The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in (7 page)

Tommy and the housekeeper then reached for each other’s hands and started to do a little dance together. Part tango and part meringue it seemed to me. They flitted about the room as if nothing else mattered. It was at once odd and endearing. The two of them seemed to drop into their own little universe for a few moments. I just stood there entranced by the whole surreal scene. I should mention that the dynamic between them had
no hints of the romantic. It was far more about friendship. Yet I sensed these two adored each other.

“Anna, this is the young man I told you about. Blake, meet Anna. Anna, meet Blake.”

We shook hands. Anna adjusted the flower in her hair. The room was perfectly made up. Dark woods and white linens combined with hip architectural touches and huge windows that looked out over the busy street masterfully balanced minimalism with warmth. It felt good being here.

Tommy spoke up. “Blake’s a war vet. He was deployed in Iraq. And he works at the bookstore with me, as I mentioned on the phone last night. He’s experienced a lot of life in his relatively few years. His dad and I were great friends when we lived back in Milwaukee. Blake’s ready to fill his life with leadership. And so I thought it was time I brought him to meet you. I also needed to learn a few new dance moves, Anna,” Tommy said with a wink.

Anna smiled and blushed a bit. She then looked out the window, deep in thought. “I honor you and all the other soldiers who’ve made so many sacrifices for us, Blake. You’ve fought hard so we could all be free. I know it’s impossible for me to really understand what you’ve been through. But I do want to express my deepest gratitude. I love America a lot. And you, along with those who fought by your side, have kept us safe. And strong. So thank you.”

I didn’t know what to say. In so many ways, though I’d come home from the war in Iraq quite a while ago, I still felt I was there. My time in battle had caused me to develop acute survival instincts that served to keep me alive. I’d shut down most of my emotions and generally was stone cold as I muddled through my days. I’d blocked out most of my memories and numbed out by spending a lot of my hours just wasting my time. And I didn’t dare let anyone else get too close to me. That would only cause me to hurt them. Or them to hurt me. But here was this exotically
beautifully woman who didn’t even know me expressing her appreciation in this chic hotel room. Sharing how my efforts as a soldier made a difference to her as a human being. Confirming that those years of my life that I’d given in service of my country were not wasted but were valuable. I felt honored. And happy.

“Thank you for what you just said, Anna. Thank you,” I repeated.

“Will Blake be meeting the other guys?” Anna asked softly.

“Later today,” Tommy replied with a knowing smile.

“Well, that’s good. That’s really good.” She walked over to the bed and straightened out a wrinkle on one of the thick pillows. “Blake’s in for a big day of transformation, then,” she added, glancing out the window again. “The first day of a whole new way to work. And start of a brand-new way to live. Nice.”

“Thanks for making this time for me, Anna,” was all I could think of saying. “It’s all been a lot for me to take in. But what Tommy’s taught me so far has been amazing. Just a few days ago, I thought my work was just a job. And that leadership was only for executives. And that success was reserved solely for the fortunate few. I see it all so differently now.”

“Look at me,” Anna said pointing a finger to her heart. “I could come up with a million reasons to be discouraged, dissatisfied, and disengaged with my job. I could complain that ‘I’m just a housekeeper’ and that all I do each day is to clean the hotel rooms of people with lots of money. But one of the greatest freedoms each of us has as people is the freedom to choose how we view our roles in the world and the power we all have to make positive decisions in whatever conditions we happen to find ourselves.”

“I’m starting to really get that, Anna. We have a lot more power than we think. And a lot more control over the way our lives unfold that most of us seem to understand.”

“Yes, Blake,” she said sweetly, betraying a hint of her Latin
roots with her Spanish accent. “And so I’ve made the decision to give
nothing less than my very best
at this job.”

“Great standard to hold yourself to.
‘Nothing less than my very best,’
” I observed, echoing Anna’s words.

“That commitment alone has worked wonders for me. And made me a very happy person in my life. Each of us can make the decision to love the work we do and perform it so well that people can’t take their eyes off us. Living in this way has given me so much energy and made me feel so good about myself. A lot of people around here think I’ve been ‘lucky.’ The management of this place treats me like a queen. The general manager has labeled me a ‘high potential’ and sent me on more training courses than I can count. The famous CEOs who stay here know me well and teach me a ton of their business ideas. The movie stars who stay here almost always request that I be the one to care for their rooms. And the tips I receive allow me to send some money home to my family down in Buenos Aires every month. So I feel I’ve done really well. Especially if you knew the history I’ve come from. But I created my ‘luck,’ even though I’ve faced some pretty big obstacles.”

Tommy looked up at Anna. He reached for her hand. He then kissed it softly.

“Anna also lost her parents, Blake. They were killed in a car accident in a resort town called Bariloche when she was just a little girl. Her grandmother raised her, but they were very poor.”

“Very poor,” Anna emphasized as her voice broke with emotion. “And so I developed a great appreciation for family. After the death of my parents, the rest of my loved ones bonded together. In Latin culture family has always been extremely important. But we took being close to an entirely new level. I spent as much time as I possibly could with my grandma and all my cousins. We really had so little in terms of material things, and life was painfully hard for me much of the time. But I think I grew rich in other ways. I learned to love literature, great music, and beautiful art. I
discovered life’s simplest pleasures are life’s most precious ones. And by always giving no less than my very best at every job I’ve had, I steadily improved my life. And now I’m here. At one of the finest hotels in the world. In one of the greatest cities on earth. Maybe I’ve been lucky in some ways. But I also believe that
‘lucky breaks’ are nothing more than unexpected rewards for intelligent choices we’ve chosen to make. Success doesn’t just happen because someone’s stars line up. Success, both in business and personally, is something that’s consciously created
. It’s the
guaranteed
result of a deliberate series of acts that anyone can perform. And to me, that’s quite exciting,” Anna said energetically.

“Too much of that ‘stars need to come into formation before I can achieve what I know I can achieve’ sort of thinking going around today,” interjected Tommy. “People want something for nothing. They dream of having it all but aren’t willing to roll up their sleeves and put in the effort. They show up at a job and expect to be well paid without having to deliver the value that would justify them being well paid. It’s a mixed-up world we find ourselves in right now.”

“This is true,” replied Anna, nodding at Tommy. “So as I was suggesting to you, Blake, success is created through conscious choice. And it’s the eventual and inevitable consequence of superior decision making. Anyone can be successful. Few
choose
to be.
As you begin to do more of what Leaders Without a Title do, you are certain to receive the spectacular rewards that Leaders Without a Title get.
And, by the way, calling high achievers ‘lucky’ is the easiest way to get out of having to get up off the couch and go do something valuable with your life.”

I allowed Anna’s comments to sink deeper into my thoughts. I considered her words. She was clearly a sophisticated business thinker. I assumed that it was due to all the training she’d received and the conversations with top executives she’d had. I closed my eyes for a moment. But the honking horns from the
street below soon interrupted my reflection time. I looked over as Tommy sat on a sleek sofa. In front of him was a stylishly designed table with a traditional white candle on it. Next to the candle rested a bottle of red wine from some vineyard in California. I hoped I’d get to stay at this hotel one day.

“This might surprise you, Blake,” Anna said, her words flowing quickly. “But I believe I have one of the best jobs in the world.”

“In the world?” I questioned, a bit surprised by Anna’s comment.

“In the world,” she confirmed. “I’ve discovered that my work is deeply important and essential to the smooth running of this intricate and well-regarded organization. I see myself as a goodwill ambassador for this hotel and someone who manages its brand by the way that I behave.”

“You see yourself as a brand manager, Anna? You’re amazing. I don’t mean any offense at all, but everyone I know would think that you’ve got a hard job. And a pretty ordinary one. I mean, you have to clean up after people. I’m sure you work long hours, and housekeepers generally aren’t respected that much in society.”

“What society thinks is of no interest to me, Blake. All that’s important is how I see myself. I know who I am. I know the value of my work. I find ways to challenge myself each day. And I’ve made this job into something really meaningful to me.”

“You’re amazing,” I couldn’t help repeating. This beautiful woman with the flower in her hair who clearly believed that her work as a housekeeper was the best work in the world inspired me. And it provided me with a tremendous amount of perspective. Too many among us take the jobs we have for granted and fail to appreciate all the positive aspects they contain. We wish for something better rather than realizing that often everything we’re actually searching for lies exactly where we are. We just need to look a little deeper. To try a little harder. And to lead a little better. Anna was an incredible example of that.

“I get to come to work each day and positively influence the guests that I meet with my excellent attitude. My focus on a winning performance at everything I do and my genuine desire to make their visit here the single best hotel visit they’ve ever had shapes our whole culture and definitely impacts on our bottom line. And the dazzling way in which I bring innovation to every area of our department means that hoteliers from around the world have visited us to benchmark the way we play,” she said. “So it’s not at all true that my job here is ordinary and unimportant.”

“You sound more like a management consultant or a good motivational speaker than a housekeeper at a boutique hotel, Anna,” I observed sincerely.

“Well, my goal
is
to motivate you, Blake. Tommy here thinks you’re great. Maybe
you
just need to own how great you are.”

“I guess my setbacks and struggles over the past period have discouraged me, Anna,” I said, feeling comfortable in her presence and opening up a little more to her. “Look, I’m not playing victim anymore, so it doesn’t even feel right to spend too much time talking about what’s held me back in the past.”

“That’s it, Blake,” Tommy interjected, giving me a thumbs-up. “Good on you, my friend. Never play victim!
It’s impossible to build a tribute to success on a foundation of excuses.
”

“Understood. But since I came home from my tour of combat, I just haven’t had the confidence I used to have. And so I’ve just coasted along. And not been into much of anything. But something big shifted within me this morning, Anna. I feel I’m really alive again. My future looks brighter to me than it’s ever been.”

“You took him to Rosemead Cemetery, didn’t you, Tommy?”

“Of course I did, Anna. When you guys took me there at the beginning of our unforgettable day together all those years ago, it was the start of my transformation. I had to give Blake here the same experience. He deserved that gift.”

“And the silver LWT necklace we gave you?”

“I gave it to Blake. I paid it forward. And I’m sure he’ll do the same for someone he meets who’s ready to hear our message.”

“And our golden tablet?” Anna asked gently.

“In a safe place.”

“You’re the best, Tommy,” Anna said affectionately.

“The whole cemetery thing worked,” I agreed. “But I need to admit I’m worried what people will say about me as I keep making the big changes I now know I need to make. The fact is, I seem to be more concerned than I should be about what the people around me think of me. What if they laugh as I start Leading Without a Title, expressing my absolute best, and treating my job at the bookstore as the most important job in the world? Most people in business just don’t think this way.”

“What other people think of you is none of your business, Blake. Leadership is about having unshakeable faith in
your
vision and unrelenting confidence in
your
power to make positive change happen. Forget about what others might say. And remember what Albert Einstein once wrote: ‘Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds.’ Just go do your work as well as you can humanly do it. The rest will take care of itself.”

“And what if I fail, Anna? What if I can’t do it? What if what I’m learning doesn’t work?” I spoke, voicing my doubts.

“There’s no way the Lead Without a Title philosophy will not work, Blake,” Tommy stated with complete conviction. “And if you stumble a bit along the way, well, that’s all part of the game. You learn to walk by falling. You learn to lead by trying. But every misstep brings you closer to the perfect step. And if people don’t quite understand what you’re up to, why let them bring you down?
Great people construct monuments with the stones their critics throw at them, you know.
And critics generally criticize you only because, at some level, they care. When they stop saying anything, it’s because you no longer matter to them. It’s when
no one
criticizes you that you should really be worried.”