The Greatness Guide: One of the World's Most Successful Coaches Shares His Secrets for Personal and Business Mastery (13 page)

I’m on an airplane as I write this chapter. I love being at 35,000 feet. No distractions. No interruptions. Pure think time. Only one problem—I forgot my water. I’ll explain.

One of my best practices around flying is drinking a ton of water while in the sky. I’ll drink a liter easily. It prevents dehydration, keeps me energized and maintains sharpness of mind. I get many of my biggest ideas on airplanes. And when I get off the plane, rather than being tired, I go straight home to do fun stuff with my kids. But before this flight—because I was rushing to make my connection—I missed my ritual. I didn’t buy my
agua.
So guess what I did? I asked for some.

I walked over to the flight attendant and explained that I drink a lot of water and wondered whether he could help out, if there was an extra big bottle of the good stuff on board. I know they usually only provide a glass or two, but I fiercely believe that it never hurts to ask. To me, that’s an organizing principle I try to live my life by—and it’s served me so well. I was polite. I
wasn’t pushy. I just asked for what I wanted.

“With pleasure,” came the reply. And with that he walked over to a metal trolley, opened it up and pulled out the prize: a 1.5 liter bottle of Vittel water. Perfect. So here I sit, nice and hydrated. Listening to Boozoo Bajou’s awesome CD
Dust My Broom
on my iPod and reading
The Spirit to Serve,
J.W. Marriott’s book on how the hotel chain got where it is. No jet lag for me from this flight. No chance. Because I asked.

The best performers in business don’t hide behind their desks. They know that business is all about connecting to people. When people like you and know you and trust you, they will help you. Just the way it is. Human nature at play.

The best managers get out from behind their desks and have rich and meaningful conversations with their team. They get that passion is contagious and, before someone will lend you their hand, you need to touch their heart. The best salespeople get out from behind their desks and break bread with their customers. They understand the power of relationship-selling. (Big idea: People don’t buy products and services—they buy people and relationships.) The best employees get out from behind their desks to collaborate with their teammates, support their colleagues and to spread their enthusiasm.

More than ever in my own life, I try to get out of the office. I love my team but they know what they are doing. They don’t need me there anymore. They lead without title and are empowered. I’ll just get in their way if I’m around too much. I need to be out meeting my much-cherished readers. I need to be out serving my beloved clients and helping them build world-class organizations. I need to be out learning new ideas and interesting insights that will find their way onto my blog or my podcasts or into my next speech or book. Hiding behind my desk is the worst place I could be. The “paperless office”? It’ll never happen in my lifetime. The “deskless office”? Give me a year.

You know I’m an evangelist around the whole idea of being ultra-fit if you want to be at your best. Getting into world-class physical condition is one of the smartest moves you can make. Exercising will make you look better, feel stronger and fill you with boundless energy. Staying fit will even make you happier.

The past week has been a time of great change for me. I’m reengineering my business to make it more focused and fast. I’m coaching my team so that they know the new standards and goals. I’m pushing myself harder to get more done and generate better results. And I’m lifting the bar on the size of my dreams. I need to make a bigger difference. I passionately feel that. As I go through all this, one of the practices that is serving me so well is my daily pilgrimage to the gym.

I remember a professional speaker named Peter Urs Bender once telling me: “Robin, some people go to church each day. Well, my church is the gym. And each day that’s where I go to get blessed.” I also remember a participant in one of my leadership seminars sharing: “Exercise is an insurance policy I’ve taken out on my health. And each day that I go into the gym, I’m paying the premium.” Yet another person told me recently at a book signing: “Good health is a
crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see.” Smart points. Wise people.

No matter how busy I get or how much pressure is on my shoulders, a good workout makes me feel at ease. I come off the treadmill feeling relaxed, full of joy and with a sense of perspective over the issues on my plate. I get so many big ideas while I’m running and such clarity while I’m lifting weights. And staying fit keeps me happy and positive. Look, I know I’ll never be Mr. Universe. But because I care for my health, my life will be a lot better, more productive and longer than if I didn’t. And that’s good enough for me.

I just had a visit with the tailor who adjusts my kids’ school clothes this morning before I wrote this chapter. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s always treated us well. He’s been in business for 40 years, so I thought I’d get behind his eyeballs and discover what has made his business both as successful and as sustainable as it’s been. I started asking my questions.

“Robin, there are four simple principles that we’ve followed here in our shop. They’ve served me well my whole life. I actually learned them by watching my mother as I grew up. She was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known,” he said, and then paused for a moment. “I miss her terribly.”

I thought I’d share Neil’s four principles with you, as you raise your standards and shine more brightly at work—and at home.

F
OUR
L
EADERSHIP
L
ESSONS
F
ROM
A W
ISE
T
AILOR
:

I
MPROVE
.
Always be getting and doing better. Never settle for mediocrity.

O
BSERVE
.
Talk to the people you work with. Really listen to them. And keep your eyes on the business. Because you can expect only that which you inspect.

C
ONNECT
.
Be really good to people. Treat your customers with respect. Give them good value. Be caring and deal with any complaints fast.

A
DAPT
.
Conditions change. Competition grows. Uncertainty is the new normal. Stay fast. Stay flexible. Stay nimble.

I just gave a full-day leadership seminar attended by managers and executives of companies like American Express, Infosys, The Gap and Dell. One of the ideas that many of the people in the room told me was most helpful was my “Seven Forms of Wealth” model that I’ve been sharing with our corporate clients over the past year.

In my mind, wealth isn’t just about making money. There are actually seven elements that you want to raise to world-class levels before you call yourself rich. I’ll identify them:

I
NNER WEALTH
.
This includes a positive mindset, high self-respect, internal peace and a strong spiritual connection.

P
HYSICAL WEALTH
.
Your health is your wealth. What’s the point of getting to a great place in your career if you get sick doing it? Why be the best businessperson in the hospital ward? Why be the richest person in the graveyard?

F
AMILY AND SOCIAL WEALTH
.
When your family life is happy, you will perform better at work. No one gets to the end of their life and regrets making their family their first priority. Related to this is
the imperative of forging deep connections with friends and members of your personal community (including mentors, role models and trusted advisors).

C
AREER WEALTH
.
Actualizing your highest potential by reaching for your best in your career is incredibly important. Getting to greatness in your profession brings a feeling of satisfaction on a job well done. It helps you make your mark. Being world class in your work is so good for your self-respect.

E
CONOMIC WEALTH
.
Yes, money is important. Not the most important thing in life but very important. It absolutely makes life easier and better. Money allows you to live in a nice home, take beautiful vacations and provide well for those you love. And as Yvon Chouinard, the founder of the outdoor gear company Patagonia, has said: “The more I make, the more I can give away.”

A
DVENTURE WEALTH
.
To be fulfilled, each of us needs mystery in our lives. Challenge is necessary for happiness. The human brain craves novelty. And we are creative beings so we need to be creating constantly if we hope to feel joy. Lots of adventure (ranging from meeting new people to visiting new places) is an essential element of authentic wealth.

I
MPACT WEALTH
.
Perhaps the deepest longing of the human heart is to live for something greater than itself. Each of us craves to be significant. To make a difference. To know that the world has somehow been better because we have walked the planet. Think of what Richard Bach once wrote: “Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

I invite you to focus on each of these seven elements if you want to experience
real
wealth. Money alone does not define being wealthy. There are many rich people who are unhappy and unsuccessful as human beings. By focusing on elevating all seven of these areas to world-class levels, you will not only shine ever so brightly for all those around you—you will also find a contentment that lasts.

U2 is one of the coolest rock bands in the world. But that’s not the main reason I love them. Yes, their music is fantastic. Yes, their songs are often profound. Yes, their live performances are brilliant (just watch their DVD
Go Home: Live from Slane Castle
if you have any doubt). But what really draws me to U2 is their unrelenting commitment to getting better—no matter how great they become. It’s not about the money for them. It’s not about the fame. It’s not about getting on magazine covers. It’s mostly about refusing to accept anything less than mastery as their standard. As Bono observed: “That’s the thing about U2. The band always feels like it’s coming, never that it’s arrived.” Beautiful.

All great leaders, serial innovators, successful entrepreneurs and superstar creatives have that ever-present longing deep within their souls to do, be and see something special during their lives. Every single one of them has that fire in her belly. Sure you could call their insatiable hunger somewhat unhealthy and suggest that such people lack contentment. And you’d be right. But as I suggested in an earlier chapter, these are the very people who have given us the progress of the world, these are the men and women who have built spectacular businesses and
organizations that add value to our lives. The people who have provided us with the genius inventions that make things easier. The scientists who help us live with better health and longer lifespans. The human beings who have allowed us the chance to witness beautiful art and wonderful music. Greatness arrives for those who are never satisfied with what is, no matter how nice it looks. Yes, one must find happiness in life. And we need to enjoy the journey. Definitely. I evangelize that message everywhere I go. Life balance is unbelievably important.

All I’m saying is that too many among us have gone to the other extreme. Chasing happiness, inner peace and balance while leaving the natural instinct to create something spectacular at the side of life’s highway like yesterday’s roadkill. In doing so, they’ve fallen out of balance. And missed out on one of the main reasons to be alive: to create. To shine. To be great.

So apply the U2 Standard. Each day—and every day until you take your last breath. Feel like you are coming—never that you’ve arrived. Strive for mastery and brilliance and excellence, in all that you do. You’ll join the realm of those rare individuals who reached the end feeling few regrets and little remorse. You’ll delight in the fact that you squeezed out the best from life and played out loud. You’ll feel that true sense of happiness that all of us aspire to but so few of us ever reach. And guess what else? When you’re in heaven’s waiting room—you just might get to meet Bono.