The Greatness Guide, Book 2: 101 More Insights to Get You to World Class (15 page)

Then he started yelling at his crew. Mocking them. Spitting out his venom. Ranting like a madman. They looked down at the ground and kept on working. I sense they felt humiliated by the public spectacle. But their leader continued. Pouring his toxic waste out onto the busy street for all to see. Tonight he’ll blame his crew for a low-performance day. And probably scream at his kids.

Big idea: Your team will never be greater than you are (even if you are not the team leader). You set the standard to which you all can rise. Each finger affects the strength of the hand. When organizations bring me in to help their people get to world-class performance and create extraordinary results, I gently remind everyone in the room that “everything begins with you.” I suggest that’s a mission-critical idea. Forget blaming others—that’s just excusing yourself. And it all starts with your inner world. External
leadership begins with internal mastery. You can’t help in the building of an excellent organization until you commit to becoming an excellent person.

That team leader I saw out on the street might want to look in the mirror. Might want to clean up his own messes. Deal with his personal anger. Work on his limiting beliefs. Develop his own character. Open his own heart. “Soft stuff, Robin,” you say? No, I really don’t think so. It’s hard stuff. (How many people have the courage to do it?) The stuff that ultimately drives better business results. Boosts profits. Gets organizations to greatness. And did I mention that it all starts with you? Because it really does.

It’s 4 a.m. I’m drinking coffee. The kids are sleeping. And I’m writing in my journal. (Journaling is all about having a conversation with yourself. Helps you build a superior you.) Reflecting. And listening to Maná’s CD
Amar Es Combatir.
I love it. Here’s the question: How much music do you invite into your life?

Music has helped me get through very painful times. It’s offered me inspiration when I needed it, joy when I craved it and peace when I ached for it. It made me a more colorful, engaged and alive human being. I suggest that to live and work at your best, we need to be overflowing with passion, happiness and a relentless desire to win. Music will help. A lot. It will make every moment better. It
is
the soundtrack to a brilliant life. And you can start with Maná.

“I can’t be better than I am at work.” “I don’t have the time to exercise.” “I can’t do this project (or reach that dream) because it’s too hard/scary/impractical.” It’s so very human to fight for your excuses. And the more you fight for them, the more they’ll own you. Don’t feed what you don’t want. Let them go. And step into your power.

“We have forty million reasons for failure—but not a single excuse,” observed Rudyard Kipling. Successful people don’t make excuses. They create results. And no great life was ever built on a foundation of excuses. So stop making them. Most of them are self-created delusions, designed to help you avoid doing the things you are afraid to do. Yes, beneath every excuse lives a fear. A fear of changing. A fear of the unknown. A fear of failure. A fear of success.

Today can be the day you burn the bridges that lead to your excuses
(please
do). Today can be the day you step up to the possibilities that lie just off the beaten path of your life. Today can be the day you Lead Without Title. And access your genuine greatness.

Leadership has so much to do with relationships. True leaders build strong social networks and trusted communities of teammates, suppliers and customers that will help them get to where they’re going (while they, in turn, reciprocate). And exceptional leaders know how to connect. Extremely well.

I’m on the flight home from Hong Kong as I blog on my BlackBerry. A pleasant Air Canada flight attendant has been finding ways to connect with her passengers all through the trip. She remembers our names. And she makes us smile. She just asked if I wanted to eat. I said no (I try to eat little when I fly). Her reply was a classic: “I guess you’ve had an elegant sufficiency of enoughness.” Made me laugh—which made her even more memorable.

So find ways to connect. With the people you work with. With the loved ones you live with. And with the strangers with whom you share this journey called life. You’ll not only attract more professional success, you’ll also become a happier person.

Starbury One basketball shoes look a lot like those peddled by Nike and Reebok. They are worn on-court by N.Y. Knicks guard Stephon Marbury. And they are built to last, like those of their competitors. So what makes them special? The fact that they are only $14.98 a pair (really). The best businesses know their Separation Points—their competitive advantages—and then have the discipline to stay brilliantly focused on them until the whole world knows what makes them special. Tesla just put out a sports car—$100,000 a pop. But here’s the thing: It does 0 to 60 mph in four seconds, is electric powered and will go 100,000 miles per battery. Masterful Separation Points.

So have the courage to be different. Have the boldness within your industry to create value that has never before been created. Be strikingly creative, always getting better and dreaming bigger. And know what separates you from everyone else. Because if you don’t know what makes your business special, how can you tell everyone else?