The Guru Who Sold His Wisdom

Robin Sharma on the need for overcommunication, usefulness of acronyms and uselessness of cynics.

Robin Sharma’s book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari has parked itself on bestseller lists in the country since it was published in 2003. Sharma, who trained and practised as a lawyer himself, has since quit his career in law and works full-time as a writer, leadership expert and philanthropist. And leadership, he argues in his new book The Leader Who Had No Title, is not just for CEOs and prime ministers. It’s for everybody from waiters to taxi drivers to artists. Excerpts from a conversation:

Q How did you start teaching and writing about leadership?

A I’m a leadership teacher, but the leadership model I teach isn’t just for business people. It’s for anyone, anywhere, who wants to work. Like Picasso painted and became an extraordinary human being. That’s what my new book, The Leader Who Had No Title, is all about: how anyone from a student or a taxi driver to an artist to a firefighter can show leadership and make a big difference. I used to be a lawyer, like Julian Mantle in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. I was successful, but very unhappy. So I began to study what the best people do to create their exceptional results. I then self published what I learnt in The Monk… People loved it. I wrote more books, and soon I left the legal profession.

Q What did you want to be while growing up?

A A rock star or a professional motocross racer.

Q The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari has been on Indian top 10 lists for years now. Why do you think it has resonated so well, particularly with Indian readers?

A Well, I’m so humbled and grateful for the success of The Monk… in India. I think the title caught many people’s attention. But I think the real reason for the success of that book is that the ideas in it really transform people’s lives and help them reach their dreams. The Leader Who Had No Title is an even better story. And I deeply believe it’s a much better book.

Q What were some of the motivations behind writing The Leader Who Had No Title, and how does it differ from the previous books you have written?

A The new book shares the success formula that I’ve been teaching some of the best companies in the world for over 15 years. And it explains the system that I’ve taught people from all walks of life to help them create explosive results at work and in their personal life. The starting point of the new book is that the old model of leadership—that says leadership is only for CEOs and Prime Ministers—is dead. Now, anyone can lead. And anyone who really understands this idea will lead the field in all they do.

Q How would you define a leader?

A Leadership is not about the title on your business card or about how much money sits in your bank account. The Leader Who Had No Title explains the new way to lead. Anyone can lead. Taxi drivers. Restaurant servers. Filmmakers. Street sweepers. Because leadership is really about doing the absolute best work that you can do, innovating and inventing daily, embracing your fears so you become more powerful, and being positive and truly inspirational to everyone you meet. Anyone can make a difference in the lives of others.

Q In your book, the leaders all happen to be physically attractive, good-natured characters. Anna is ‘beautiful, smart, awesomely good’, Ty is ‘tall, tanned, athletic’, Tommy drives a Porsche, etcetera.These people do not seem to be ordinary.  Why are your characters so perfect?

A Actually, the characters are very ordinary people… who have become exceptional by leading without a title and following the formula in the book. Anna is a housekeeper. The hero Blake is a bookseller. These are people next door who stepped into their potential and now play at wow.

Q One interesting concept brought up in The Leader… is that of ‘overcommunicating’. The character Ty proposes overcommunicating to prevent problems and misunderstandings. Could you elaborate on how this works?

A In these turbulent times, the worst thing to do is undercommunicate and put your head in the sand, hoping the disruption will go away. It won’t. Smart leaders without titles are visible, transparent and relentlessly communicating hope, inspiration and tangible tactics with their team.

Q A question that everyone has regarding books on leadership and personal development: why are there so many acronyms? For example, in your book, there is HUMAN (Helpful, Understanding, Mingle, Amuse, Nurture), SHINE (See Clearly, Health is Wealth, Inspiration Matters, Neglect Not Your Family, Elevate Your Lifestyle), amongst many others. What is the process of coming up with these acronyms?

A I use these acronyms in the new book because they have worked beautifully with the corporate clients I’ve worked with. So I put them in the book.

Q There are many people who are cynical about self-help books like yours. The oft-heard criticism is that it is a gimmick, and Christopher Buckley in his book God is My Broker wrote that ‘the only way to get rich from a self-help book is to write one’. What would you say to these critics if you could, and if they would listen?

A Many thousands of people have taken their business and personal lives to a completely new level of success by using the ideas in my books. I feel good about that… because I really just want people to realise their absolute best. Cynics will always be there. I ignore them and stay true to my mission. The world needs less cynics and discouragers. And more encouragers. That’s what leading without a title is about.

Q Who is the most influential person in your life and why?

A My children and my parents. In them I see passion, curiosity, unconditional love and joy. 

Q Who is the most successful person you know? 

A Steve Jobs, Buffett, Mandela, Branson, Gandhi all come to mind.

About The Author

Wei Fen Lee