Friday, June 27, 2008
"The Zen Approach to Project Management " by George Pitagorsky
" From the point of view of Zen, managing projects is both a quest in and of itself and a vehicle for awakening.
Essentially, we are going to reveal how project management can be used as a Zen art !
In Zen, there is a tradition of taking apparently mundane daily activities and elevating them into art forms that create paths to awakening. What makes an activity like project management an art or ' The Way' is to practice it both for the immediate result and with a view of purifying , calming and focusing the psycho-physical apparatus , the body-mind complex.
The Zen approach will not only benefit your project work tremendously, but it will allow you to extract more personal value from it !
The Zen activity becomes a focal point for concentration as well as a vehicle for addressing all the personal and relationship issues that arise when we are actively trying to accomplish something with a high degree of excellence under challenging circumstances.
While practicing outer work, important inner work is done, and awakening takes place !
Have you done complex things like things like driving a car, riding a bicycle, running on a treadmill or managing a project while spaced out to the extent that you have no recollection of how you got to where you are ?
How does it feel to be completely engaged in an activity while being completely relaxed and aware of everything that is going on in and around you ? "
Excerpt from : " The Zen Approach to Project Management " by GEORGE PITAGORSKY.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
( from amazon.com, about the same book)
Product Description
The Zen approach to Project Management brings together sound wisdom, a nuts-and-bolts grasp of practicalities, and original insights. It's the Zen that's been missing in all too many of today's business books, and George Pitagorsky is the master we've needed.
Projects are often more complex and stressful than they need to be. Far too many of them fail to meet expectations.
There are far too many conflicts.
There are too few moments of joy and too much anxi¬ety.
But there is hope.
It is possible to remove the unnecessary stress and complexity.
This book is about how to do just that. It links the essential principles and techniques of managing projects to a wisdom approach for working with complex, people-based activities.
Project management becomes a metaphor for how we can live our lives and, if we follow the wisdom traditions, the way we live our lives becomes a metaphor for how to manage projects.
The book guides readers in exploring how to: Remove unnecessary stress and complexity from your projects.
Apply mindfulness and open mindedness to cut through the barriers to personal self-actualization.
Manage expectations to ensure that people get what they need, when they need it and for the cost they expected to pay and that they accept what they get.
Manage performance to cut through interpersonal and intra-personal issues that get in the way of excellence.
Break free of self-imposed barriers to creative thinking, conflict resolution and problem solving.
Remain calm and energetic while being active and effective in the face of chaos, fear, resistance to change, unrealistic demands, conflict and the other aspects of project life that cause stress.
Essentially, we are going to reveal how project management can be used as a Zen art !
In Zen, there is a tradition of taking apparently mundane daily activities and elevating them into art forms that create paths to awakening. What makes an activity like project management an art or ' The Way' is to practice it both for the immediate result and with a view of purifying , calming and focusing the psycho-physical apparatus , the body-mind complex.
The Zen approach will not only benefit your project work tremendously, but it will allow you to extract more personal value from it !
The Zen activity becomes a focal point for concentration as well as a vehicle for addressing all the personal and relationship issues that arise when we are actively trying to accomplish something with a high degree of excellence under challenging circumstances.
While practicing outer work, important inner work is done, and awakening takes place !
Have you done complex things like things like driving a car, riding a bicycle, running on a treadmill or managing a project while spaced out to the extent that you have no recollection of how you got to where you are ?
How does it feel to be completely engaged in an activity while being completely relaxed and aware of everything that is going on in and around you ? "
Excerpt from : " The Zen Approach to Project Management " by GEORGE PITAGORSKY.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
( from amazon.com, about the same book)
Product Description
The Zen approach to Project Management brings together sound wisdom, a nuts-and-bolts grasp of practicalities, and original insights. It's the Zen that's been missing in all too many of today's business books, and George Pitagorsky is the master we've needed.
Projects are often more complex and stressful than they need to be. Far too many of them fail to meet expectations.
There are far too many conflicts.
There are too few moments of joy and too much anxi¬ety.
But there is hope.
It is possible to remove the unnecessary stress and complexity.
This book is about how to do just that. It links the essential principles and techniques of managing projects to a wisdom approach for working with complex, people-based activities.
Project management becomes a metaphor for how we can live our lives and, if we follow the wisdom traditions, the way we live our lives becomes a metaphor for how to manage projects.
The book guides readers in exploring how to: Remove unnecessary stress and complexity from your projects.
Apply mindfulness and open mindedness to cut through the barriers to personal self-actualization.
Manage expectations to ensure that people get what they need, when they need it and for the cost they expected to pay and that they accept what they get.
Manage performance to cut through interpersonal and intra-personal issues that get in the way of excellence.
Break free of self-imposed barriers to creative thinking, conflict resolution and problem solving.
Remain calm and energetic while being active and effective in the face of chaos, fear, resistance to change, unrealistic demands, conflict and the other aspects of project life that cause stress.
