THE LEADER WHO HAD NO TITLE

Awesome, Inspiring, Neat, Real etc are the few adjectives that I can use to describe the journey I went through while reading it. It took me four days to read it, not because I am slow, but it shook all the beliefs and lies I was living with my entire life. Today I feel like a transformed man. So I decided to share this with every person so that they can also use their untapped potentials.

This story is about a veteran named Blake who is presently working as a bookseller. And like all of us he is struggling to make his life and career better. One day he encounters an eccentric looking man who introduces him to four unorthodox leaders who teaches him the four basic principles and few basic techniques he can use to incorporate these principles in his daily life to become a star and take control of his life.

Here are few of the quotes which are really close to my heart and I try follow them every day.

Ø Every single one of us has the power to show leadership in all that we do

Ø Failure’s nothing more than the inevitable outcome of a few small acts of daily neglected performed consistently over time so that they take you past the point of no return

Ø Stop pretending to be a victim and to start presenting yourself as a leader

Ø Even a mediocre idea excellently acted on is more valuable than a genius idea poorly performed

Ø Leadership has a lot to do with believing in yourself when no one else believes in you

Ø The more time you spend outside your comfort zone, the wider it grows

Ø It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult

Ø Business is primarily a pursuit to help other people

Ø If you want to win you need to help others win

Ø To be a great leader, first be a great person.

The above are few droplets from the ocean of inspirations vested in the book.

Now the obvious question is what change it brought in me? The change I see is that I now see it clearly. It helped me lay few foundations to change my lifestyle. I have now stopped being a victim and made my first step towards being a leader. Let me share an example –

    I was returning from Amritsar on a train few days ago, I saw people around my seat/birth littering inside and on the tracks. So I made the first step to stop it by pulling out a plastic bag and placed it between my seat and adjacent ones. I started disposing my water bottle and food leftovers in it. I requested one of the passengers sitting beside me to use it as well. At first he laughed and threw one of his leftover outside and said “why to make an effort when nothing will change”. I asked him to use my plastic bag and told him that I will make the effort and throw it. Finally he decided to use the bag. Seeing all this I noticed few others appreciating me and started doing the same. I felt really proud and overwhelmed as I was initially reluctant but overcame it.

So no matter how small the effort is, it really does pay off. So anyone who feels stuck in their life or in career, remember that no matter what you do or where you are, you always have a choice in what you do or how you respond to a situation. Just don’t give up. Like Robin Sharma says “Turbulent times builds great leaders” and “small daily improvements-over time-lead to stunning results”.

So stop postponing things and relish every moment, every hour and every day.

I really thank Robin for his effort to empower the people around and infusing a dose of motivation and determination with his work