The Greatness Guide, Book 2: 101 More Insights to Get You to World Class (22 page)

An idea just came to me. You’ve heard it before, but the more we get exposed to a good idea, the more deeply we get to integrate it. Like reading a powerful book for a second and third time. Seems like a whole new book on every new reading. Did the book change? No. You did. Your capacity to understand got bigger. Your world-view got broader. Your ability to take in the insights grew. And so you discovered a whole new level of knowledge in that book. That was always there. You just didn’t have the eyes to see it before.

The idea I feel so passionately about on this sunny afternoon can be stated in a simple phrase: Angels of Evolution. Nothing soft and irrelevant about this one. Just a way to look at life’s challenges in a better light. As blessings rather than curses. Because they just might be. Angels of Evolution. Everyone who is causing you stress, struggle and challenge in your life just might be an angel of sorts. They just might be the very messengers carrying the lessons you most need to learn to get to your Next Level of Greatness.

The difficult teammate might be an angel of sorts, here to teach you understanding. The mean salesclerk might be an angel showing up to help you with compassion or communication or
standing up for yourself. A business setback or professional disappointment might be an angel sent to build your resolve and commitment. A health issue might be an angelic wakeup call to get you to commit to a better diet, regular exercise, relaxation and meditation. Each encounter represents a defining moment that gets you to the excellence meant for you.

Angels of Evolution. The hardest stuff in your life is the ideal stuff to get you to where you’ve always dreamed of being. The people and events that irritate, anger and hurt you are the ideal educators to help you learn the lessons that will help you shine—at work, at home and in life. So that you evolve. And grow.

I had a conversation with an old friend the other day. He’s done some tremendous things with his business and carved out a meaningful life. He said something that I wanted to share with you. Because it speaks to the best way to influence other people. Leadership by example.

“Robin,” he said, “the greatest sermon in life is the one you see.” To me that meant, Make your life your message. Live your truth. Walk your values. Behave your philosophy. That’s how you move those around you to play at their best.

It’s so easy to talk a great game. Far harder to live it. But the great ones do. Elegantly. Consistently. Passionately. As famed psychologist Abraham Maslow said, “In order for us to become truly happy, that which we can become, we must become.”

One big idea could revolutionize your life—and even the world around you. All it takes is that single genius thought to change the whole game. I’m reading a fantastic book called
Humble Masterpieces: Everyday Marvels of Design
by Paola Antonelli, curator of architecture and design at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. In one of the (little) chapters, I learned of designer Daniel Cudzik. He’s the brave dreamer who invented the stay-on metal tab that you now see on every single one of the billion aluminum cans made every year. Before his invention, tabs were pulled off and thrown away, creating tons of litter, not to mention hurt feet. One idea transformed all that.

Cudzik was watching TV one night with his two kids when the vision came to him. (Your best ideas will come when you least expect it. Most revolutionary thoughts don’t come when you are keeping a frenetic pace, they come when you’re having fun, so have some fun—it’s good for business, as well as for your soul.) Rather than letting the idea slip away (like most of us do), he wrote it down, sketching his plan for the stay-on tab. He quickly gave it to a draftsman, and they soon created the prototype. Guess what? It
worked. Brings me to my suggestion: Become an idea factory. Of course, you also need to have a passionate commitment to breathing life into your big ideas through near-flawless execution. Couple the two and you just might produce something extraordinarily valuable. And wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?

This past weekend the kids and I returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia, an amazing city on the Atlantic Ocean with very special human beings and outrageously good fish and chips (which also happens to be the place where I grew up). We were there to celebrate a friend’s fortieth wedding anniversary. As we walked out of a bookstore, a car drove by with a bumper sticker that I’ll never forget. It said,
SPEAK YOUR TRUTH—EVEN WHEN YOUR VOICE SHAKES.
Brilliant.

Too many people talk the good talk these days. Tons of empty promises. And hype. And lofty statements that never amount to anything. True leaders are different. They talk less and do more. I love the quiet leaders. Those silent souls who under-promise and over-deliver. And when they do speak, they speak Truth. The Merchants of Wow among us understand that a person’s word is their bond. And that every promise kept builds credibility, the foundation of trust. So make the commitment to be impeccable with your word.

You really can be a leader, no matter what your title is. In the theater they say, “No role is a small role.” And in life, no person is an insignificant one. (“Every calling is great when greatly pursued,”
observed Oliver Wendell Holmes.) Each day, at work and at home, you have an opportunity to create an impact, to make a difference and to reveal your potential. And one of the things that separates leaders from followers is that those who lead speak openly, honestly and courageously. Even when the very thought of doing so frightens them. Even when their voices shake.