Written by George Pitagorsky

"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." Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence. 

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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 anxiety. 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 intrapersonal 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.

Healthy conflict will make a project more likely to succeed. No conflict robs a project of opportunities to find optimal solutions. Unhealthy conflict corrodes team productivity, morale and integrity, which in turn threatens timelines and reduces profitability. In fact, depending on the scale of the project, unhealthy conflict can even endanger organizational survival itself. 

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Now George Pitagorsky, PMP uses his decades of experience to provide project managers with an innovative and practical approach that will enable them to not only manage conflict, but to use it as a positive tool. 

Drawing upon academic research and real-world examples, this highly accessible guide breaks conflict down to its base components and takes an insightful look at the human and process factors involved.

Success is measured in how well and how regularly you meet expectations. But what exactly are expectations, and how do you effectively manage them when multiple priorities and personalities are involved?

Using the case study of a Project Manager coordinating an organizational transition, this book explores how to apply a mindful, compassionate, and practical approach to satisfying expectations in any situation. 

George Pitagorsky describes how to make sure expectations are rational, mutually understood, and accepted by all those with a stake in the project. This process relies on blending a crisp analytical approach with the interpersonal skills needed to negotiate win-win understandings of what is supposed to be delivered, by when, for how much, by who, and under what conditions.

Topics covered include:

Visioning
Planning
Conflicting Expectations
Changing Expectations
Uncertainty
Estimating
Negotiation Success Factors

These insights and strategies will be especially beneficial for leaders, project managers, contract negotiators, event organizers, and others who work with people

This book tells the story of a child who learns how to use imagery to manage his anger. It helps children to use the power of their mind to experience their emotions and frustrations while avoiding being driven to reactions like temper tantrums and meltdowns.