The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in (8 page)

“That’s helpful, Tommy. Thanks.”

Anna returned to discussing her passion for her work. She waved her hands in multiple directions as she spoke. “Every morning and every afternoon, I clean my rooms like I can only imagine Picasso painted. I feel as if these rooms are like the rooms in my very own house. And the guests that visit us here at this hotel are, to me, like guests in my very own home. I see myself as an artist of sorts, and each day I’m fortunate enough to be able to express my highest creativity on a canvas that others call work.”

“Amazing,” I replied, inspired by this gentle woman’s missionary zeal for going the extra mile and making her work matter.

“And that’s what the whole Lead Without a Title philosophy that we taught to my good friend Tommy here is all about. Now I should tell you he was one remarkable student. He was totally open to the ideas and acted on them with superior speed. And that—in part—is why he’s become so successful with the book company. Oh, and his good looks probably helped him, too,” she flirted, adjusting the flower in her hair once again.

Tommy, sprawled out on the sofa, laughed and played with his stringy gray hair.

“Titles do bring power, Blake. But the problem with the type of power they bring is that if the title gets taken away, the power gets lost.”

“Makes sense,” I interjected as I sat down on the sofa with Tommy. “The power that comes with being a managing director, for example, only lasts as long as the person has the title managing director. If it’s taken away, all the power that was associated with it goes out the door with it.”

“Exactly,” said Anna as she moved gracefully across the room. “The influence that comes with having a title can be fleeting at best—especially in these turbulent economic conditions. There’s a much deeper power than titled power, Blake. And
that’s the natural leadership power that lives within each of us by the simple fact that we are human beings. Sadly, that potential is dormant and little used within the vast majority of us. But
it is
there—available to anyone who wants to search it out and then activate it. Actually, this is power in its most real form.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because it’s power that
never
can be taken away from us—no matter what is happening in the world outside of us. It’s true power, as it doesn’t at all depend on external conditions. It’s authentic power. And that, Blake the Great, is the best kind of power.”

I smiled at Anna. She made me feel special. And I appreciated both the strength and warmth she radiated. Leading Without a Title seemed to involve a delicate balance between being firm yet friendly, tough yet tender, and courageous yet compassionate.

Anna then reached into her apron and took out a napkin with red writing all over it.

“Here, Blake,” she said, handing me the napkin. “My friend Tommy told me that you would be coming so I prepared this for you. Please read it. And while you do, allow me to get you a cup of coffee—we make amazing java here. I don’t know where I’d be without coffee,” she added. “And don’t worry Tommy, I’ll get a fresh cup for you too, honey,” Anna stated, blowing Tommy a kiss into the air, which he reached up and caught.

I read the words written on the napkin. “The 4 Natural Powers”:

Natural Power # 1
.
Every one of us alive in this moment has the power to go to work each day and express the Absolute Best within us. And you need no title to do that.

Natural Power # 2
.
Every one of us alive today has the power to inspire, influence, and elevate each person we meet by the gift of a great example. And you need no title to do that.

Natural Power # 3
.
Every one of us alive with life can passionately
drive positive change in the face of negative conditions. And you need no title to do that.

Natural Power # 4
.
Every one of us alive to the truth about leadership can treat all stakeholders with respect, appreciation, and kindness—and in so doing raise the organization’s culture to best of breed. And you need no title to do that.

Anna returned with two cups of coffee, perfectly placed on an immaculately laid out silver serving tray. On the side were a few chocolate truffles.

“Here, gentlemen,” she said as she offered us the coffee and goodies. “Please help yourselves. And do be a little naughty and enjoy a piece or two of the chocolate. Some of that sweet stuff is good for the soul. I brought it home with me from a recent trip to Buenos Aires when I went down to visit my family. My grandma hasn’t been doing so well. So I made the trip because I wanted her to know that even though my home is in America now, I’m just a flight away from her. And whenever she needs me, I’m there to help.”

“I admire that, Anna,” I commented. “I wish I had some family around me. I promised myself I’d work harder to improve my relationship with my girlfriend. I still love her a lot and realize our relationship problems caused by my deployment can be resolved.”

“Well, I’m sort of like family for you now, Blake,” said Tommy cheerfully. “So have no worries about that anymore.”

I took a bite of the chocolate truffle. It was exceptionally good. Anna could tell by my expression that I’d been transported into another realm.

“It’s beyond exquisite, I know,” she affirmed. “Tommy mentioned he’d be swinging by sooner or later, so I saved a few for him. He’s become one of my dearest friends.”

“Back at you, babe,” remarked Tommy, chocolate covering most of his front teeth.

“You, Blake, just happened to have picked the perfect time to join him. Anyway, please tell me what do you think about what I wrote on the napkin?”

“You sure you’re not a management consultant?” I asked with a cheeky laugh.

“Nope. I’m just a housekeeper. Who just happens to have made the choice to behave as a leader,” Anna shot back warmly.

I continued. “I loved what you wrote, Anna. In the army, it was so important that what you call ‘titled power’ was honored. I definitely understand why that was so important there. We needed someone to guide us. To give us our marching orders. To keep us out of harm’s way. And to help us stay calm when death was nearby. Without ranks and titles in the military, there would be no order. The organization would lack structure. And that would not only mean that we’d be completely ineffective to fight for our nation’s freedom, it would mean people would be killed unnecessarily. But after my tour, I returned home to a vastly different environment, to put it mildly. I no longer had a rank. I no longer had a role. And I’d lost my band of brothers. It’s only now, here with you both, that I can see why I struggled so much.”

“Let’s hear it,” Anna said encouragingly.

“I’d defined who I was by the rank that I had. I’d allowed my formal authority to become the measuring stick for my moral authority. And so when I returned to civilian life and lost my military title, it felt like I’d lost everything. Without a rank to identify myself by, I had no identity. I now understand I haven’t really lost my power, and that all I have to do is
own
my true power.”

“Exactly. And this authentic power is one we are born into. So it’s our birthright to awaken it and then unleash it to do its thing in the environment around us.
Simply remember that no matter what your position within any organization and no matter how old
you are or where you live throughout the world, you have the power to show leadership. And no one and nothing can ever deny you that.
But it’s totally your responsibility to activate that power.”

Anna elegantly moved to the well-stocked minibar. Inside it I could see CDs, votive candles, exotic chocolate bars, and drinks of every sort assembled. She then opened up a wrapped CD by an artist I’d never heard of called Sola Rosa. “This CD’s awesome, guys. Don’t worry—I’ll pay for it. I just love music. And I feel it’s time to enjoy some now.” She then played a track. Next—unexpectedly—Anna started flicking the light switch next to the minibar on and off. She didn’t say a word, leaving me completely baffled by her behavior. The music played steadily, its rhythmical sounds lending a mesmerizing effect to the scene. As if Anna were in a trance, she just kept flicking the switch, turning the lights on and off. It was all so fantastic. Tommy looked unfazed. He sipped his coffee. And dug into another chocolate truffle. I still remember every detail from that hotel room, even to this day.

“What are you doing, Anna?” I finally blurted out with uncontainable curiosity. Tommy just shook his head. “Another one of her teaching tactics,” he said, licking the chocolate from his fingers between more sips of coffee. He seemed to love Anna’s java and was grateful for every delicious mouthful. On watching Tommy—and his passion for nearly everything—I realized that there’s a large difference between being alive and knowing how to live.

“Each of us has a leadership switch within, Blake,” Anna finally said. “It’s exactly what you were suggesting. Each of us has these true powers I wrote on the napkin slumbering inside us. And it’s up to us not only to recognize that we have them but to also flip the switch. And in so doing, we make the fundamental choice that will radically transform any career—and
every
life: it’s the profound choice to stop pretending to be a victim and to start presenting yourself as a leader. That really is the ultimate choice you have before
you now, Blake:
victimhood or leadership
. Flip the switch. And always remember that the personal authority that comes automatically when you express your four natural leadership powers has so much more influence and impact on the people around you than does the formal authority that comes with a title.”

“All absolutely fascinating, Anna.”

“The Lead Without a Title philosophy is all about the democratization of leadership,” she continued. “In this remarkable time, every person alive can now become a leader at their work and inside of their lives.
This is the first time in the history of humanity that each one of us has had this opportunity.
And it’s only happened because so many of the traditions of business and society have been torn down.”

“Demolished actually,” Tommy contributed.

“True, Tommy. And so now leadership’s become democratized. Any one of us can show leadership. That’s an incredibly exciting thing to witness, Blake, people waking up to their natural power to lead and stepping into their highest way of being. It’s an amazing time to be doing business in!”

“I’m really starting to understand that, Anna,” I responded.

“Each one of us can now be a force of one and assume responsibility for creating exceptional results at work—and building a world-class organization that will make a world-class contribution to customers, communities, and the larger world outside of it.
No one’s unimportant, Blake. There are no extra people alive today. Every person and every job matters, and all work can be made meaningful with the Lead Without a Title philosophy.
By the way, did you know that if by your shining example of personal leadership you inspire ten people each day to play at their absolute best, by the end of only four weeks you’ve positively influence and elevated the lives of three hundred people?”

“Very cool. I’ve never thought of that. And I definitely don’t need a title to do that.”

“Right. And if you keep doing that, at the end of your first year, you will have impacted the lives of over three thousand people.”

“Wow.”

“Wait, it gets even better,” Anna interjected enthusiastically. “At the end of ten years of consistently Leading Without a Title and engaging ten people a day to be excellent through your good example, you will have touched more than thirty thousand people. And if each one of them, in turn, influenced just ten more people, you will have left your mark on over
one quarter of a million people in a single decade
. So yes, society sees me as a simple housekeeper who cleans dirty rooms. But I see myself as someone who has the responsibility for inspiring over a quarter million other human beings to realize their natural leadership power and, in so doing, step into the fullness of their humanity. That’s well beyond just a job for me, Blake. It’s become my calling. And nothing in my life makes me happier.”

“Simply incredible,” was my most honest response.

“And I should share with you that I believe that the single best move any organization can make—whether the organization is a business or a not-for-profit or a government or school or even a nation—is growing the leadership potential of every single one of its constituents. Leadership is not only the most powerful competitive advantage for companies—it really is
the
ultimate tool of our current age to apply if we want to build a better world.

“But, as Tommy said, we can’t be making excuses if we want to become authentic leaders,” Anna mentioned forcefully.
“No excellent leader ever got to the lofty platform they reached by feebly clinging to fear-filled excuses.
Victims live by excuses—and ultimately die by them. And generally speaking,
people who are superb at making excuses are usually not superb at doing much else.”

My mind drifted back to the two graves I had visited earlier
that morning. And to “The 10 Human Regrets,” still fresh in my awareness. God, it frightened me to even consider getting to my last few hours and knowing I’d die without ever having really lived.

Anna knew she was speaking deeply to me. “Victims fall in love with excuses like, ‘I’m not the owner or the manager here, so I can’t do much to improve things,’ or ‘I’m not smart enough to lead change in the face of challenging circumstances,’ or ‘I don’t have enough time to do all the things I know I could do to make our company great,’ or ‘I’ve tried to be the best that I can be, but none of these ideas have ever worked.’ Victimhood versus leadership,” Anna repeated. “Flip the switch and tattoo the smarter choice onto your brain cells.”

Anna then escorted me into the marble-floored bathroom filled with sophisticated toiletries and lavish accessories. “Close your eyes, please.” I did as I was told. “Keep them closed, Blake,” Anna requested on noticing me starting to open them.