!  Of course I immediately got very excited at my success, crossed my skis and had a spectacular crash!  The way is not always without a sense of humor.  

Everyone sees some things as excellent,  
Therefore other things become bad.  
Everyone sees some things as good,  
Therefore other things are not good.  

Extracted from “The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.