The Greatness Guide, Book 2: 101 More Insights to Get You to World Class (13 page)

Leadership begins at home. Your family is an organization that needs to be managed, cherished and elevated if you aim to truly get to the rare air life I believe you deserve. I also believe that the highest moments of our lives are the moments shared with those we love.

I just dropped Bianca off at school. Saw a car with a fantastic license plate. It said simply,
RKIDSROC
. Made me smile.

How proud are you of your kids? Are they your primary priority? Mine definitely are. I’d let go of all I’m doing in my work life in a second, if my children needed me to. Do you spend quantity time with your kids as well as quality time? I’ve been a father for 13 years now and I must share with you that no matter what toys, video games or gifts I give my gang, nothing beats my time. That’s all they really want. That’s all they’ve ever really wanted. As I wrote in
The Greatness Guide,
I can’t tell you how many über-rich executive coaching clients have flown their jets to meet me in Toronto, sat down with me and shared that though they “have it all,” they have nothing. Because they missed their kids’ childhoods. Money is not the most important form of wealth. It just isn’t.

So today, love your loved ones. Cherish them. And tell them all the things you’ve wanted to say but haven’t had the courage to. You’ll never regret showing them how proud you are of them. Ever.

I recently read a fascinating issue of
Time.
All about the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Jobs is in there. So are Branson and Gore. Mittal makes the cut, as does Oprah. But one of the profiles that intrigued me most is the one on Leonardo DiCaprio. Because of a single turn of phrase used by filmmaker Martin Scorsese. He describes the first time he saw DiCaprio acting: “In his performance, I didn’t see the machinery.” I had to put down the magazine after I read those words.

Masters make everything look so simple. The most brilliant of the best do their craft with effortless ease and exceptional grace, or at least, make it look that way to you and me. We can’t see the machinery. We don’t see all the early mornings and late nights spent working hard to be BIW (Best in the World). We don’t observe the fierce determination that was invested to overcome impossible odds and make the dream come true. And we don’t hear the laughter of the critics that needed to be ignored to get to the mountaintop. Remarkable performers—in entertainment, business, politics, education—all make it look easy. But it wasn’t. It can take years to become an overnight sensation. Let’s not forget that.

You know I’ve never claimed to be perfect. I’ve always maintained that I’m no guru and most definitely a work in progress. Very ordinary. I have my strengths. And my flaws (like every human being). One of my weaknesses is impatience. I just have this aching need to get great things done. Can’t stand slow change. Need to make my impact, and to spend my talents (we all have them). Now.

Like some weaknesses, it’s also a great source of success. I move things forward fast. Just love speed. Only results matter (I’m generalizing, a bit). Makes me think of what Clint Eastwood said in a recent issue of
Best Life:
“Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands.” Exactly.

Sure, work with your team. Yes, collaborate. Of course delegate to others who have strengths where you don’t. But sometimes, when everyone else is waiting for someone else to take the first step,
you need to be the one to drive the change.
To me, that’s courage in action. To me, that’s using your life well. To me, that’s leadership—and standing for being extraordinary.

The quality of your life comes down to the quality of your relationships. With your customers, with your suppliers, with your loved ones, with your self (big idea there). Commit to insanely great relationships and you’ll have an insanely great life. And being a great human connector is pretty easy stuff. Remember, success is all about a masterful consistency around fundamentals.

The following seven First Principles are profoundly simple and yet simply profound—and isn’t that the case for all great truths?

• Be the first one to say hello (or Namaste/Shalom/Hola/Salam Malekam, or whatever may be appropriate) when you encounter another person. In other words, be kind first (which takes courage, because we’re all scared of rejection).
  

• Smile a lot. It’s one of the ‘best ways to have someone open up to you. Remember, we make lasting impressions on people within the first few minutes of meeting them.
  

• Use people’s names. This is really important. It shows that you care, and is a mark of respect.
  

• Look people in the eye when you speak to them.
  

• Become a world-class listener. Get this one right and you’ll own the title of “Relationship Superstar.” Most people don’t listen. Most people are so self-focused that they fail to ask good questions when they meet another person. Listening and asking questions shows humility. It shows you are interested. It demonstrates that you are engaged—and not in love with yourself. Most people’s idea of listening is waiting until the other person has finished speaking so that they can interject.
  

• Offer sincere compliments. Praise is free. Never miss an opportunity to celebrate and elevate another person, whether at work or at home. You’ll connect with the best within them. And then they’ll give you their best. Leave people feeling better than you found them.
  

• Treat everyone like royalty (and I do mean everyone; it scares me when someone’s really nice to me but rude to a waiter—no consistency there). Behave as if you’ll never see them again. When
  I get home from work each day, my kids come flying around the corner and hug me. Every day. Makes me feel like a king.
  

Sure the above seven ideas are simple. Master these First Principles and you’ll get to your mountaintop more quickly than you can imagine.
Greatness comes from mastery around the fundamentals.