05: Equal Treatment

One person is as worthy as the next and silence is a great source of strength. 

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

Heaven and earth are ruthless;

They see the ten thousand things as dummies.

The wise are ruthless;

They see the people as dummies.

The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows.

The shape changes but not the form;

The more it moves, the more it yields.

More words count less.

Hold fast to the centre.

04: The Way Is Not a Thing

The Way is not a thing; it is a single unifying principle or law. The wise project manager does not  search for the way, he runs his project in harmony with it.

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled.

Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things!

Blunt the sharpness,

Untangle the knot,

Soften the glare,

Merge with dust.

Oh, hidden deep but ever present!

I do not know from whence it comes.

It is the forefather of the emperors.

03: Being Oneself

The wise project manager is  concerned that what the team does is effective and this is simple wisdom.

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

Not exalting the gifted prevents quarrelling.

Not collecting treasure prevents stealing.

Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies,

by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

If people lack knowledge and desire,

then intellectuals will not try to interfere.

If nothing is done then all will be well.

02: Opposites

The wise project manager allows things to happen and unfold at their own pace, for this is the way of the project manager.

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.

All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Therefore having and not having arise together.

Difficult and easy complement each other.

Long and short contrast each other;

High and low rest upon each other;

Voice and sound harmonise each other;

Front and back follow one another.

Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking.

The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease,

Creating, yet not possessing,

Working, yet not taking credit.

Work is done, then forgotten.

Therefore it lasts forever.

01: The Way

The way of the project manager is about how things happen on projects. It is not a process, although we may use elements of process, it is a principle. The way cannot be learnt, it can only be known. So this is a quest for that knowledge, a meditation on project life. There is no real name for this so we won't attempt to find one; we will just observe the mystery of what unfolds on the journey. There will be darkness but, hopefully, out of this we will begin to know how things happen. 

The Tao

Lao Tsu tells us:

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

The named is the mother of ten thousand things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.

Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.

These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness.

Darkness within darkness.

The gate to all mystery.