The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in (4 page)

“I really like everything that I’m hearing. I actually feel extremely optimistic as I listen to you Tommy,” I said genuinely. “I want all this success you’re telling me about. And I want it fast.”

“And that’s exactly what happened to me after that day I met with the four special teachers I’ve mentioned. They revealed the LWT philosophy, and I just never was the same. I connected with a deep understanding of what real leadership is truly about. A title no longer mattered to me. Getting a big corner office no longer mattered to me. Having a huge salary no longer mattered to me. It became all about being the best I could be every day at work. And making an excellent contribution at every touch point of my life. And ironically, as word spread of what I was doing, the senior executives started blazing a path to me. They offered me the titles. They pleaded with me to take a corner office. They wanted to pay me more money than any other bookseller within the organization.”

“Ironic. The less you cared about receiving the stuff most of us care about at work, the more you received it,” I reflected back to this man with the Mickey Mouse hankie in his vest and the twinkle in his eyes.

“It was a pretty incredible thing,” he continued passionately. “And you’re absolutely right: it was definitely counterintuitive to
the way most of us work. The more I let go of needing all the things most people worry so much about and focused on doing brilliant work and reflecting some real leadership in my behavior, the more all those things just seemed to appear in my life almost by accident. Really incredible how true that is, now that I consider it all,” Tommy noted, now scratching his chin, deep in thought.

“So you refused all the money they threw at you?” I just couldn’t resist asking.

“Nope—took the money.” He laughed.

I laughed, too. I was starting to like this guy. He reminded me more and more of my father. I could see why they were good friends.

“But what I’m trying to suggest to you, Blake, is that I never had a title in this organization. Started on the ground floor. So many people go to work with the mind-set that when they get a bigger title and when they are granted more responsibility,
then
they will perform at mastery and go the extra mile in everything they do. But a restaurant is the only place I know of where you get the good stuff first and
then
you pay the price. In work—and in life in general—you need to pay the price of success before you get all the rewards due to you. And by the way, just because you haven’t yet received the benefits of positive deeds you may have done, that doesn’t mean they’re not coming. You’ll always reap what you sow. The chickens will always come home to roost. You’ll always get what you deserve. Even the smallest good act has set in motion a good consequence. And by the way, if you study any great person in business—and I mean the best of the best—or any great explorer or artist or scientist, not one of them achieved what they did for the money.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Just think of Roosevelt or Mandela, Edison or Einstein. They were not driven by money. They were driven by
the challenge. By the chance to push the envelope. By the desire to do something uncommonly great. And that’s the drive that made them legends.”

“Interesting,” I remarked.

“Look, I’ll be the first to say that money’s important to living your best life. It brings freedom. It decreases stress. It allows you to take nice care of those you love.”

“And to help others,” I added. “I’ve heard that the best way to help poor people is to make sure you don’t become one of them.”

“True, Blake. Nice insight. But money is really only the
byproduct
of standing for the finest within you and doing some SEW.”

“What’s SEW?”

“Seriously Exceptional Work, my friend. These four genius teachers you’ll meet sooner than you can imagine love their acronyms. So now I’m into their game. Not sure why; I know the habit is sort of a strange one.”

“It is a little, to be honest, Tommy.”

“Hey, nothing wrong with being a little eccentric. Too many people cut from the same cloth just isn’t an inspiring thing. You can’t be creative and innovative and all that juicy stuff if you’re too scared to think, feel, and be different. Be an original, Blake. Just think about it. There will never be an exact copy of the Blake Davis standing in front of me ever again. There’s only one you in the whole world now and forever more. And no one else can ever be as good a you as you.”

“Fascinating way to look at it. I guess I’m a lot more special than I’m letting myself in on. I think I’ve been really discouraged ever since I got home from the war. But meeting you has made me feel better. Thanks for that. I wish all the other soldiers I served with could meet you. And learn all that you’re sharing.”

“Well, don’t worry. We’ll help them. And with your assistance, we’ll get this message out to
everyone
across the globe who’s
ready to play at their peak—and lead in all that they do. I think people are ready to hear this philosophy. Life’s so short and people are waking up to their responsibility to become their best and make a difference like never before. You know the average life has only nine hundred sixty months.”

“Really? Doesn’t seem like we live that long when you put it that way, Tommy.”

“It’s not. Only about twenty-nine thousand days.”

“Wow. Nine hundred sixty months or twenty-nine thousand days. I’ll have to remember that.”

“So the time to step up to real leadership is now. Anyway, I never had a title, and as my reputation spread throughout the entire company, I refused to accept one. Just didn’t need it to do my work. By my behavior, I earned more accolades and respect than I ever thought I deserved. I was given superb store assignments. The top people at the company started listening to my suggestions to improve operations. I got those trips down to the Caribbean that everyone raves about. And the money definitely flowed to me.
You don’t need a title to show some leadership
, my friend. You just don’t,” he positively reinforced.

He paused again and checked his watch. Oddly, it had a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants on the dial. I didn’t comment. This guy was beyond weird. But as I said, I liked him. And it was immensely clear that, beneath the strange exterior and the novel philosophy he was revealing to me, he had a kind heart.

“Anyway, I really take my work seriously, and we’ve spent too much time chatting on company time, Blake. I don’t feel good about that. I know this store needs some improving, but I should tell you, Blake, this is a very special organization, and you’re pretty lucky to be here. Thanks for your time this morning.”

“No problem, Tommy,” I responded, a bit surprised that the conversation was ending so suddenly. “I should be the one thanking you for your time. I’ve already learned a lot.”

“You’re welcome. And remember, my friend, it’s all about LWT. Not just at work but in life. And like I mentioned earlier, you’ll understand what I’m talking about a lot sooner than you think. Get ready to be transformed. You’re going to be experiencing more work success and personal happiness than you’ve imagined in your most glorious of dreams. You’re going to be a rock star at this company. So excited for you,” he said as he raised his fist one more time, with a wink.

“Hey, I’m getting excited for me, too.”

“Oh, there’s just one contract I need to make with you before I take you on this very special leadership journey, Blake. And if you’re not willing to do what I need you to do, then much as I’ve enjoyed our meeting, there’s absolutely no way I can take you to meet the four teachers.”

“What’s the contract?” I asked. I felt a bit afraid of losing out on what I sensed was the biggest opportunity to transform my mostly mundane life, yet I was also a little surprised that Tommy was imposing this obligation.

“Don’t worry. It’s not a requirement that will be too hard on you. Actually, when you learn the leadership philosophy you are about to learn, I think you’ll do what I’m asking you to do automatically.”

“So the contract is?” I wondered aloud.

“Just make me a simple promise.”

“To do what?”

“To share the ideas and the method that you will soon learn from the four teachers with as many other human beings as you possibly can, Blake. The reward for you is that you’ll profoundly improve the lives of more people than you could have ever imagined. The reward for me is that I get to keep my contract with the four teachers.”

“They made you promise the same thing?” I asked.

“They did. And now that I’ve experienced the dramatic power
of their lessons, I know exactly why they did it. These are four of the most naturally powerful and radiantly noble people I’ve ever met. They know that their philosophy can shift anyone’s life and dramatically elevate
entire organizations
. Actually, there’s no doubt in my mind that what they will reveal to you can help entire
nations
make splendid breakthroughs. And so, given that they ultimately just want to help people become their best and the world to become a better place, they made me agree to spread their good words. And so that’s why I came here today, Blake. And this is why I’m asking the same of you.”

“Okay, I agree. I’ll tell as many people as I possibly can about this special philosophy. If it’s as brilliant as you say it is, maybe I’ll even write a book about it. That way, everyone who reads it can also help us get the leadership message out there. We can all do our part to make people, businesses, and nations better. So yes, Tommy, I definitely agree.”

“Perfect,” was his smooth reply.

And then he was gone, leaving me alone by the books with a mind full of thoughts. And my heart beating wildly like I hadn’t known it to beat in years. I began to feel alive again. I started to know Hope again.

But that was then and this is now. That first meeting with Tommy Flinn was quite a while ago. It’s still so hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. I guess life’s like that: the days slip into weeks and the weeks become months and it all goes by in a blink. The great news is that Tommy’s promises to me on that Monday morning in the SoHo bookstore all turned out to be true. Every single one of them.

On learning the mysterious philosophy he spoke of, my world did radically transform. On following the lessons of the four remarkable teachers he introduced me to, I experienced explosive results in my career. On embracing the ideas that he and they brought to me, the happiness and inner peace that had always
eluded me certainly did arrive. And, as Tommy had said, it all came a lot more quickly than I could have ever imagined.

I’m proud to share with you that I’m now one of the youngest vice presidents in the history of Bright Mind Books. I travel across this great nation visiting different stores, doing business deals, and developing leaders at all levels of our rapidly expanding organization. We are extremely profitable and widely respected for the quality of our workplace as well as the excellence of our service. I not only love my work, I adore my life. I’m incredibly healthy, happily married to the woman who was my girlfriend, and the very blessed father of two amazing children. I’ve come to view my time at war as a precious period of personal development that, ultimately, made me a stronger, wiser, and more decent person. And the career that I once thought of as a dead end has instead been reshaped into something resembling a work of art.

But here’s the real point I want to share with you: I’ve not only become successful. I now feel
significant
. That my life matters. That the world will somehow be a little better because I’ve been here. And what could possibly be more perfect than that?

The Monday morning meeting with Tommy got me to this place. And at that fateful time, I did promise Tommy that I would share the secrets that I’d learn with everyone that I’d meet. And so it’s now my privilege to share each one of them with you. Please fasten your seat belt. Because we’re going for quite a ride.

Only the mediocre die always at their best. Real leaders are always improving—and raising their bar on how superbly they can perform and how quickly they can move.

—
JEAN GIRAUDOUX

T
HE MORNING AFTER WE’D MET
at the bookstore, Tommy told me that all he needed was a single day to expose me to everything I needed to know. “Give me one good day, Blake,” he requested sincerely. “You’ll meet the four teachers who shared the four lessons that lie at the heart of the LWT philosophy with me. They’ll tell you exactly how to create all the success you’ve ever wanted by explaining what leadership is
truly
all about. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but leadership isn’t just for CEOs, military generals, and people who govern nations.
Leadership is for everyone.
And in this period of dazzling change in business and society, it really is
the
single most important discipline required to win.”

“And the only thing I really need to become a leader is to be a breathing human being, right?”

“Yes. If you can breathe, you can lead,” he affirmed in a positive
tone that left me feeling even better about myself and the future before me.

So here I was, a few days later, leaving New York City early on a Saturday morning with nothing but a fresh cup of coffee and unchained enthusiasm keeping me awake as I drove to the remote place where Tommy had asked me to meet him. He’d insisted that I show up at 5:00 a.m. sharp, muttering something about it being “the greatest time of the day.” And so, not to disappoint my new mentor, I grudgingly obliged.

Rock music blared through my car as I drove past the skyscrapers and through the empty streets of the city, out of Manhattan and along the highway that would lead me to my destination. My excitement kept building. I had no idea how this day would unfold. But I’ve since come to learn that embracing uncertainty is a precious gift. Most of us get so scared the moment we face the unknown. We shouldn’t, though. It’s really nothing more than the beginning of an adventure. And our growth coming to get us.