The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in by Robin Sharma Read Free Book Online Page A

Birds chirped while the sunlight warmed my face. It really was a great day to be alive.
    Tommy continued speaking. “Successful people all perform the same few leadership disciplines. They consistently practice the same few fundamentals. But their seemingly small, insignificant daily acts of excellence stack up over time to a best-in-class career and a world-class personal life. Which brings us to failure. Failure, on the other hand, is just as easy to slip into. Failure’s is nothing more than the inevitable outcome of a few small acts of daily neglect performed consistently over time so that they take you past the point of no return. I really encourage you to look into this first grave and do some serious soul searching as to how you plan to occur in the world after today. You definitely don’t want to end up in this first grave. That would be a tragedy. Yes, I’ll agree that meeting here in this cemetery was dramatic,” Tommy admitted. “But I needed to provoke you. To get to you. To move you into a place where you’d throw down your blinders, let go of your excuses, and have a good hard look at yourself. Connecting to the fact that you will die one day is a powerful tool to shift your thinking and awaken your inner leader.”
    “Why?” I asked.
    “Because remembering the shortness of life strips away all the distractions of life and reminds us what’s most important. Visiting your mortality reminds you that your months are numbered.”
    “Nine hundred sixty,” I confirmed.
    “Yes, Blake. So what’s the point of playing small? What’s the point of fearing failure? What’s the point of worrying about others’ opinions? What’s the point of denying your duty to lead?”
    “You succeeded, Tommy. I don’t feel the same at all.”
    “That’s because sustained change only happens when we shift at an emotional rather than at a logical level. I wanted to get under your skin and touch your heart rather than just speak to your head. You can hear a good idea one hundred times and fail to make it a piece of who you are until you actually experience it viscerally—in your body. Only then does it rise from being just some idea to a truth to you. That’s why so many training seminars don’t work to create lasting results. They fail to get into us.”
    “True,” I agreed. “I’m starting to see things a lot differently. And far more clearly. I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking my job’s not important, my work doesn’t matter, and I’m at some dead end by being at the bookstore.”
    “I appreciate the honesty, Blake. And congratulations on not feeling the same. You know, there’s not one dead-end job in this whole wide and unpredictable world of ours—only dead-end thinking . And as someone who cares about you, I’ll keep doing my best to challenge you to start playing in the field of mastery. Just remember that any job performed at peak and any work done at wow will lead to rewards far beyond the limited possibilities you may currently have the eyes to see. Just because you can’t currently see all the success that’s available to you in this moment here at the cemetery doesn’t mean it’s not available to you.”
    “Great point. Never thought of that.”
    “And as I’m suggesting, the real key is to bring some emotion, energy, and passion into the equation. That’s when real breakthroughs happen. I brought you to this place to get you mad, sad, and more than a little frustrated at how small you’ve been playing with your career—and with the treasure that’s called your life. I wanted you to start to take personal responsibility for each of the current conditions you are experiencing. Because the more you own your power to make choices, the more powerful your choices become.”
    “I’m already there, Tommy,” I said with heartfelt conviction to my newfound mentor.
    “Well, then let me talk about this second grave. Jump in, please,” he said with a brisk wave of his hand toward the