Detachment from Outcome While Leading into the Unknown

Over the last few weeks, I have been involved in businesses in which the leader, faced with an exciting new opportunity, first embraced the opportunity and then let it go. It has been interesting proof in the world of successful business leadership of a life principle that I believe in and that is considered an important step on the spiritual journey of development…to detach yourself from outcome.

In one instance, a seemingly fantastic investor group stepped forward to help move a new product line into the market. Just as the terms were being worked out, the business leader said to his team ‘my intuition is telling me that something is wrong’. He dropped the negotiations of the terms with a ‘thanks but no thanks’ and walked away. This was an act of detachment from outcome, with the whole staff having been excited at the funding potential and what it meant for the enterprise, and then sitting in the disappointment of their leader walking away from the investment, clearly detached from the outcome. There was a lot of dissatisfaction, gossip, and an immediate sinking in staff morale.

The leader held steady with his choice. When I asked what was helping him to hold steady, he said that he guides himself within a clear framework of personal values and givens. One of those values was his trust in Spirit to guide him, the messages showing up as intuition. He said that daily, he expressed gratitude to Spirit for guidance that was just right for himself and his company. thus developing his feelings of trust. He was not detached from outcome of the company doing well. He was detached from the company doing well with a relationship to these particular investors.

I had the chance to witness a different investor group contacting this leader the following day, seemingly ‘out of the blue’. Within days, the investment became reality, the leader feeling that this new investor group was the perfect fit for his company…and the investors feeling the same way. It was a joyous transaction conducted with ease. Staff immediately shifted to joy, excitement, and an upsurge in morale.

When I asked different staff whether they now felt that it was right for the leader to have detached from outcome with the first investor group, there was silence by way of response as they were clearly thinking. Then they said ‘in one way, no it wasn’t good’ because it could have ended so badly for all of us and this company. In another way, it was very good because now we have something better.’

Leading into the unknown is tough enough. Leading into the unknown and being able to detach from outcomes can be even tougher. Foundational values and givens are essential for leaders to be able to meet this challenge of leadership.

Have you developed your foundational values and givens for leading your life, for your leadership?