The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in by Robin Sharma Page A

learned so well. But in this radically new period of business, your ability to have an impact and make a contribution comes more from who you are as a person than from the authority you receive by your placement on some org chart. It’s never been so important to be trustworthy. It’s never been so important to be someone others respect. It’s never been so important to keep the promises you make to your teammates and customers. And it’s never been so essential to be authentic. I should also add that it’s never been so hard to show authenticity because of all the social pressure to be like everyone else. Media, our peers, and the world around us pound us relentlessly with messages designed to have us live their values versus our own. There’s a huge pull to behave like the majority. But leadership really is about closing your ears to the noisy voices of others so you can more clearly hear the mission and call within yourself. Makes me think of the words of Dr. Seuss: ‘Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.’ And that’s what authenticity is all about, Blake. It’s about feeling really safe in your own skin and learning to trust yourself so that you work under your values, express your original voice, and be the best you can be. It’s about knowing who you are, what you stand for, and then having the courage to be yourself—in every situation rather than only when it’s convenient. It’s about being real, consistent, and congruent so who you are on the inside is reflected by the way you perform on the outside. And being authentic and true to yourself also means that you meet your potential and work at brilliance—because that’s what you truly are.”
    Tommy spoke up: “And the great American Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us ‘To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.’ ”
    “So true, Tommy,” Anna expressed, nodding her head. “You feeling better?” she asked caringly.
    “Perfect,” Tommy replied, glancing at his SpongeBob SquarePants watch to check the time.
    Anna sat down on the sofa next to Tommy. He put his arm around her. “In my spare time I read a lot of business books. I get a lot of them from the training sessions I go to. I recall reading one by Jack Welch and I’ve never forgotten a line he used: ‘Don’t lose yourself on the way to the top.’ Warren Buffett made the point equally neatly when he observed: ‘There will never be a better you than you.’ And Oscar Wilde noted: ‘Be Yourself. Everyone else is taken.’ Authenticity is one of the deepest things Leaders Without a Title exemplify. Few things are as powerful when it comes to being a leader interested in positively influencing all those around you than being a person who’s comfortable in your own self and fully presenting all you fully are,” Anna offered passionately.
    “So being authentic isn’t just about being trustworthy, staying true to your mission and values, and speaking honestly. It’s clear that you’re also saying that being authentic means realizing all my potential and really getting to know all that genius you said was inside me,” I reiterated, paying strong attention to all I was learning.
    “Yes, Blake. To be authentic isn’t just about being true to your values. Being authentic means being true to your talents. When you go to work every day and present your leadership best, that’s a superb example of authenticity in action—and being in alignment.
    “I can tell a person who is authentic a mile away. I can sniff their sincerity and sense their realness. And their passion for greatness touches the longing for greatness within me. And that allows me to relate to them, Blake. When you give yourself permission to be open, real, and brilliant around others, yougive others permission to be open, real, and brilliant around you. Just being around you makes them