Moshe’s Blog

The Great Irony: Get Better Results By Not Being Attached to Getting Them

NATO NATO NATO!

The prominent kidney transplant surgeon used to repeatedly hum these words every time he prepped for surgery. Confused, his young resident asked why he always sings about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “I’m not,” the surgeon replied. “To me, NATO stands for ‘not attached to outcomes.’ Repeating it reminds me to stay totally focused on doing the best surgery I can, and not try to control more than that.”

Being unattached to the outcome may be the most important and paradoxical part of being a love-powered amare leader. You still are passionate, desire particular results, and are accountable for them. And you work hard to achieve them.

But your self-esteem isn’t affected by whether you succeed or not. You stay fully engaged in doing your best — without the grasping and neediness that attachment to outcomes produces. As the ancient text the Bhagavad Gita teaches, be the same in success and defeat. So powerful, and so not easy.

What’s your first reaction to the idea of not being attached to outcomes?

Can you imagine getting better results when you’re not attached to getting them?

Are you willing to experiment with unattachment?

3 Amare Steps to Get Better Results by Being Unattached to the Outcome

1. Do an inventory of your attachments. List all the business outcomes that give you a feeling of grasping and clinging, and make you tighten up. Choose one to let go of.

2. Let it go. Focus all your energy toward that one outcome on the doing. Get totally engaged. If your mind brings you to think about the results, come back to fully focus on doing your best.

3. Play out the possibilities. Allow yourself to imagine achieving your desired outcome. Notice how you talk and feel about yourself. Now imagine not achieving it, despite your best efforts. Notice again how you talk and feel about yourself. Repeat until your self-perception remains positive in both situations.

Ironically, in our very results-oriented society, it is being free of attachment to the outcomes that gets you better results. Make it part of your everyday way of being and your Amare Leadership Manifesto.

Empower Your Team with Amare Keynotes

I do keynote speeches to inspire teams to put love to work, tap into their unique genius, and collaborate more effectively. If you know of organizations that would benefit, kindly put them in touch with me.

Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote

“Attachment is the strongest block to realization.”

—Neem Karoli Baba

Acknowledgements: Dr. David Tusek for sharing his story as a young resident. The Bhagavad Gita for the core message of non-attachment as the most critical form of renunciation.