In last week’s FIT Matters (a Tale of Two Titans Part II), I shared the insights of the guru that is Robin Sharma, author of ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’, ‘The leader Who Had No Title’ and ‘The 5am Club’.
Robin has been rated one of the top 5 leadership experts in the world and today, I want to share with you another incredibly valuable lesson from his passionate work, drawn from his 20+ years of experience working with the Fortune 500; rock stars; royalty; billionaires and many celebrity CEOs…
It’s his 50 Rules to Lead the Field, taken from ‘The Leader Who Had No Title’ and boy! are there some valuable lessons for us leaders, movers & shakers to heed, especially given these turbulent times we’re all experiencing on our frontlines right now:
1. To lead is to serve.
2. At the heart of mastery lives consistency.
3. Take care of the relationship and the money will take care of itself.
4. The seduction of safety is always more dangerous than the illusion of uncertainty.
5. To double your income, triple your investment in your professional education & your personal development.
6. The swiftest way to grow your company is to grow your people.
7. If you’re not leaving a trail of leaders behind you, you’re not leading – you’re following.
8. An addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production.
9. The calibre of your practice determines the quality of your performance.
10. Leaders Without Titles are less about ego and more about getting things done.
11. Don’t worry about the economy when you can be so genius at what you do that you create your very own personal economy.
12. Lead where you are planted. Start where you stand. And remember that much of winning is just beginning.
13. The true measure of our leadership is how we perform in volatile conditions, versus in times of ease.
14. To lead is to be yourself in a world of clones.
15. Aim for iconic. Why be in it if you’re not dreaming of being in the history books? But be kind, decent and ethical along the way.
16. The humblest is the greatest.
17. Energy is more valuable than intelligence. Health is more brilliant than gold.
18. The thing you most fear carries your greatest growth.
19. All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.
20. Criticism is the price brave people pay to arrive at iconic.
21. If you’re not lifting people up, you’re bringing people down.
22. Leadership has less to do with authority and more to do with a mindset.
23. Where the victim sees a problem, a leader sees an opportunity.
24. Don’t wait until you’re successful to work on your optimism. Work on your optimism and you’ll become a lot more successful.
25. Be alone a lot. All massively creative people value solitude. It allows them to protect their dreams from the voices of dissent, refuel their creativity and get far more done – free from distraction.
26. Small, daily improvements when done consistently over time, lead to stunning results.
27. Genius has less to do with natural talent and divinely blessed gifts and more to do with relentless focus (to the point of obsession), extreme practice and uncommon grit.
28. Disrupt or be disrupted.
29. Be the most honest person in every room.
30. Remember that people don’t leave companies. They leave the people they worked for.
31. Saying you’ll “try” is expressing “I’m not really committed.”
32. The secret of passion is purpose. As I shared years ago in Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, when you know your WHY, the HOWs just start showing up.
33. If you’re the smartest person you know, it’s time to know new people.
34. Outlearning everyone around you is a game-changer. The best love learning. Because once you know more, you can achieve more.
35. To make more money, help more people.
36. Leaders Without Titles talk about ideas versus people and dreams versus others.
37. Eat less food, get more done.
38. The way you begin your day determines how you live it. So put mind over mattress. Win the battle of the bed. And join The 5am Club (another total game-changer).
39. Develop an obsessive attention to detail. World-class user experiences are all about winning at the small stuff everyone else doesn’t care about.
40. Even if you clean toilets, do it with pride and love. This summer I met a man who cleans toilets at the Johannesburg airport. He beamed “Welcome to my office” as I entered. The place was flawless. His passion was palpable. That man is my hero. And he reminded me that all work has dignity and honour.
41. Leaders Without Titles are in the business of making people feel bigger versus smaller. And smarter versus less knowledgeable. And seeing gifts and talents they’ve never seen before.
42. Lean into your fears. Commit to what frightens you. Life’s way too short to play small.
43. The secret to genius is doing less. Developing a monomaniacal focus on being brilliant at one thing is the key to Personal Mastery. You’re smart, so you know that the person who tries to get great at many things ends up mediocre at all of them, right?
44. The moment you think you’re a virtuoso, you’ve lost your virtuosity. The best always think like a beginner. And they know that nothing fails like success.
45. Be decent and kind and loving. At the end, you’ll have wished you were.
46. Never lose the sparkle in your eyes and your sense of wonder about the things most people take for granted. Leadership, business and life is awesome. Don’t miss the simple rewards of standing for world-class. NB. There are two types of income – external (money and title) and internal (pride on doing great work and pursuing mastery). The ordinary chase the first. The exceptional want the second.
47. Remember that the things that get scheduled are the things that get done.
48. Say please and thank you.
49. Practice gratitude daily. To lead is to see the blessings each day brings. You’ll also release dopamine–the neurotransmitter of motivation–which will kickstart your performance. The value of being grateful reminds me of the Persian proverb: “I cursed the fact that I had no shoes – until I saw the man who had no feet.”
50. Do your part. Be the leader you wish the people around you would be. As Mother Teresa said: “If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.”
What’s your favourite Rule to lead the Field?
Mine’s definitely no.50.
This rule says it all about the Inside Out Model – start from within and get your own house in order, so that you can spread the cleanliness of your internal state to your external world!
Next week, I’m continuing the 50 Rules theme AND staying focused on the awesome work of Robin Sharma, with a look at his 50 New Rules of Work, as we emerge from this pandemic and move forward into a whole new World Of Work (WOW!)
Until next time, stay safe & keep FIT
Marie X
