Leadership Wisdom From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: The 8 Rituals of Visionary Leaders (10 page)

“Don’t worry about me,” Julian replied, clearly intending to keep his resting place a well-guarded secret. “I’ll be just fine.”

“So I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“Actually I’m busy tomorrow morning. And for the next few days, I have other matters I must attend to.”

“You’re not looking for a new Ferrari?” I joked, fully aware of the reply I would elicit.

“No, Peter. My Ferrari days are over. I’ve become a simple man bearing the simple truths that our world needs to hear. I promised Yogi Raman and the other sages I would spend the rest of my life sharing their leadership wisdom with those who need to hear it. And that’s exactly what I intend to do. How about if we meet next Friday? That will give you some time to contemplate what I’ve shared with you and put some of the philosophy into practice.”

“Sure, Julian. If you want to meet next Friday, next Friday it will be. Same time, same place?”

“Actually, I’d like to meet you at a different location. Let’s meet
at that small park behind City Hall. There’s something special there that I’d like you to see,” he said, raising the suspense level. “C’mon, let me walk you down to your car. There’s still a few quick leadership principles I’d like to leave you with.”

We stood up and started walking toward the steps that would lead us down to the spot where I had parked my car. Suddenly Julian stopped.

“Do they still have that big-screen TV in the clubhouse?”

“Yes, they do. Why do you ask?”

“Just follow me. I need to demonstrate a point,” he replied as he strolled across the darkened verandah and into the elegantly furnished clubhouse.

“Is this gentleman with you, Peter?” the manager asked me as we strode by, obviously uncomfortable with Julian’s attire. I nodded and continued behind Julian, who had just stepped into the empty lounge where the big-screen television sat. Soon we were both sitting in front of it watching the evening news.

“Trying to catch up on the day’s events?” I asked, unsure of my friend’s intentions.

“Not really,” came the reply as he pressed the button marked “radio” on the remote control he had picked up off the table in front of us. Now, the screen still showed the news, but the sound of the newscaster’s voice was replaced by a soothing piece of classical music from one of the local radio stations. The contrast proved striking. Over the screen flashed pictures of the violence that plagues so many of our cities and over the speakers came the serene strains of Vivaldi.

“Julian, what are you doing?”

“I’m sorry,” he replied smiling knowingly. “Is there something wrong?”

“Of course there is. The video is not in synch with the audio.”

“Just like too many leaders in our business world. They tell their customers they will do one thing and then do another. They preach fiscal restraint to their employees while they secretly negotiate their golden parachutes. They praise and show courtesy to a key executive when she is standing in front of them and then start condemning her the instant she leaves the room. They lack honor. They lack character. They lack integrity.
Their video is not in synch with their audio.”

I had never thought about the power of integrity as a leadership philosophy. I was always of the “ends-justify-the-means” school of leadership and believed that sometimes one had to manipulate things to get the desired result. The more I reflected on it, the more I realized I had been acting as if the truth did not matter in our operations. Through my actions, I had been sending the message to others that little lies and deceits were okay. They were a normal and acceptable part of business. I would make up lame excuses as to why I could not meet with a manager facing a difficulty. I would break promises to key customers when the commitment interfered with a more pressing, and perhaps more rewarding, matter. Surely this influenced my people and the way they did business.

“Visionary leaders care less about appearing right than doing right,”
Julian added. “They don’t see their leadership as a popularity contest where they need to please all their stakeholders. They have a very clear future focus, one that takes into account the interests of all, and they steadily move toward it. Their vision serves as their lighthouse, illuminating the path they must follow amid the turbulence that surrounds them. Their leadership is grounded by deeply rooted principles, principles that only add further fuel to their purpose and their inner fire. What they do is
aligned with what they say — they have character congruency. The leader with integrity will never let his lips betray his heart and will always let his principles guide his actions. Become a principled leader, Peter. Stand for something more than yourself. You will come to be respected. Maybe even revered.”

“What kind of principles are you speaking of?”

“Collectively I call them the Gandhi Factor because they were the virtues that governed Mahatma Gandhi’s life and leadership. They include honesty, industry, patience, perseverance, loyalty, courage and perhaps, highest of all, humility. And, by studying them and building them into your leadership practices, you will transform the effectiveness of your entire company. When your leadership becomes moral as well as visionary, it will be as if GlobalView finally has an anchor to keep it from drifting when the seas get rough. When you face a crisis, there will be far less panic and far more calm. People will begin to act more fearlessly and more courteously and more respectfully. The nineteenth-century Spanish philosopher Carlos Reyles made the point splendidly when he wrote, ‘Principles are to people what roots are to trees. Without roots, trees fall when they are thrashed with the winds. Without principles, people fall when they are shaken by the gales of existence.’”

“How do I bring the Gandhi Factor into our organization? I mean, things are pretty bad right now and no one is open to anything new. Most of us feel that we’ve faced enough change over the past year alone to last us for many lifetimes.”

“Be the model,” came the simple reply. “I read a while ago that Gandhi was once approached by a follower who asked the great man the secret to changing those around him. Gandhi thought for a moment and then replied,
‘you
must be the change.’ And that’s really the secret to fostering character and integrity within
GlobalView.
You
need to be the change you desire.
Don’t expect others to become anything more than you are willing to become yourself
You need to be the model your followers will emulate. People do what people see. Seneca captured this point when he observed, ‘I will govern my life and thoughts as if the whole world were to see the one and read the other.’

“What a quote. That’s definitely one for the bulletin board in the lunchroom.”

“Or the one in the executive suite,” Julian replied firmly. “Visionary leaders become their own best ambassadors. They become shining examples of what they expect their people to be. Don’t push your people to work harder with fewer resources while you take an extra afternoon off to play golf. Don’t cut employee benefits while you, at the same time, refurbish your office. Don’t tell your people to buy into your vision of the future while you quietly plan your exit strategy. People are not stupid. They can tell whether you are honorable or not. Live your leadership. Become one of those fine leaders who has the character power to go from knowing what’s right to doing what’s right to
being
what’s right. Remember what Socrates said, ‘The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we appear to be.’

My mind began to rifle through all the weaknesses my own character revealed on the job. I regularly said I’d do one thing and then did another. I generally cared more about my own interests than my people’s. I had a fiery temper, I could be abrupt with my staff, I was self-centered, I was a very poor listener and often lacked sincerity. I thought no one really picked up on these flaws, but now I realized they did. For the first time in my entire executive career, I saw that my weaknesses as a leader were stimulating weaknesses in our company. My lack of leadership was the source
of the lack of followership. It was time for me to stop blaming other people and other events for the difficulties GlobalView faced. It was time for me to clean up my act. It was time for me to “be the change.”

“The imperfections of your character empower the imperfections of all those you lead,” continued Julian. “When you are rude to an employee, you implicitly give him permission to be rude to someone else. When you lie to someone, you condone her lying to someone else. When you are late for a meeting, you silently say that punctuality is not important. And all these messages powerfully shape the corporate culture that serves as the framework for everything you and your followers do.”

“How do I begin to be the model, Julian? I’ve practiced my current style of leadership for so long, I’m not sure where to start the change.”

“First I suggest you do a Leadership Audit. Go deep within your heart and reflect on your strengths, and even more importantly on your weaknesses, as a leader. Get to know yourself. As I said earlier,
awareness precedes change.
Then, as with all change initiatives, whether personal or organizational, start off small. I recently read about a local company that was experiencing challenges similar to those of GlobalView. Morale was low, productivity had plummeted, creativity had dried up and profits were nonexistent.

“The leader came up with a simple idea Realizing the fact that her frontline people rarely saw her was contributing to the company’s poor performance, she began the simple discipline of taking regular walks around the shop floor. While doing so, she noticed that unlike her impeccable executive office upstairs, the factory was absolutely filthy. Garbage was strewn along the walkways, graffiti lined the
walls and a thick coat of dirt clung to everything. Clearly, no one cared about the place where they worked.

“As the leader performed this regular walkabout, walking and talking with the workers, she would quietly pick up garbage, hoping that this symbolic gesture might somehow influence their thinking. Soon, the workers followed her example. While walking with her, they too would pick up the rubbish that had littered the floors and put it into the nearest trash can. Then, noticing how much better the place started to look, they asked the leader if they could paint the walls in the colors they wanted. She quickly agreed. Next came a wholesale clean-up effort, spearheaded by the factory workers, who now began to take great pride in their workplace. This, in turn, led to improved morale, improved productivity and a sense of ownership in the minds of all of the employees. They had come to take a genuine interest in their work and in the organization they served. This positive force of change spread through the entire company and it quickly returned to good health.”

“And it all started by a simple act of the leader.”

“Small acts can lead to great results, Peter. Never forget that your people are watching you. They are looking to you to see what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t. So be the ideal of what you want your people to be. And borrow the strategy of that enlightened leader in the story. Get out of that palatial office suite you have barricaded yourself into and go talk to the people that really count — the men and women who look to you for leadership. Listen to them. Find out what makes them tick. Listen to their hopes and their dreams and their frustrations. Get a clear sense of what the environment is really like within your company. Most leaders haven’t a clue. As Yogi Raman once told me, ‘The fish is often the last to notice the water in which it swims.’”

With that sage advice, Julian shook my hand and began to head off into the darkness. Then he stopped and turned around.

“Oh, there’s something I forgot to give you. It will provide you with something to think about until we meet again next week.” He reached into the long robe that he had refused to remove all evening, despite the intense heat. He pulled out an object I could not see due to the darkness and gently pressed it into my hand. Then he quickly disappeared into the night.

As I got into my car, I looked at Julian’s gift under the small light next to the rearview mirror. It was another wooden piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Like the one before it, there was a design on it. And just as before, there were words carved into the wood. They read,
Ritual 2: Manage by Mind, Lead by Heart.

Chapter 5 Knowledge Summary • Julian’s Wisdom in a Nutshell

The Ritual
The Essence	The Ritual of a Compelling Future Focus
The Wisdom	• Purpose is the most powerful motivator in the world
• The primary task of the leader is to get his people excited about a compelling cause that contributes to the lives of others
• Great leadership precedes great followership. Show employees you have their best interests in mind.
• Visionary leaders focus on liberating human talent and manifesting the potential of people
• Lead with integrity, character and courage
The Practices	• Ritualize wisdom so that your positive intentions translate into tangible results
• Communicate your compelling cause so it engages hearts
• Align your video with your audio
Quotable Quote	The ultimate task of the visionary leader is to dignify and honor the lives of the people he leads by allowing them to manifest their highest potential through the work they do.