The poor project manager knows that he needs members of the team to carry out the work on the project but he fails to recognize that he also need to serve these people. If there is no mutual need and mutual respect he is missing the whole point and will not see how things happen on the project.
The Way
The wise project manager has an awareness of everything that needs taking care of; 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.
A good walker leaves no footprints.
Good speech is free of flaw and fault.
Good calculation needs no tally or writing.
A good door needs no lock,
Yet it cannot be opened.
Good binding requires no knots,
Yet cannot be untied.
Therefore the sage takes care of others,
And does not abandon them.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
26: Centered & Grounded
Being centered and grounded allows the project manager to work with erratic people and deal with critical situations without harm or fear. The poor project manager is not stable and can easily be carried away by the intensity of leadership. He can easily be distracted by what is happening around him. He will make mistakes of judgment and loose his way.
The Way
The wise project manager is not subject to passing whims or sudden excitement. He knows where he stands and what he stands for. He is stable, has a sense of self and will not be knocked off balance.
Heavy is the root of the light,
Still is the master of the agitated.
Therefore the sage, travelling all day,
Remains centered.
Though there are beautiful things to be seen,
He remains unattached and calm.
Why should the master of ten thousand chariots,
Act like a fool in public?
Lightness is the way to lose one’s root.
Impetuousness is to lose touch with who you are.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
The Way
The wise project manager is not subject to passing whims or sudden excitement. He knows where he stands and what he stands for. He is stable, has a sense of self and will not be knocked off balance.
Heavy is the root of the light,
Still is the master of the agitated.
Therefore the sage, travelling all day,
Remains centered.
Though there are beautiful things to be seen,
He remains unattached and calm.
Why should the master of ten thousand chariots,
Act like a fool in public?
Lightness is the way to lose one’s root.
Impetuousness is to lose touch with who you are.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, July 12, 2013
25: What is the Way?
Things have gone a bit quiet at the publishers. I sent them back the marked up proofs and they uploaded the revised book over a week ago and so far I've heard nothing. I assume from past experience that this is good news and I'll suddenly get my sample copies in the post, on the other hand who knows. Oh well it's all part of the way.
The Way
Describing the way is not easy as it sounds. The way is not a thing and it has no form or qualities. The way is simply the principle of how everything works. It is unity, it is universal and it determines everything.
The poor project manager has no knowledge of the way. The wise project manager knows that he is dependent on the earth. The earth in turn is dependent on the universe. And finally the universe is dependent on the way. These are the four great powers of the universe.
Something mysteriously formed.
Born before heaven and earth.
Standing solitary, alone and single.
Constant and unchanging,
Ever present and in motion,
But it cannot be compromised.
Perhaps it is the mother of the ten thousand things.
I do not know its name,
So I shall call it Tao.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
The Way
Describing the way is not easy as it sounds. The way is not a thing and it has no form or qualities. The way is simply the principle of how everything works. It is unity, it is universal and it determines everything.
The poor project manager has no knowledge of the way. The wise project manager knows that he is dependent on the earth. The earth in turn is dependent on the universe. And finally the universe is dependent on the way. These are the four great powers of the universe.
Something mysteriously formed.
Born before heaven and earth.
Standing solitary, alone and single.
Constant and unchanging,
Ever present and in motion,
But it cannot be compromised.
Perhaps it is the mother of the ten thousand things.
I do not know its name,
So I shall call it Tao.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, July 05, 2013
24: Trying Softer
It is amazing how a couple of days of sunshine can cheer everyone up. Being that this is England it probably won't last but let's make the most of it while it does and take it easy.
A project manager trying too hard is a sure sign of insecurity and incompetence. When we are in control and know what we are doing we are relaxed and at peace with ourselves and our project.
The Way
The wise project manager knows that trying harder gets you nowhere. He knows that selfishness obscures his deeper self and blinds him to how things happen. Therefore he avoids all these things. He does his work and lets it go.
Standing on tiptoe is not steady.
To straddle is not to go forward.
Being self-centred is not enlightened.
Boasting is not being grown-up.
The followers of the Tao avoid them.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
A project manager trying too hard is a sure sign of insecurity and incompetence. When we are in control and know what we are doing we are relaxed and at peace with ourselves and our project.
The Way
The wise project manager knows that trying harder gets you nowhere. He knows that selfishness obscures his deeper self and blinds him to how things happen. Therefore he avoids all these things. He does his work and lets it go.
Standing on tiptoe is not steady.
To straddle is not to go forward.
Being self-centred is not enlightened.
Boasting is not being grown-up.
The followers of the Tao avoid them.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, June 28, 2013
23: Trusting
The poor project manager tries to impress his team and project stakeholders by talking about what he is doing and how well he is doing it, but it carries little weight. Being dramatic or egocentric neither does any good nor looks good.
The Way
When we follow the Way, we will be rewarded and the right things will happen. So the wise project manager trusts his team and in turn the team trust him. Reflect and be still, for this is the way of the project manager.
He whose concern is Tao,
His path is Tao oriented.
He who is virtuous,
Experiences virtue.
He whose concern is error,
Loses the way.
When you are at one with the Tao,
The Tao welcomes you.
When you are at one with virtue,
Virtue welcomes you.
When you are at one with error,
Error welcomes you.
He who does not trust enough
Will not be trusted.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
The Way
When we follow the Way, we will be rewarded and the right things will happen. So the wise project manager trusts his team and in turn the team trust him. Reflect and be still, for this is the way of the project manager.
He whose concern is Tao,
His path is Tao oriented.
He who is virtuous,
Experiences virtue.
He whose concern is error,
Loses the way.
When you are at one with the Tao,
The Tao welcomes you.
When you are at one with virtue,
Virtue welcomes you.
When you are at one with error,
Error welcomes you.
He who does not trust enough
Will not be trusted.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, June 21, 2013
22: The Paradox of Letting Go
Last week was an absolute panic, but I finally got through the (hopefully) final corrections to the book and “Project 2013 in easy steps” should soon be on the bookshelves. By contrast this week has been strangely quiet. I’ve started researching the next proposed title: “Project, Program and Portfolio Management” although I’m not sure about the comma yet. It’s a big subject and to date there isn’t anything competitive but it’s never going to be a big seller.
The Way
I previously mentioned one of my ski coaches telling me to try softer not harder and how it worked. It seems the same with project management, when we try too hard we seem to achieve nothing. Yet when we stop trying, things fall into place all by themselves.
The poor project manager tries to impress the team and his superiors, but they will see right through him. The wise project manager adopts the Yin or feminine approach. By giving up trying and going with the flow they can overcome obstacles and achieve the objectives. An empty space allows itself to be filled.
Yield and overcome,
Bend and be straight,
Empty and be full,
Wear out and be renewed,
Have little and gain,
Have much and be confused.
Therefore the sage embraces the Tao,
And is an example in the world.
This blog is based on “The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
The Way
I previously mentioned one of my ski coaches telling me to try softer not harder and how it worked. It seems the same with project management, when we try too hard we seem to achieve nothing. Yet when we stop trying, things fall into place all by themselves.
The poor project manager tries to impress the team and his superiors, but they will see right through him. The wise project manager adopts the Yin or feminine approach. By giving up trying and going with the flow they can overcome obstacles and achieve the objectives. An empty space allows itself to be filled.
Yield and overcome,
Bend and be straight,
Empty and be full,
Wear out and be renewed,
Have little and gain,
Have much and be confused.
Therefore the sage embraces the Tao,
And is an example in the world.
This blog is based on “The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, June 14, 2013
21: The Nature of the Way
The Project
What a week! The publishers dropped the manuscript for Project 2013 in easy steps back to me with a whole bunch of inconsistent capitalization issues. They seem to have crept in over the last couple of releases and I had a few days to sort it all out. Chaos would be an understatement!
On another tack an old mate of mine, Sean Connolly, hit the three score and ten this week. He probably doesn't ever look at this blog so I can say it without fear of retribution. Trouble is in six months I catch up with him. Ah well back to the Way…
The Way
Poor project managers jump every time someone yells. The wise project manager calmly point out that to jump would impact on other activities and asks the jumpee to consider which other project activities they would like to be put aside to allow the jumper time to plan and execute the jump on their behalf.
If we accept that everything is connected in some way (even the people asking us to jump), then we are always potentially on the way. If we struggle and fight against what is happening then we will surely loose the way. If we accept, in silence, that things are the way they are, then we move forward along the way.
The greatest virtue is to follow only the Tao.
The Tao seems wild and obscure.
So obscure, so wild,
But within it there is form.
So obscure, so wild,
But within it there is matter.
So profound, so dark,
But within it there is essence.
This essence is very real,
And within it there is truth.
From the very beginning until now
Its name has never been forgotten.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
What a week! The publishers dropped the manuscript for Project 2013 in easy steps back to me with a whole bunch of inconsistent capitalization issues. They seem to have crept in over the last couple of releases and I had a few days to sort it all out. Chaos would be an understatement!
On another tack an old mate of mine, Sean Connolly, hit the three score and ten this week. He probably doesn't ever look at this blog so I can say it without fear of retribution. Trouble is in six months I catch up with him. Ah well back to the Way…
The Way
Poor project managers jump every time someone yells. The wise project manager calmly point out that to jump would impact on other activities and asks the jumpee to consider which other project activities they would like to be put aside to allow the jumper time to plan and execute the jump on their behalf.
If we accept that everything is connected in some way (even the people asking us to jump), then we are always potentially on the way. If we struggle and fight against what is happening then we will surely loose the way. If we accept, in silence, that things are the way they are, then we move forward along the way.
The greatest virtue is to follow only the Tao.
The Tao seems wild and obscure.
So obscure, so wild,
But within it there is form.
So obscure, so wild,
But within it there is matter.
So profound, so dark,
But within it there is essence.
This essence is very real,
And within it there is truth.
From the very beginning until now
Its name has never been forgotten.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, June 07, 2013
20: Traditional Wisdom
When the going gets tough a poor project manager will often rely on theoretical models and processes, but these are only tools and templates. Traditional wisdom is based on common sense and experience.
The Way
When problems occur, the wise project manager responds to what is happening in the here and now. He is happy with little and serves others. The wise project manager does not make a fuss; he is quiet and reflective. The wise project manager prefers what is common and natural.
Give up learning, and put an end to your anxiety.
There is little difference between one and another.
Is there a difference between good and bad?
Must I fear what others fear?
Everyone else has a purpose,
But I am ignorant as a rustic.
I alone am different,
I am nourished by the great mother.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
The Way
When problems occur, the wise project manager responds to what is happening in the here and now. He is happy with little and serves others. The wise project manager does not make a fuss; he is quiet and reflective. The wise project manager prefers what is common and natural.
Give up learning, and put an end to your anxiety.
There is little difference between one and another.
Is there a difference between good and bad?
Must I fear what others fear?
Everyone else has a purpose,
But I am ignorant as a rustic.
I alone am different,
I am nourished by the great mother.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, May 31, 2013
19: Self Improvement
No book or teacher can make you a better project manager. There are no rules or techniques that can develop these qualities. You need to discover things for yourself.
The Way
A poor project manager may go on lots of courses but this will only make him a sadder person while making the people selling the courses richer. The wise project manager develops and improves through practicing silence and meditation. These will gradually reveal his true self.
Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom,
And it will be a hundred times better for everyone.
Give up kindness, renounce morality,
And the people will go back to filial piety and compassion.
Give up cunning, renounce profit,
And robbers and thieves will disappear.
If these three are not sufficient in themselves,
Consider natural simplicity,
Cherish nature’s work,
And let things take their course.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
The Way
A poor project manager may go on lots of courses but this will only make him a sadder person while making the people selling the courses richer. The wise project manager develops and improves through practicing silence and meditation. These will gradually reveal his true self.
Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom,
And it will be a hundred times better for everyone.
Give up kindness, renounce morality,
And the people will go back to filial piety and compassion.
Give up cunning, renounce profit,
And robbers and thieves will disappear.
If these three are not sufficient in themselves,
Consider natural simplicity,
Cherish nature’s work,
And let things take their course.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, May 24, 2013
18: Staying Calm
After some initial problems with DropBox, I finally managed to get Project 2013 in easy steps uploaded on Saturday and took off for a few days at Rye. Lovely spot, shame about the weather but we did manage to get a few nice walks in.
The Way
The way represents the single principle of how everything works. When we keep it simple and follow the path there will be harmony in the team and people get on with the project. When we leave the way, the team will start to argue begin to lose their motivation. The wise project manager recognizes what is happening and returns to first principles. He needs to calm the team, reassure them and bring them back to the way.
When the great Tao is neglected,
Humanity and righteousness arise.
When wisdom and knowledge appear,
They beget great falseness.
When there is no peace within the family,
Filial piety and maternal love arise.
When the country is confused and in chaos,
Patriotism is born.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, May 17, 2013
17: Facilitation
Project 2013 in easy steps is now ready to upload. I'm just waiting for the publishers to set up an account in DropBox for me to upload it to.
The Way
Lao Tzu tells us that there are four types of leaders and that equates to project managers:
The worst are the weak, ineffectual ones that have been promoted to their level of incompetence.
Next are those that are feared and who get their way by threatening and browbeating their team.
Then we come to the charismatic leaders, who lead from the front and are popular, but they are not wise project managers, for the team will be too reliant on them.
The wise project manager is barely noticed. He does not intervene unless it is absolutely necessary and allows the team to run itself. He trusts in his team and they, in turn, trust in him. Greatness does not come to those who go looking for it, it comes out of humility, for this is the way of the project manager.
When the best ruler governs,
The people are barely aware he exists.
The next best is a leader which they know and love.
Then one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.
If the ruler does not trust the people,
There will be no trust in him.
The best ruler doesn’t talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
The people say “We did it!”
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, May 10, 2013
PMI Netherlands Summit
I'm pleased to see that the PMI Netherlands Summit now features a page on the "Exclusive Blog Team", which includes yours truly. I'm really looking forward to it. These are thye main topics:
Team learning in projects: why some project teams learn new insights and apply them while others don’t sounds particularly interesting to me.
Project strategy rooted in dynamic capabilities: a discussion on how project strategy can enable your organization to be adaptable.
Learning from outside the box: learning from experiences (another of my hot topics) from outside of your own mindset. What will work for you? "Listen and shiver" sounds fun.
Co-creating recipes for successful Project Management: a workshop based on the theory of single, double and triple loop learning.
Learning on the fly: how project managers can access lessons learned on the fly, at the right moment and addressing a specific issue.
Community Sources Learning adds Value: How can an organization capture and apply knowledge which are of strategic importance for the organization?
Constructing Your Parachute On The Way Down: (I particularly like the sound of this one!) Overcoming Organizational Gravity For Smarties.
Be inspired by Lynn Crawford and Terry Cooke-Davies: your opportunity to align with international thought leaders on project management competences.
Project Management and the human factor: little attention has been paid until now to the art of undermining and manipulating projects. But each project has its opponents; the dominant motive is survival.
Program, Governance and its flip side: the relevance of Program and Portfolio Governance in organizations and an updated Agile Governance approach.
Retrospectives: your lessons learned on steroids to help your team/project in continuous improvement.
How agile projects measure up, what this means to you: how organizations can measure their own projects, agile or not, and how to communicate results to decision makers who face investment decisions.
The Afsluitdijk: the world-famous Enclosure dam doesn’t meet present safety standards and needs a makeover. Joost van de Beek (project manager) will share the critical points to success.
Intervision and coaching: a workshop approach to experience learning via interaction and dialogue. Learn by sharing experiences and by exposing your worries and insecurities. Open up and grow.
Full details at: http://www.pmi-netherlands-summit.com/
Team learning in projects: why some project teams learn new insights and apply them while others don’t sounds particularly interesting to me.
Project strategy rooted in dynamic capabilities: a discussion on how project strategy can enable your organization to be adaptable.
Learning from outside the box: learning from experiences (another of my hot topics) from outside of your own mindset. What will work for you? "Listen and shiver" sounds fun.
Co-creating recipes for successful Project Management: a workshop based on the theory of single, double and triple loop learning.
Learning on the fly: how project managers can access lessons learned on the fly, at the right moment and addressing a specific issue.
Community Sources Learning adds Value: How can an organization capture and apply knowledge which are of strategic importance for the organization?
Constructing Your Parachute On The Way Down: (I particularly like the sound of this one!) Overcoming Organizational Gravity For Smarties.
Be inspired by Lynn Crawford and Terry Cooke-Davies: your opportunity to align with international thought leaders on project management competences.
Project Management and the human factor: little attention has been paid until now to the art of undermining and manipulating projects. But each project has its opponents; the dominant motive is survival.
Program, Governance and its flip side: the relevance of Program and Portfolio Governance in organizations and an updated Agile Governance approach.
Retrospectives: your lessons learned on steroids to help your team/project in continuous improvement.
How agile projects measure up, what this means to you: how organizations can measure their own projects, agile or not, and how to communicate results to decision makers who face investment decisions.
The Afsluitdijk: the world-famous Enclosure dam doesn’t meet present safety standards and needs a makeover. Joost van de Beek (project manager) will share the critical points to success.
Intervision and coaching: a workshop approach to experience learning via interaction and dialogue. Learn by sharing experiences and by exposing your worries and insecurities. Open up and grow.
Full details at: http://www.pmi-netherlands-summit.com/
Friday, May 03, 2013
16: Letting Go
I’m cracking on with the final run through “Project 2013 in easy steps”, doing some final tweaking and converting the images to CMYK. I’ve just heard from the publishers that they want one on Program and Portfolio Management next so the work continues.
The Way
In project management there is no point trying to be perfect or admired as these are not things that make the team or the project any more successful. By letting go of all emotional baggage and just being part of the team we not only benefit the rest of the team and the project but we benefit ourselves.
Empty your mind of everything.
Let the mind rest at peace.
The ten thousand things rise and fall.
Being open-minded, you will act in a kingly manner.
Being kingly, you will attain the divine.
Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao.
Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
And though the body dies, you are ready.
The term ‘kingly’ is used in the Tao as an alternative to ‘the sage’. It indicates possessing the clarity of knowledge, being open-hearted and open-minded.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, April 26, 2013
15: The Ancient Masters
The effective learning cycle was first espoused many years ago. It is an iterative process that suggests we learn best if we go through four stages of the cycle: plan something, do it, reflect on how it worked and then draw conclusions from it about what we will do next time. As a project manager we can share our experiences and encourage the team to reflect on these and their own experiences. Reflection helps us to see how things happen. When we reflect we are grounded in the infinite.
The Way
The wise project manager is considerate and does harm to no one. He is courteous and knows how to yield gracefully. He is open and receptive and can clarify things for others, because he has been there himself. The wise project manager is not trying to be enlightened, because he is enlightened.
The ancient masters were subtle and profound.
The depth of their knowledge was unfathomable.
The sage does not seek fulfilment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
He can welcome everything.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, April 19, 2013
14: Staying Aware
One sure sign of a poor project manager is one who does not know what's going on in his project. He may keep questioning the team to find out, but that will only irritate the team members and it is not the way.
The Way
We need to become silent and listen with our inner selves. The wise project manager stays in the present. The past is over and done with, there's no point in thinking about what might have been. Likewise there's no point in trying to second guess the future, it will be what it will be.
Look and it cannot be seen.
Listen and it cannot be heard.
Grasp and it cannot be held.
Grasp the strangeness which is Tao.
Mindful of what exists now.
Knowing the ancient beginning,
Is the essence of wisdom.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, April 12, 2013
13: Project Success
For the project manager, success on projects is usually measured by whether the project is delivered on time, within budget and with all the required features and functionality (or on agile projects with all the required features and functionality that can be delivered in the available time). A poor project manager concentrates on getting the project in on time and within budget, a better project manager adds the required features and functionality.
The Way
But the wise project manager includes and cares for the users, the team and all the other project stakeholders. He lets them be the judges of whether or not the project is successful.
Misfortune comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be misfortune?
Therefore honor life as yourself.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your own self,
Then you can truly care for all things.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Monday, April 08, 2013
A Learning Experience
The Way of the Project Manager is also the way of lifelong learning and to that end I will be going to the PMI Netherlands Summit on Thursday, June 13th 2013, as part of the “blog team”.
The conference is being organized by the PMI Netherlands Chapter and CKC Seminars in Zeist, the Netherlands and is being aimed at Project, Program and Portfolio professionals.
The central theme of the event is: “A one day learning experience that will last for years” so I am very much looking forward to it, not to mention the chance to visit the Netherlands again.
The organizers say that an inspiring program is guaranteed, with keynote sessions by international thought leaders, expert insights and lessons learned from experienced project practitioners.
The keynote speakers are:
Cees Pijs, President, PMI Netherlands Chapter
Dr. Lynn Crawford, Professor of Project Management, Bond University, Australia, Director, Human Systems International Limited
Dr. Terry Cooke-Davies, International Group Chairman, Human Systems, Visiting Research fellow, Cranfield University
Joseph F. Norton: Senior Vice President, Deputy CIO and Head of IT Infrastructure & Operations, Royal Philips, Member, PMI Executive Council, Chicago
Jacques Dunselman, Program Manager & Principal Consultant, Capgemini
Full details and a downloadable brochure are available from the PMI Netherlands web site at:
http://www.pmi-netherlands-summit.com/
I look forward to meeting up with fellow project management practitioners (and bloggers) at the event so do let me know if you are going (and if you would like to meet up for a beer afterwards).
Friday, April 05, 2013
12: Staying Calm
I have been having problems getting my screen shots right for the next edition of Project 2013 and one problem is that PaintShop Pro can produce CMYK TIF files but not at the best definition. My publisher told me that Photoshop Essentials could do the trick so I’ve just bought it only to find that while it does everything else brilliantly it doesn’t produce CMYK files, I need the full version of Photoshop which is was too expensive. Stay calm, we will be able to work something out.
The Way
The wise project manager is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees happening around him. Stay still and calm and be guided by your inner feelings, not what you are being told. When we take time to reflect, the way becomes clearer, for this is the way of the project manager.
Galloping and hunting madden the heart.
Desires lead one astray.
Therefore the sage is guided by his stomach,
And not his eye.
He discards the one and holds the other.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, March 29, 2013
11. Inner Space
When the members of a project team work together on a project there is a concept of an inner space created by the team. This defines how they work together and even the mood of the team. It is the context for everything which happens within the team.
The Way
Poor project managers worry about what the team are doing and what is happening outside it. The wise project manager knows that it is what is happening inside the team that is important, therefore he pays attention to the silences.
Shape clay into a pot,
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Therefore advantage come from what exists,
Usefulness comes from what is not there.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, March 22, 2013
10: Leadership
Still waiting for Microsoft to issue a pre-release of Project Standard 2013 so I can confirm the differences between it and Project Professional. As soon as I’ve done that “Project 2013 in easy steps” will be ready to go to press.
The Way
Poor project managers try to dominate the team in order to force them to do their will. Good project managers lead their team without dominating and more importantly without trying to take the credit for the work of the team.
The wise project manager encourages the team and is supportive, without taking credit for the team’s achievements, for this is the way of the project manager.
Can you love all men and lead them,
Without cleverness?
Understanding all things,
Can you be without motive?
Acting yet not taking credit,
Leading yet not trying to dominate,
This is the Primal Virtue.
“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)