The Trousers of Reality - Volume One: Working Life [Paperback]

Barry Evans (Author)

Book Description

Series: Trousers of Reality | Publication Date: June 1, 2009

How to find balance and satisfaction in life, work and play. Why things like Agile, Lean, NLP, Systems Thinking and Theory of Constraints are essential for effective project management.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In today's society almost as soon as a new way of thinking or working emerges it is hijacked by individuals and companies seeking to make a quick buck. In some instances old ideas are re-branded and sold under a new label. In almost all cases they concentrate on the implementation of specific "silver bullet" practices, excluding other complementary or necessary parts. The original ideology gets devalued, confused or lost.

This book looks at four disciplines in which this has happened - NLP, Agile, Lean and the Theory of Constraints. It takes a philosophical look at their fundamental principles and explains their value.

It is an essential read for managers for whom these principles, when applied properly, are very effective tools. The author makes the case that, in their purest form, these principles and disciplines are applicable by anyone in any situation, making this book a useful and thought provoking read for almost everybody.

From the Back Cover

The Trousers of Reality: How to find balance and satisfaction in life, work and play.

Volume One: Working Life: Why things like Agile, Lean, NLP, Systems Thinking and Theory of Constraints are essential for effective project management.

"The Trousers of Reality goes far beyond NLP and IT. It is visionary and fresh and new. It is for everyone who wants to set themselves free from the constrained thinking of tribalism and labels. It is a creative use of NLP in the teaching of IT methodologies, planning and problem solving. Furthermore, all of these disciplines have meta principles which converge with each other and with life. Discovering these meta principles is like finding the marrow of life. Learning anything throws new light on everything else. We all need this book. Read it, listen to it, let it speak to you. It can change your life for the better." Wyatt Woodsmall PH.D.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Code Green Publishing (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190721500X
• ISBN-13: 978-1907215001
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,197,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barry Evans grew up in Wexford, Ireland. Nowadays he splits his time between the UK and France. Writing, art and the printed word seem to be in his blood. He can trace his family tree back to Theodore de Banville, the poet, writer and friend of Victor Hugo. His mother is artist and writer Vonnie Banville Evans and his father, Jim Evans, was an artisan printer. His brother John has published two novels so far and his brother Jamie is a composer. His uncles Vincent and John Banville are both award winning authors. Barry has had over 20 years experience in the information technology industry as a software engineer, a manager and a technical coach. He is an NLP trainer with INLPTA, a member of the British Computer Society, a chartered Engineer and a chartered IT Professional. His writing spans fiction, philosophy, poetry, photography and technical material. He has a website at www.trousersofReality.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spring clean for the brain, September 13, 2009

By 

Tony Baines (Ipswich, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trousers of Reality - Volume One: Working Life (Paperback)

This book made me open up the windows in my head to let in some fresh air on daily activities I thought I knew well - planning, communicating, prioritising - helping to blow away the accumulated cruft, leaving the essential lessons bare and showing mew ways to grow and improve.

The style is personal and engaging, drawing on the authors experience of coaching and software development and centuries of work from thinkers around the world to reveal a deeper perspective on the reasons that projects succeed and fail.

Looking forward to volume II.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trousers of Reality, March 16, 2010

By 

Bernadette Rogers - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Trousers of Reality - Volume One: Working Life (Paperback)

"What a wonderful book. So easy to read, the information just flows. I laughed out loud with the connections it made for me and I had a wonderful time with the ideas and associations it sparked off!"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trousers of Reality, October 18, 2009

By 

M. Davies - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trousers of Reality - Volume One: Working Life (Paperback)

Drawing on diverse disciplines, and historical and scientific fact and metaphor, Mr. Evans delivers a message of innovation, thoughtful analysis and "out of the box" thinking in his entertaining Trousers of Reality Volume One: Working Life. Software development and project management provide the context for the author's main tenets and themes, but Mr. Evans' approach will speak to managers, team leaders and team members in a variety of fields. He leads the reader through basic constructs for understanding the work environment, and proposes "nexus based decision making" as a guide to successful project outcomes. This is not a cookbook, but rather a book about opening your mind to the essential ingredients for successful work life.