My Favorite Mistake: Business Lessons from Failures and Success

How Andrew Davis Burned Out as a Buddhist Monk and Found Balance in Tech


Listen Later

My guest for Episode #271 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Andrew Davis, Chief Product Officer at AutoRABIT and the author of Mastering Salesforce DevOps. He's also co-author of the new book Flow Engineering: From Value Stream Mapping to Effective Action - with Steve Pereira.

Episode page with transcript, video, and more

He’s a Salesforce architect, developer, and product leader who focuses on the human side of software development. He’s been the leading figure in introducing DevOps concepts to the Salesforce world. 

Trained as an engineer, he spent fifteen years as a Buddhist monk, teaching meditation and personal transformation and helping develop communities of practice. These days he studies the intersection of business, technology, and psychology through systems thinking.

In this episode, Andrew shares his fascinating journey from being a Buddhist monk to becoming a leader in the tech world. He discusses his favorite mistake of experiencing burnout as a monk, the lessons learned, and how these experiences have shaped his approach to work and life. Andrew discusses the concepts of flow engineering, psychological safety, and the importance of creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up and innovate. Join us for an insightful conversation that bridges the worlds of spirituality and technology, offering valuable lessons for anyone striving to balance passion with well-being.

Questions and Topics:

  • How do you guard against repeating a similar path to burnout in your current work?
  • How did you choose to become a Buddhist and then a monk?
  • How did you transition from being a monk to getting into the software and technology world?
  • Companies can be crazy; how do we help avoid that?
  • What are your thoughts on value stream mapping and breaking down silos?
  • Why did you emphasize psychological safety in your book, and what have you learned about it?
  • How do you offer free classes on personal transformation, and can you tell us about that?
  • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    My Favorite Mistake: Business Lessons from Failures and SuccessBy Mark Graban

    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9

    4.9

    38 ratings


    More shows like My Favorite Mistake: Business Lessons from Failures and Success

    View all
    Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership by Mark Graban

    Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership

    47 Listeners

    Planet Money by NPR

    Planet Money

    30,923 Listeners

    Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

    Coaching for Leaders

    1,455 Listeners

    Gemba Academy Podcast: Lean Six Sigma | Toyota Kata | Productivity | Leadership by Ron Pereira: Lean Thinker & Co-Founder of Gemba Academy

    Gemba Academy Podcast: Lean Six Sigma | Toyota Kata | Productivity | Leadership

    197 Listeners

    Lean Blog Audio by Mark Graban

    Lean Blog Audio

    15 Listeners

    Happier with Gretchen Rubin by Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

    Happier with Gretchen Rubin

    12,968 Listeners

    KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More by KaiNexus

    KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More

    27 Listeners

    The Daily Show: Ears Edition by iHeartPodcasts and Paramount Podcasts

    The Daily Show: Ears Edition

    14,185 Listeners

    WLEI - Lean Enterprise Institute's Podcast by Lean Enterprise Institute

    WLEI - Lean Enterprise Institute's Podcast

    21 Listeners

    Before Breakfast by iHeartPodcasts

    Before Breakfast

    1,391 Listeners

    Lean Coffee Talk (formerly known as Lean Whiskey) by Mark Graban & Jamie Flinchbaugh

    Lean Coffee Talk (formerly known as Lean Whiskey)

    9 Listeners

    Connecting the Dots by Skip Steward

    Connecting the Dots

    28 Listeners

    The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

    The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

    10,273 Listeners