Chess

One of the games that I love playing is Chess and I have been playing it since high school. I am not very good at it but have won few games with the tough ones. At work, I see some parts of it kind of like playing chess. Like each piece has its importance and has its main use. The board is filled with characters that need each other to reach the main goal.<>

In a factory set-up, we have these apprentices which are those with can later be promoted to something should he persevere in getting it but of course, it needs my push also for him to get it. I also have tradesmen that help these pawns and protect them. The superintendents are my right hand personnel that make sure all subordinates work fine and they are also the main persons that I can count on when needed. I would delegate thing to them that they can do most and where critical matters are. My main task is to put them where they will needed most; make sure that they have resources to accomplish jobs and that they are motivated enough to face the challenges ahead. Like chess, we do not know when opponent e.g breakdowns, will attack us so the best we can do is to prepare for it. With the randomness of the events, I sometimes would find myself taking off my personnel from one job to another that I know have much importance compared to what they are already working at.

Behind the board, I would prepare more as I do not know other challenges that may come, but with experience, I can tell what we can check to prevent future damages. Planning is everything. Always at least a step ahead, keeps me calmer in facing each day. I really have a great deal of battling with procrastination and I always think that not doing so will cause me more problems. Troubles are inevitable, but handling them is what I am mastering.

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Listen/Observe

Below is a fable that I have read and this one clings to me simply because I can relate to it:

A little bird was flying south for the winter.
It was so cold, the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field.
While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out!
He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him!

Management Lessons:
1) Not everyone who drops sh*t on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who gets you out of sh*t is your friend.
3) And when you're in deep sh*t, keep your mouth shut!

Lesson number 1 defines me that is why I can still remember this even if I have read this long time ago. Some people find me cruel that I mock at the people. When I speak differently or harshly to a person, it only means that he/she is a close friend. I am not sure if they already observed it but I am a person who will be there when they need me and would give all that I can give to help. My advice sometimes may sound cruel, but if they are listening attentively, they will see that it is for their own good and I am trying to help. This applies not only to my friends but also my relatives and co-workers. I tried to be gentler but after some time, it still bursts out.

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Knocking Truth

I have been looking for ways to tell some person how to open up first before I give them advice. Most people just ask for them but don’t want to work on it if it is different from what they have in mind. I know that what I can tell can help them; unfortunately, most of them hang on to what they believed in. Sometime, even if what I say is very relevant and had a personal experience, they would ignore them if it is not the same they want to hear. What I normally do is wait for the right time that a person is opening his mind to new ideas which doesn’t happen often.<>

Last night I have heard passages from an audio book of Wayne Dyer and before starting on with the main thing he wants to send he narrated the story of “The Lost Son” from the teachings of Buddha and he said:

“A young widower, who loved his five year old son very much, was away on business when bandits came who burned down the whole village and took his son away. When the man returned, he saw the ruins and panicked. He took the burnt corpse of an infant to be his son and cried uncontrollably. He organised a cremation ceremony, collected the ashes and put them in a beautiful little bag which he always kept with him.

Soon afterwards, his real son escaped from the bandits and found his way home. He arrived at his father's new cottage at midnight and knocked at the door. The father, still grieving asked: "Who is it?" The child answered, it is me papa, open the door!" But in his agitated state of mind, convinced his son was dead, the father thought that some young boy was making fun of him. He shouted: "Go away" and continued to cry. After some time, the child left. Father and son never saw each other again."

After this story, the Buddha said: "Sometime, somewhere, you take something to be the truth. If you cling to it so much, even when the truth comes in person and knocks on your door, you will not open it."

This is so true and I am enlightened hearing it. This as this is very nice story to start with just in case they ask for serious advice or probably narrate it when I start a mini-seminar.

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