The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the first of the Three Ways from The Phoenix Project? How can you create a faster, more efficient workflow among your IT team? In their book The Phoenix Project, authors Kim, Behr, and Spafford lay out the three ways to improve your IT department. The First Way involves improving the department’s workflow, which isn’t always an easy task. Here’s a look at The First Way and how you can increase the speed of your IT department.
What is Hindu meditation? How is Hindu meditation related to yoga? Hindu meditation is also known as yoga. While many people practice yoga without practicing Hinduism, yoga is rooted in the religion. There are two styles of yoga, hatha yoga and kriya yoga—one focuses on the physical and one focuses on breathing and energy. Continue reading to learn about the Hindu meditation practice of yoga.
What is The Second Way from The Phoenix Project? Why is a quick feedback cycle essential to IT departments? In The Phoenix Project, Kim, Behr, and Spafford demonstrate how work management principles developed on factory production lines can be applied in an IT environment. The three foundational pillars of production can be summed up as 1) fast workflow, 2) quick feedback, and 3) continual improvement. Continue reading for an overview of The Second Way and how to implement it.
What is Christian meditation? Can prayer be a form of meditation? When you hear the word “meditation,” your mind probably jumps to Buddhism or Hinduism. However, Christian prayers are another form of meditation that’s often overlooked. Whether you want to refer to written prayers or come up with your own, praying has many benefits. Keep reading to learn how praying is a form of meditation.
What is Rachel Maddow’s book Blowout about? What shocking revelations does she share? In Blowout, journalist and MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow aims to expose the corruption and exploitation underlying the oil and gas industry. Ultimately, she argues that only full transparency and strict environmental regulation can protect the planet from devastating accidents and corporate greed. Here’s an overview of the book Blowout, including Maddow’s advice for the world.
What is a continuous improvement culture? Why should IT departments deliberately introduce faults and design flaws into the production line? In their book The Phoenix Project, Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford stress the importance of continuous growth in a company. Without growth and the ability to make mistakes, the workplace becomes toxic and stagnant. Here’s how and why you should create a culture of continuous improvement in your company, IT or not.
What exactly is Western meditation? Is Western meditation based on religion? Meditation in the West doesn’t come from any specific religion—instead, practitioners often believe in some form of universal consciousness. This form of meditation is often goal-oriented and can help you improve your focus. Continue below for an in-depth look at Western meditation.
Are oil and gas companies monopolies? Why are these industries so profitable? In her book Blowout, Rachel Maddow discusses why gas and oil company profits are so high. To understand, it’s important to first know the histories of both the oil and gas industries. Keep reading to understand why oil and gas companies dominate the market.
What are the most common workflow problems? How can these problems lead to a complete standstill of work? How can they be overcome? According to the book The Phoenix Project, the two biggest workflow problems when it comes to IT departments are unexpected work and bottlenecks. Unexpected work often results in bandaid solutions and bottlenecks limit the speed of production. Here’s a deeper look at why these two workflow challenges are so problematic.
Do you want to try meditation but don’t know where to start? Did you know you don’t need to practice religion to meditate? Meditation comes in many shapes and forms. Whether you’re Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, or practice no religion at all, you can reap the benefits of meditation. Here are three meditation tips for beginners to help you get started.