The New Careerism and Zen

The new careerism and zen

The majority of my career has been construction related, mostly serving in the senior project management (PM) role. 20 years in, I was being widely debunked for my emphasis on the so-called ‘soft skills’ of being a PM.

The traditional PM skills are centered on the three essentials of time, budget and quality. The basic premise of this approach being that the PM should focus primarily on these three things. If one leg of the stool needs adjusting, it will affect the other two legs.

I countered by saying that the majority of my efforts (80–90%) ended up being the behind-the-scenes work of collaboration and coordination. I claimed that it was those efforts which tended to be fundamental in the success of a team. I also claimed that I had very little influence on the so-called three-legged stool model of project management control. That those elements were typically predetermined during the sales process.

My experience was validated by a leading national trainer of project management, Jim Lewis. Mr. Lewis advocates precisely what I claim, yet his clients typically insist that he focus on the three essentials. Meanwhile, he readily agreed with my observations and expressed deep frustration that the majority of what a PM truly needs training in is predictably marginalized by the all-knowing corporate sales and leadership teams who hire him “to whip those PMs into shape.”

In my opinion, it is difficult for any of us to be original and creative when we are locked into rigid boxes of thinking. Creativity flows when we flow. Creativity occurs when our minds (and hearts) are open. Such openness calls for a more relaxed approach to these things we call start-ups, professions and careers.

Most of us don’t know how to be relaxed and productive. We equate productivity with stress, tension and long hours. But genuine creativity and flow do not naturally rise out of stress and fatigue. Creativity occurs when we are relaxed, when our minds are in what the zen guys call ‘stillness’.

Many times we fall for the idea that the only time we can relax is if we are away on vacation (or perhaps drunk or on some kind of high). But having to retreat to a vacation — versus being able to relax in everyday life circumstances — reminds me of the meditation ‘masters’ who can only achieve stillness in their minds by sitting in some isolated cave or cushioned in contemplation by a soft pillow residing in a quiet dojo.

I’ll be clear: the problems arising in society these days are once again intersecting with the practical insights of the ancient zen philosophers. Within that context it’s easy to see: we need less original thinking and more Original thinking.