The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in (26 page)

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FTER THE UNFORGETTABLE DAY
on which the Lead Without a Title philosophy was revealed to me, I never saw my mentor Tommy again. I fully expected to see him at the bookstore the following Monday morning. And I thought I’d work alongside him for many years to come, as I integrated all the powerful leadership lessons I’d learned to create extraordinary results in all that I did. But my wish was not to be.

The day after I met the four special teachers, I was devastated to learn that Tommy had died. He had been struggling with cancer but was quiet about his illness. Anna said he just didn’t want anyone to worry about him. And that he needed to live out his final days helping others—and spreading the Lead Without a Title message that had transformed his own life years earlier. “He hung on just long enough to give you that one day,” Anna shared, consumed with deep emotion. “That was his final gift to you.”

At the funeral, Anna, Ty, Jackson, and Jet each took turns giving testimony to the man Tommy was and all the good things that he did. I learned that he had grown up poor. That he’d been married to his childhood sweetheart for forty-four years before she’d passed away a couple of years earlier. That he loved chocolate of every type. And that he had left all of his savings to a charity for children. So many people attended Tommy’s funeral that hundreds of mourners had to stand out in the street. But they
did. Because everyone respected this simple bookseller who led without a title. And always gave his absolute best.

Afterward, Anna, still sobbing, handed me a package. Ty, Jackson, and Jet stood next to her. They also had tears streaming down their faces and showed through their expressions that they were heartbroken.

“Here, Blake, this is for you. Tommy asked me to give it to you. He really admired you a lot, you know. He deeply respected what you did for our country. As well as what you did for yourself, accepting his invitation to make your shift from victimhood into leadership over that day we all shared together. I think you were the son he never had, to be honest with you, Blake,” she said wiping away more tears and adjusting the beautiful flower she had placed in her hair. “Anyway, please keep in touch with us. The boys and I are always here for you—whenever you need us. Any time of the day or any time of the night. You’re one of us now. And though we’ve lost one friend, we definitely feel we’ve gained another.”

She gave me a hug and began to walk away. Ty, Jackson, and Jet did the same.

“Oh, keep Leading Without a Title and spreading the philosophy you’ve discovered with everyone you meet. Each one of us alive today really can make a profound difference in every organization of any type right across this amazing world of ours if we accept the call on our lives to awaken the inner leader within us, then make everything we touch better than we found it,” encouraged Anna. “Hope to see you soon, Blake.”

“We definitely will see you soon,” the other three teachers spoke softly, in unison.

“And please remember,” Jet added,
“you were born awesome.”
My four new friends then left the church.

I found a place to sit and, listening to the strains of piped-in classical music, slowly opened the envelope. I then carefully
read the letter inside. Sunlight poured through the stained-glass windows, and the crisp air from outside gently washed through the room. The handwriting on the paper was messy. But I could read the words clearly. And I felt their power. Here’s what they said:

Dear Blake the Great,

First, please forgive me for not sharing the details of my illness with you. I didn’t want to let my personal condition get in the way of the gift of learning you so deserved to hear and the transformation you were so ready to receive. I grew to find a sense of peace in the face of my challenge and came to understand that it carried many opportunities with it. Of course, no one likes to become sick. But through my condition I grew stronger, deeper, and a whole lot wiser. And my hope is that some of all that good stuff I stepped into as a human being found its way over to you.

Your parents were fine people. And they raised a fine young son. I know that now. And I honor you for all you gave in the past and all you’ll do in your future. It has been a genuine joy for me to finally have met you in that bookstore of ours that wonderful morning. Sorry about the Mickey Mouse hankie. My wife gave it to me on the first anniversary of our marriage. We were at Disneyland. It always reminded me of her. The SpongeBob watch was my own purchase.

My deepest hope is that rather than finding you filled with sadness because I’m gone, this letter reaches you full of inspiration, focus, and conviction for your newfound commitment to Lead Without a Title. You are now beautifully prepared to completely unchain your inner leader and allow it to see the light of day. You are now
perfectly ready to express your absolute best in each thing that you do during any challenge you meet. And you are undoubtedly in the ideal position to serve as an extraordinary example of possibility and excellence to every person fortunate enough to cross your path. I know you will. You promised me you would. And both I and your father placed a huge deal of importance in the lost art of promise keeping.

Business has lost its way, Blake. And to my old eyes, society has become a messy place to be. People value their things more than they value their relationships. We seem to be more interested in stroking our egos than in the much richer pursuit of reaching our ideals. Too many among us blame outer forces for the resistance to mastery we show in our lives versus our inner fears and our weakest beliefs. And, sadly, it’s become more popular to be popular than to be ethical, brave, and good. What I’m suggesting is that we’ve forgotten the leadership responsibility that our culture once knew. We’ve neglected what it means to stand for something bigger than our lives. And we’ve misplaced our priorities by focusing solely on helping ourselves win rather than passionately helping everyone around us win as well. I’m counting on you to remind people that they were born into genius. And that the lies that they’ve sold themselves about what they can’t do and all they can’t become are just not true. Many people will be helped as you share the leadership method that has been revealed to you. So many other human beings
must
discover the Lead Without a Title philosophy, Blake. And the time for that to happen is definitely now.

It has been a genuine honor having you in my life. I hope I’ve been helpful to you and fulfilled the pledge I
made to your wonderful father so many years ago to assist you. I’ve always believed that if I made the life of even one other person a little bit better, then my life will have been a valuable exercise. Thank you for that opportunity.

I wish you all that is great, my young friend. Dream boldly. Live beautifully. And to your last breath Lead Without a Title.

With Much Affection,
Tommy

P.S.: The Porsche is yours as of today. Go have some fun!

In the package I noticed a set of car keys. It immediately became clear what Tommy, in a final gesture of kindness and encouragement had done. He’d given me his car. And fulfilled one of my dreams. I was beyond moved.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay Tommy—and the four teachers—for all that they did for me. My career shifted into stunning success, and my life transformed into more than I ever could have prayed for in my most vivid of dreams. I still miss him. But I feel I’ve celebrated Tommy’s life by sharing all that I’ve shared with you.

I did keep the promise I made to Tommy the first day that we met when I agreed to help him spread the extraordinary Lead Without a Title philosophy with as many other human beings as I possibly could. I wrote this book to codify its words and to offer you the same teachings that Tommy and the four special teachers so generously offered to me during our day together. I only request that you, in turn, tell as many people as possible about their powerful message. In so doing, you will do your part to inspire better teammates, build better organizations, and craft a better world. And you’ll arrive at your end knowing you played
full out with the natural leadership power you were born with and lifted up so many lives in the process.
So that the last day of your life will be the best day of your life
. Anthropologist Margaret Mead once observed: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Such words of truth.

Now that you’ve finished reading
The Leader Who Had No Title
, you are faced with a mission-critical choice: start to make the Lead Without a Title philosophy a deep part of your way of being, or do nothing and experience zero transformation. To help you see real and lasting results, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of the resources below within the next 24 hours:

Free video training program to help you implement the ideas in this book quickly

Lead Without a Title evaluation tools

The Lead Without a Title Code of Conduct

Join the Lead Without a Title online movement

A full range of resources for organizational and personal leadership are available at
robinsharma.com
, including audio programs, podcasts, articles, and Robin’s popular blog. Details on booking Robin for a Lead Without a Title presentation for your organization are also here.

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If you have been inspired by the Lead Without a Title philosophy in this book and want to help others awaken their inner leader, here are some action steps you can take immediately to make a positive difference: