The Agile Tao

What does Lao Tzu have to say about war? 

Looking from the eyes of the aggressor, the attacked, and of course from a wider angle.

You can find the book, as always, at https://leanpub.com/agiletao

And the beautiful music is still played by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz and can be found here. 

This time, two poems from part 2 

- We talked about the role of a leader. what makes a leader one?

- We also talked about the constant attention required from a craftsperson of any kind to attend to its material.

Here are the poems, hope you enjoy them!

29. The Captain (xxvi) 

A great captain tirelessly guides his ship at sea 

So that, safe in port, he may lose it in sleep. 

So calm is the master of haste 

And care the path to ease. 

The captain of a great ship 

Does not treat it like a pleasure boat 

Acting carelessly or hastily. 

Without care he loses his bearings at sea; 

Without calm he loses the trust of the crew. 

The great captain doesn’t lead his ship like a jade figurehead 

But steadies her like a stone keel.

Shaping Wood (xxvii) 

A great explorer leaves no trail unmapped; 

A great teacher no question unanswered; 

A great detective no fact unexplained; 

A great watchman no threat unchecked; 

A great tailor no thread unravelled. 

So the agile account for everyone 

And neglect no one. 

Accepting all, neglecting none, 

They account for the weakest. 

The strong must guide the weak 

For the weak are the source of their strength. 

If the strong are careless and neglect the weak, 

Chaos results no matter how clever they are. 

This is their method of adaptation: 

As wood is shaped, it becomes a tool; 

As a person is served, they become a servant; 

So a great carpenter leaves no wood uncarved.

Last time, we started reading Flow - the first part of the Agile Tao, we are back with the second part.

We are back, after a long break.

You can send us any questions to [email protected]

And the book can be found at LeanPub by pressing the link.

Today's episode is about the power of collaboration, about how being a part of something bigger allows you to do magic.

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The wonderful music recorded by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz can be found here.

You can send us any questions to [email protected]

And the book can be found at LeanPub by pressing the link.

What is an ecosystem? what makes it flow, or be blocked? 

Today's poem (from the Flow part) examines the source of its benefits and interactions that make (or break) it.

Evolving and revolving,

Reflecting and responding,

Splitting and merging,

Pulsing at root and lung,

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The wonderful music recorded by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz can be found here.

You can send us any questions to [email protected]

And the book can be found at LeanPub by pressing the link.

For our 10th episode, we talk about the story behind the story.

Join us to hear how the book of Tao came to be, how the Agile Tao came to be, and how Peter and I met.

You can download the Agile Tao (free of charge) at https://leanpub.com/agiletao

The soundtrack for this episode is HighHo HighHo sang by Tom Waits.

Where does fear come from? how can it be addressed?

And has does all this to do with the Great Law of Peace, the Iroquois tribes, the game of GO or the XSCALE alliance? 

Today's poem talks about fear, and our talk covers so much more...

Disrupt nature and harmony remains.

Lose harmony and trust remains.

Break trust and justice remains.

Corrupt justice and fear remains.

Harmony doesn’t inspire fear;

But those without it do.

It doesn’t serve or compromise itself;

But those without it will.

As trust serves harmony without compromise,

Justice compromises it to serve it,

And fear compromises it to serve itself.

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You can find out more about the Great Law of Peace here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Law_of_Peace

The wonderful music recorded by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz can be found here.

You can send us any questions to [email protected]

And the book can be found at LeanPub by pressing the link.

How can one test one's agility? when is it gone and what happens when it is?

Today's poem talks about all this, and our talk covers so much more...

21. The End Of Agility (lxvii)

Compassion generates courage,

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The wonderful music recorded by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz can be found here.

You can send us any questions to [email protected]

And the book can be found at LeanPub by pressing the link.

This time, we are talking about functionality, and about the form that supports it. about what happens when one is missing or doesn't match the other.

We also talk about product ownership and team awareness.

Here it is:

3. Form and Function (xi/x) 

Thirty spokes meet at a hub;

Every form that encloses

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The wonderful music recorded by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz can be found here.

You can send us any questions to [email protected]

You can find the book at LeanPub by pressing the link.