What you bring to the table matters

 What you bring to the table matters

A middle-aged man met a monk who was helping people connect with their purpose and realise their potential.

The middle-aged man shared his worries about his performance and doubted whether his contributions were adding value at work.

The monk took him to the garden, holding a bunch of sheets, and picked up a stone. The monk placed the bunch of papers and instructed the middle-aged man to take a seat, while he sat. The papers were flying in the wind, and he ignored them. The monk was silent, and the middle-aged man was puzzled. The next wind blew away a few more papers. The monk just smiled at the flying papers, picked an expensive gemstone from his pocket, and placed it on the bunch. Again, the wind blew the papers away.

The middle-aged man said, "Sir, why can't you place the stone on the bunch of papers?" The monk did it. Though the wind was blowing, the papers remained intact.

The monk pointed to the gemstone and the stone, then asked which one was more attractive. The middle-aged man said, "The gemstone."

The monk asked, "Which one looks expensive?" The middle-aged man said, "The gemstone."

"In this situation, which stone was useful?" the middle-aged man replied, "The normal stone." The monk said, "A normal stone can become valuable in this situation by holding the papers intact. Now, for the person who wants to keep the papers intact, the normal stone is valuable."

"Whenever you doubt yourself, think about how many situations you upheld for the organisation, how many relationships you bound together, and how many tasks you did. People can be like an expensive gemstone, with degrees, designation, and vintage value, but what they bring to the table, like this normal stone in the right situation, matters."

"Whenever you have self-doubt about your own contribution, reflect on what you brought to the table. You will realise the expensive gem in you."

After listening to this, the middle-aged man thanked the monk profusely and left the monastery with a sense of gratitude.

While driving back home, he was reflecting on all his contributions. Once he got home, he prepared his presentation for the upcoming annual review and completed his other career-related activities.

On the day of the review, he presented what he did during his tenure, without omitting any contributions he made to the organisation's growth. The board was impressed, and his immediate superior had a blank face. The board looked at his immediate superior and said, "He requires better recognition and better benefits." The supervisor said, "The board can decide."

The middle-aged man intervened and said, "I am resigning." The board was shocked. They said, "Why?" "When you cannot realise the value of a gem in me and put undue pressure by asking what I brought to the table, though I shared my work with my superior, whom you hired based on his educational background and the brand from which he came, while I was eligible for the role. When you fail to recognise people like us, you will lose people like us. While I listed all my contributions, I also updated my profile and realised how much I brought to the table. In fact, once I updated and shared my profile with a good friend of mine, he offered me the head of his company role across Southeast Asia. Thank you for listening to me," and said, "I will serve the notice period and ensure I bring value to the table," and took his seat.

The most important realisation is realising your value. The gem's value is known to the gemmologists, and the monk played the role of a gemmologist to help the middle-aged man realise its value.

M.L. Narendra Kumar