I had the privilege of attending the Growing Leaders Foundation event on May 23, 2011 at the Trinidad Hilton with feature speaker Robin Sharma, one of the top five Leadership speakers in the world. Other speakers included Giselle Hudson, Nigel Wall and Salisha Baboolal who all shared great insights on how to manage change and develop a possibilities mindset.
The feature presentation was very inspiring and thought provoking. Robin Sharma started off by saying – On your last day, only 2 things matter
- How did your work reflect your creative value?
- How many people did you help?
He summarised leadership as:
Leadership is about impact, influence, inspiration.
Other key phrases which I made note of include:
Not death by meetings, paralysis by analysis.
Excuses lead to sabotage. It’s a defence mechanism.
Small daily improvements over time lead to stunning results.
What makes a leader?
- Someone who cares
- Ability to influence
- Inspire others
- Courage
- Humility
- Preparation
- Passion
- Being approachable
“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” Oscar Wilde.
Self Assessment Exercise
What are you doing when you are most productive?
What does me working at my absolute best look like?
What are your excuses?
During Mr. Sharma’s presentation, he shared key tactics with us which I found so simple and practical to follow.
The 8 devotions of leaders without a title
- So genius at what they do can’t take eyes off – see your jobs as a craft
- Less leisure, more learning – labour makes learning more valuable
- They loathe excuses and love results – the world wasn’t build by complainers but a fierce desire to do what it takes
- Leave people better than you find them – emotional intelligence – listen, show empathy, care. How do you build a great company? One conversation at a time. “People may forget what you say or do but never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelo
- Edit + Amplify – The Gordon Ramsey Rule – FOCUS.
- Risk + Chutzpah to avoid the danger of success. Don’t fall in love with the way you always do things. Being comfortable is not safe. Your doubts are no more than what your lies have sold you. It’s not about the income but the impact. The price of discipline is better than the pain of death.
- Their video is in sync with their audio – practice what you preach.
- Making history with their work is even more important than making money – make art that lasts. We are born into genius but resigned into mediocrity.
Key insights from video of carpet layer
- Share if it will help someone else
- Work should have some meaning
- Be proud of your work – get some satisfaction
- You need no title to be a leader – be yourself
- Make up your mind, let each day account for something
- Excellence – do the best you can do
- No one is perfect
- When you have a problem, you are the only one who can solve it
6 simple tactics you can use today
- Avoid radio star syndrome – be authentic
- You’re in show business – practice before stage not on stage
- Daily 5 – the power of small wins – 1% daily improvement
- Technology free periods + solitude work
- Leave your ego at the door + give what you want – how may I best serve the most people? Create unusual value.
- Be inspirational – Chief Inspirational Officer – CIO
Lead YOU first – 4 simple ways
- Get up at 5am for pre-game practice – get fit, drink plenty water, write down 5 good things that happened yesterday
- Don’t be the most successful person in the graveyard
- Don’t lose your family on the way to the mountaintop
- Remember the shortness of life. Be useful.
The key lesson from Robin Sharma is to make your work and life matter. Do your job like its the most important job in the world. Do the best you can and make every day count. What do you do when no one is watching?
He left us, the business community, with 2 words to live by – continuous improvement.
And he also said, “Everyone is built to do something special. It’s up to you to be awesome.”
So what are you waiting for? BE AWESOME and lead without a title!
