After engaging in a spiritual practice for two decades, I learned that attachments are bad. The problem is that I had a few attachments. If you have been working with someone for ten years, it is not so easy to let them go. If you have been living in the same place for two decades it is not so easy to just pack up and go. If you have been driving the same car or doing the same job for a long time, it is natural no matter how spiritual you might think you are to have an attachment.
What I learned is that spiritual knowledge really helps in business. India is the world capital of spiritual knowledge. Unfortunately, the ones who are highly evolved don’t work, and those who work, are generally at a very low level of spiritual attainment or non-attainment. If India would apply its spiritual knowledge to business, they would be superstars. Maybe in another four decades. I will keep my fingers crossed.
I wanted to have one of my assistants handle all of certain types of tasks. She did part of it but not all. I didn’t have enough work to hire and train another assistant — or at least so I thought. So, since she didn’t do everything, then I started working overtime to get all of the tasks done that I wanted done. I just tired myself out. The problem originated from an attachment. I was “used to” using a particular person for tasks. I was used to doing things myself. I was not used to training new people to do new things. After all, that is time consuming, and “what if” they don’t do a good job, or “what if” they quit.
So, I trained someone new to do the work, and they learned to be better in many ways than the original person I was using. Wow! So, I got over my attachment to a particular way of doing things, and the result was better. Of course, the result could have been worse as well — and that is why we try things before we commit to them.
Next, I was having issues with a service provider for another task that I outsourced. I had been working with her for seven years. I had very little experience with others on the particular task she did. But, I had trouble with one of the people in her office who always was rude to me. It got to the point where my patience was running out — and they were no bargain either. So, I found others who could do the work she did equally well. Of course, they didn’t have the technical skills that the original person had, but they were good in other ways that I never thought of which made up for it. Additionally, the price was much lower.
What I learned was — whatever you didn’t think of could be very valuable. New people might be good in ways you never imagined. As a manager, your skill lies in your ability to explore and nurture the hidden potential in others! So, don’t get attach to individuals, or particular ways of doing things. Be flexible and learn to explore!