44: Owning or Being Owned

August 24, 2007 @ The Tao of Project Management from P M Blogger

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Project managers work as project managers for many different reasons. Good project managers do it because they enjoy managing projects and seeing the effects of a well run project on their organisation. The best project managers want to develop the people on their project teams and their organisations to make them more effective. They also want to develop themselves so they become better people.

On the other hand bad project managers are doing it to ‘get ahead’ in the organisation, earn more money and have the trappings of success like a ‘flashy’ car. These are the people who strive to be seen as ‘stars’ and who will happily adapt their behaviour to achieve these ends. They don’t care about the people working on or impacted by the project, just how they are perceived. But what is better: getting more or letting go?

The problem with owning a lot and getting more; is that the more you have the more you have to look after. The poor man doesn’t need to lock his door; the rich man has to live in a ‘gated’ enclosure surrounded by security. The more you have the more you have to lose. Is that owning things or being owned by them?

The more you give up things, the more you can spend your life looking after things. Be still and discover your inner security. If you have that, you will have what you want anyway. You will also be less stressed and will probably even live longer. This is the way of the project manager.

The Tao
Lao Tsu tells us:

Fame or self: Which matters more?
Self or wealth: Which is more precious?
Gain or loss: Which is more painful?

He who is attached to things will suffer much.
He who saves will suffer heavy loss.
A contented man is never disappointed.
He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble.
He will stay forever safe.


This article is syndicated from The Tao of Project Management . The original article is available here. Read more in Project Management News, The Tao of Project Management .

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