December 25, 2012
The Leader Who Had
No Title
A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business
and in Life
Robin Sharma
©2010 Sharma Leadership International, Inc.
Adapted by permission of Free Press
ISBN: 978-1-4391-0912-0
Key Concepts
There are four core philosophies that power the con- Leadership and Success Are Your
cept of leading without a title: Birthright
1. A leader does not have to have a title. The leadership method at the heart of this book is
delivered as a fable following Blake Davis and his
2. Turbulent times build great leaders.
mentor Tommy Flinn along with four teachers who
3. The deeper a leader’s relationships, the stronger each provide one piece of the philosophy central to
his or her leadership. leading without a title. Blake Davis, whose parents
4. Great leaders are first great people. were killed when he was a young man, lives in New
York City. He drifted from job to job until enlisting
Introduction in the Army in his early twenties. While the military
did bring structure and organization to Blake’s life, it
In The Leader Who Had No Title, Robin Sharma also brought memories, “ghosts,” that came with him
shows how individuals, regardless of title, have the when he became a civilian again.
power to demonstrate leadership wherever they are.
The lessons recounted in this book will help individu- After returning from the army, because of the love
als rise to a new level of innovation, performance, and of learning and books that Blake’s parents instilled
customer loyalty. There are strategies to go from just in him, he sought work in a bookstore. Blake was
being busy to achieving stunning results, transforma- negative and complacent to the extent that he was fre-
tional leadership lessons to build a great company, quently reprimanded by his manager and expected
and hard-hitting tactics to become mentally and phys- to be fired at any time, but because his love of books
ically strong enough to lead in times of change. connected him to the store’s customers, he was able
Business Book Summaries® December 25, 2012 • Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved
The Leader Who Had No Title Robin Sharma
to retain his position. It is at this point in his life that ership with our loved ones, reflect leadership around
Blake met Tommy Flinn. our finances, and live leadership within our commu-
nities,” Tommy told Blake. He said that cemeteries
My Meeting with a Leadership Mentor
fascinated him as they not only reminded him how
After a team meeting at the book store, in which Blake
short life was, but also showed how the things people
only half-heartedly participated, he was standing in
believe to be important in life really are not. Tommy
a row of books drinking a cup of coffee when he was
pointed out, “The CEO gets buried next to the street
approached by a wildly eccentric-looking man wear-
cleaner.” He went on to say that what truly matters
ing mismatched clothes and a pair of new penny
is whether or not people discover their inner leaders.
loafers with bright coins inserted in the front of each
shoe. The man introduced himself as Tommy Flinn, Tommy pointed to a plaque that was at the bottom of
an employee of the bookstore who had just been one of the graves and gestured for Blake to retrieve it.
transferred from another more successful store where The plaque detailed the Ten Human Regrets:
he was employee of the year. 1. You reach your last day with the brilliant song that
As Tommy explained it, “I wanted the transfer. I was your life was meant to sing still silent within you.
not growing at my old store. And I thought I could 2. You reach your last day without having ever expe-
make more of a difference here. The more challenging rienced the natural power that inhabits you to do
conditions, the more marvelous opportunities.” great work and achieve great things.
Amazingly, Tommy had known Blake’s father; he 3. You reach your last day realizing that you never
had helped Tommy find his way at one time, and inspired anyone else by the example that you set.
Tommy took it as fate when he discovered that Blake
was working at the bookstore. He wanted to take the 4. You reach your last day full of pain at the realiza-
opportunity to reach out to Blake and share “a trans- tion that you never took any bold risks and so you
formational philosophy for leadership in business and never received any bright rewards.
success at life” that he had learned years ago. Tommy 5. You reach your last day understanding that you
proposed to help Blake learn the same philosophy, missed the opportunity to catch a glimpse of mas-
and began by telling Blake that leadership is the “only
way a business will win in the new world”—specifi-
cally, leadership that is grown and developed in every
single person within an organization.
Further Information
Tommy continued to tell Blake that everyone in an
organization needs to start demonstrating leadership Information about the author and subject:
and must see themselves as part of the leadership [Link]
team, whether they have formal authority or not. Information about this book and other business titles:
[Link]
The Sad Costs of Mediocrity and the
Spectacular Rewards of Leadership Related summaries in the BBS Library:
Mastery Reality-Based Leadership
The next morning, Tommy had Blake meet him at a Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace,
cemetery just outside of the city. When Blake arrived, and Turn Excuses Into Results
Tommy was standing at the edge of two freshly dug By Cy Wakeman
graves. He told Blake that he would share with him Be the Hero
the methods behind the philosophy of “Lead Without Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in
a Title.” Work and Life
“To arrive at our greatest lives, it is ever so important By Noah Blumenthal
to model leadership in our health, demonstrate lead-
Business Book Summaries® December 25, 2012 • Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 2
The Leader Who Had No Title Robin Sharma
tery because you bought into the lie that you had to 2. You reach your end knowing that you played at a
be resigned to mediocrity. standard of concentrated excellence and held your-
self to the most impeccable standards in each thing
6. You reach your last day and feel heartbroken that
that you did.
you never learned the skill of transforming adver-
sity into victory and lead into
gold.
We all need to lead where we are planted and shine where we
now find ourselves. Every job is an important job.
7. You reach your last day regret-
ting that you forgot that work
3. You reach your end in noisy celebration for having
is about being radically helpful to others rather
the boldness of spirit to have regularly confronted
than being helpful only to yourself.
your largest fears and realized your highest vi-
8. You reach your last day with the awareness that sions.
you ended up living the life that society trained
4. You reach your end and recognize that you became
you to want versus leading the life you truly want-
a person who built people up versus one who tore
ed to have.
people down.
9. You reach your last day and awaken to the fact that
5. You reach your end with the understanding that
you never realized your absolute best nor touched
while your journey may not have always been a
the special genius that you were built to become.
smooth one, whenever you got knocked down you
10. You reach your last day and discover you could instantly got back up—and at all times, never suf-
have been a leader and left this world so much fered from any loss of optimism.
better than you found it, but you refused to accept
6. You reach your end and bask in the staggering glo-
the mission because you were just too scared. And
ry of your phenomenal achievements along with
so you failed and wasted a life.
the rich value you have contributed to the lives of
In the other grave, Blake found a buried gold tablet the people you were lucky to serve.
that recounted the Ten Human Victories:
7. You reach your end and adore the strong, ethical,
1. You reach your end full of happiness and fulfill- inspirational, and empathetic person you grew
ment on realizing that you are all used up—hav- into.
ing spent the fullness of your talents, the biggest
8. You reach your end and realize that you were a
of your resources, and the best of your potential
genuine innovator who blazed new trails instead
doing great work and leading a rare-air life.
of following old roads.
9. You reach your end surrounded with teammates
who call you a rock star, customers who say you
About the Author are a hero, and loved ones who call you a legend
10. You reach your end as a true Leader Without a
Robin Sharma, is the founder of Sharma Lead- Title, knowing that the great deeds you did will
ership International, Inc., a global consultancy endure long after your death and that your life
that helps organizations develop employees stands as a model of possibility.
who Lead Without a Title. His clients include
many of the Fortune 500, such as Microsoft, IBM, Blake realized that Tommy was telling him that he
GE, FedEx, BP, Nike, Unilever, and more. He is could choose to continue succumbing to the curse of
the author of many books, including The Monk small, daily neglect and end up in the first grave, or
Who Sold His Ferrari. he could stand for leadership, excellence, and enthu-
siasm within his work and life and be buried in the
second grave.
Business Book Summaries® December 25, 2012 • Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 3
The Leader Who Had No Title Robin Sharma
The First Leadership Conversation: You explained that each of the four teachers Blake would
Need No Title to Be a Leader meet would share one of the four core principles that
After the time spent at the cemetery, the two headed make up the Lead Without a Title philosophy. Anna
back to the city to meet the first of the four teachers shared the principle of IMAGE, the algorithm of lead-
who would help Blake understand the philosophies ership:
of Lead Without a Title. The first of these experts was • Innovation: Innovation always trumps repeating
Anna, a housekeeper at a large hotel. what might have worked in the past.
• Mastery: The standard of dem-
Lucky breaks are nothing more than unexpected rewards for onstrating nothing less than the
intelligent choices we have chosen to make. Success does not very best effort at any task that is
just happen because someone’s stars line up. Success, both in attempted.
business and personally, is something that is consciously created. • Authenticity: The ability to
make an impact and contribution
Anna explained to Blake that she “could come up comes more from who people are than the author-
with a million reasons to be discouraged, dissatisfied, ity they have from their title and position.
and disengaged with my job. I could complain that I
• Guts: To Lead Without a Title requires being unre-
am just a housekeeper and that all I do each day is to
alistically persistent and wildly courageous.
clean the hotel rooms of people with lots of money.
But one of the greatest freedoms each of us has as • Ethics: Leadership success lies at the intersection
people is the freedom to choose how we view our where excellence meets honor.
roles in the world and the power we all have to make The Second Leadership Conversation:
positive decisions in whatever conditions we happen Turbulent Times Build Great Leaders
to find ourselves.”
After leaving Anna, Tommy took Blake to see Ty
Anna also shared with Blake The Four Natural Boyd, a former ski champion who now owned a ski
Powers: shop. Ty began by telling Blake that “leadership is a
sport for every person alive today—not just CEOs,
• Natural Power #1: Everyone has the power to go to
generals in the military, and heads of state.” Ty also
work each day and express the Absolute Best with-
explained that the current business environment was
in them, and they need no title to do that.
more chaotic because of customers who are less loyal,
• Natural Power #2: Everyone has the power to in- ever-changing technology, and the impact of global-
spire, influence, and elevate each person they meet ization. Being successful in business now required
by the gift of a great example, and they need no having people who were willing to step in and lean
title to do that. into the change that was coming at them rather than
• Natural Power #3: Everyone can passionately drive protecting themselves from it.
positive change in the face of negative conditions, Ty told Blake that he believed during intense times,
and they need no title to do that. individuals can discover their weaknesses and
• Natural Power #4: Everyone can be alive to the truth become aware of their constraints, and organizations
that leaders can treat all stakeholders with respect, can learn what is limiting them so they can pivot to
appreciation, and kindness—and in so doing can become more efficient, effective, and profitable.
raise the organization’s culture to best in breed,
The core principle of Lead Without a Title that Ty
and they need no title to do that.
taught Blake was SPARK:
“The Lead Without a Title philosophy is all about the
democratization of leadership,” Anna explained. “In • Speak with candor: The only way to leverage the op-
this remarkable time, every person can now become portunities that massive change represents is by
a leader at their work and inside of their lives.”She speaking clearly about what is no longer working,
the direction the team needs to follow, and the gen-
Business Book Summaries® December 25, 2012 • Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 4
The Leader Who Had No Title Robin Sharma
eral path that the organization needs to take. instances, gaining that understanding comes by
• Prioritize: Stay centered on what is important and speaking less and listening more.
have the discipline to stay grounded to the funda- • Mingle: Connect with teammates and network with
mentals. customers. People love doing business with people
• Adversity breeds opportunity: Every setback carries they like.
with it an even greater opportunity; the brain just • Amuse: Having fun while working is the greatest
needs to learn to perceive the situation presented by boost to productivity. Fun makes people more en-
a setback as an opportunity rather than a mistake. gaged, creates the desire to collaborate, and boosts
• Respond versus react: Many people fall into the trap the energy of the entire organization.
of being reactive rather than rising above the con- • Nurture: With the unprecedented interconnected-
fusion and responding to a situation. ness that technology has introduced, even one an-
• Kudos for everyone: Be inspirational and celebrate gry customer is one too many. On the flip side, one
by shining a light on people who do good things. customer who delights in the service received will
spread the good word about a business.
The Third Leadership Conversation:
The Deeper Your Relationships, the The Fourth Leadership Conversation:
Stronger Your Leadership To Be a Great Leader, First Become a
After the meeting with Ty, Tommy took Blake to the
Great Person
New York Public Library and introduced him to Jack- The last stop for Tommy and Blake was at the busi-
son Chan, the former CEO of a company who became ness of Jet Brisley, Certified Massage Therapist. Jet
a gardener after retirement and transformed the top began the final lesson by talking about the importance
of the library into a lush garden. of training, practicing, and preparing. Jet said too
few people in business took the time do any of these
Jackson began by telling Blake, “Business really is all things and “yet they expect to get winning results.
about people, Blake. An enterprise is nothing more That is no different from the insanity of a pro athlete
than a human venture that brings people together wanting to have the championship without having to
around some marvelous dream that inspires them condition for it.”
to express the fullest of their tal-
ents and contribute rich value to Companies that are made up of clusters of leaders will actually
those they serve.” He went on to
accelerate their growth by speeding up their rate of innovation
say that the stronger the bonds
between members of a team, as as their competition pulls back, build better teams by investing
well as with customers, the stron- in people while their rivals shrink training budgets, and pick up
ger the results would be. top talent as their industry peers lay people off.
Another concept that Jackson
presented to Blake was the idea that “money follows Jet went on to explain that this fourth lesson was
contribution.” The more value created for all constitu- about the importance of training and strengthening
ents, the more an organization will realize incredible the inner leader in order to perform at extraordinary
financial results. Jackson then presented Blake with levels when it is time to work. Jet talked about how
the core Lead Without a Title principle of HUMAN: “an excellent organization is really just a cluster of
• Helpfulness: Business is simply about being radical- people showing excellence in all they do.” In order to
ly helpful and everyone should do more than they achieve excellence, an organization must have groups
are paid to do in order to help out teammates and of people who have trained, practiced, and prepared
customers alike. and, therefore, perform at the top of their game.
• Understanding: Being masterful at understanding As part of his lesson, Jet talked with Blake about set-
people is very important in business and, in most ting aside a “Personal Leadership Hour” every day
Business Book Summaries® December 25, 2012 • Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 5
The Leader Who Had No Title Robin Sharma
and using that time to practice the seven fundamen-
g g g g
tals of personal leadership:
1. Learning: Read and listen to inspirational books. Features of the Book
2. Affirmations: Repeat positive statements about fu- Reading Time: 2–3 hours, 201 pages
ture achievements.
The fable that Robin Sharma relates in The Leader
3. Visualization: Picture realizing goals and awaken- Who Had No Title is one that anyone with any level
ing the inner leader. of experience can benefit from, no matter where they
4. Journaling: Note insights, feelings, hopes, and fit into their company’s organizational chart. The les-
dreams in order to become a clearer thinker. sons are timeless and applicable to any size or type
of business—for-profit or not-for-profit. At the end of
5. Goal Setting: Goals generate hope and positive en- each chapter, there is a guide and summary about the
ergy and in times of adversity provide a guide. lesson presented along with an Instant Action Step to
6. Exercise: Moving daily helps achieve peak perfor- help put the lesson into practice immediately. A list of
mance at work by boosting energy and helping to resources and a bibliography are also included.
manage stress.
Contents
7. Nutrition: Eating properly helps to keep energy at A Personal Note from Robin Sharma
its peak and moods to stay positive.
Chapter 1. Leadership and Success Are Your
Besides relating these personal leadership fundamen- Birthright
tals, Jet also shared with Blake the fourth principle
Chapter 2. My Meeting with a Leadership Mentor
of Lead Without a Title. The core principle that Jet
explained was SHINE: Chapter 3. The Sad Costs of Mediocrity and the
Spectacular Rewards of Leadership Mastery
• See clearly: Leadership has a lot to do with individu-
als who perceive their conditions and circumstanc- Chapter 4. The First Leadership Conversation:
es clearly. Too often people see situations through You Need No Title to Be a Leader
the eyes of fear versus the lenses of opportunity. Chapter 5. The Second Leadership Conversation:
• Health is wealth: Peak health sets and lifts up every- Turbulent Times Build Great Leaders
thing in life. When health is at its best, everything Chapter 6. The Third Leadership Conversation:
else follows. The Deeper Your Relationships, the Stronger Your
• Inspiration matters: The well of inspiration must be Leadership
refilled every day, because the challenges of life Chapter 7. The Fourth Leadership Conversation:
will drain it every day. To Be a Great Leader, First Become a Great Person
• Neglect not your family: A huge amount of joy can Chapter 8. Conclusion
be found in cultivating beautiful relationships with
friends and family. Resources to Help You Lead Without a Title
• Elevate your lifestyle: Enjoy life along the way to suc- We Need Your Help
cess. The key is to obtain things that are desired Build a Lead Without a Title Organization
without letting things get the upper hand or take
center stage.
Business Book Summaries® December 25, 2012 • Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 6
The Leader Who Had No Title Robin Sharma
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