Leadership Wisdom From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: The 8 Rituals of Visionary Leaders (17 page)

On my way home, my thoughts turned to the wealth of knowledge I had been blessed with on this wonderful evening. I thought
about the importance of “rewarding routinely and recognizing relentlessly” I reflected on Julian’s point that “praise is free” and how most people go to bed hungry every night, hungry for a little sincere appreciation and respect. I remembered all the men and women of GlobalView who dutifully came into work every morning and spent their days without a word of thanks for the energy they expended. There were the managers and the programmers and the delivery staff who I had never even shown the courtesy of a sincere “good morning, how are you?” These people were not the root cause of our company’s troubles — I was. As Julian had said earlier, great leadership precedes great followership. And I had been far less than the great leader they deserved.

I then contemplated the many creative ways my managers and I could start energizing our people and getting them focused on success. Just thinking about the possibilities and the positive results that would come through their application got me excited. We could set up treasure chests full of motivational books and tapes throughout the headquarters to reward good behavior immediately. We could have submarine-sandwich parties from time to time and set up other traditions so that our people could blow off steam and build stronger bonds. You’re Not The Boss Day might be a great way to get the word out that I’m not the same old leader I once was. My mind began to fill with new ideas.

How about leaving nonmanagers in charge while my management team and I headed off for the annual two-day retreat I had decided to organize this year? Why not name boardrooms after top employees? Why not reward a worker who comes up with a new revenue-generating idea with a percentage of the profits it generates or at the very least with time off? Perhaps the ten best employees of every division could dine with me and the rest of our
top executives every quarter? And I would certainly be sending out hundreds of thank-you notes over the coming months. A little praise could go a long way, I realized.

Upon entering the lobby of our luxury high rise, I reached into the pocket of the light coat I was wearing for my keys when I felt a foreign object. As I moved into the hallway, a smile came to my face. The light revealed that the object was the next piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Julian must have slipped it in while I was watching the game.

This time the inscription read simply,
Ritual 4: Surrender to Change.

Chapter 7 Knowledge Summary • Julian’s Wisdom in a Nutshell

The Ritual
The Essence	The Ritual of Team Unity
The Wisdom	• Great leaders are great teachers and great coaches
• Reward and recognize employees regularly. Give genuine appreciation. You always get more of what you reward.
• Praise is free
The Practices	• Hunt for good behavior
• The Treasure Chest’ and ‘Victory Wall’
• Symbols of Victory and team traditions
Quotable Quote	Visionary leaders understand that employees who feel they are valued members of an exciting team will go the extra mile and give their best. If you practice ritual 2 by rewarding routinely and recognizing relentlessly, they will invest their spirits in your organization. They will begin to see themselves as part of a larger whole. That is when your company will become unstoppable.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

Marcus Aurelius

I could not believe I had agreed to meet Julian at this ungodly hour. Not surprisingly, there was no one in sight as I marched up to the entrance to the forest, carrying a Thermos full of coffee and a bag full of pastries, which I hoped Julian might share with me. A remarkable stillness pervaded the scene as I proceeded into the woods. The first rays of daylight peeped through the dense arrangement of trees, guiding me deeper into this natural oasis of calm.

As I walked, the fragrance of pine and cedar tickled my nose, bringing back so many warm memories from my childhood when my father and I would venture into the timberland on long hikes. Sometimes we would even bring our old canoe and go for long
paddles on sun-soaked lakes. Those were some of the best times of my life. I don’t know how I got so far away from nature. Right then and there, I resolved to renew the connection. I knew getting back to nature and its inherent peacefulness would allow me to be a better leader and a deeper thinker. As William Wordsworth observed, “When from our better selves we have too long been parted by the hurrying world, sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, how gracious, how benign is solitude.” Such wonderful words.

Just then, I noticed what appeared to be a map stuck to the trunk of a large pine tree with a wooden nail. Julian had said there would be markings for me to follow to get to where he would be; this was certainly one of them. I took a moment to study the prescribed route and then ventured farther into the forest. The instructions that had been scribbled onto the map indicated I was to travel north for half a mile. Once there, I would see a small stream that I was to cross and then follow for another mile. This would lead me to what the scribbling said was the Final Resting Place. I had no idea what that meant and didn’t wish to worry myself by analyzing it.

I pushed on, growing tired and out of breath after twenty minutes of walking. Sweat dripped from my forehead and onto the soft floor of the forest while my heart beat wildly out of control. But if there was one quality I had always had, it was the fighting spirit. I never gave up, no matter what obstacles I encountered. My father used to tell me there were four elements of one’s character that if cultivated, guaranteed success: The first element was discipline, the second, concentration, the third element was patience and the fourth one, persistence. I always took those words seriously. And so I trudged on.

Suddenly I heard a noise coming from a distant area. It was
soft at first but then grew more noticeable. It sounded like an animal running through the bushes, breaking the small twigs that littered the ground as it moved. Perhaps it was a raccoon or a fox or maybe even a small deer. But then, to my utter surprise, I saw that it was a human figure, swiftly moving among the trees, clutching what appeared to be a long wooden stake! I could not tell if it was a man or a woman and I was not about to call out and ask. I darted in the opposite direction, genuinely afraid for my safety. After all, there was no help available for miles and the sight of that sharp wooden stake was less than comforting.

My heart raced even more fiercely and the sweat began to flow like a torrent as I fought my way through the brush, now running as fast as my legs could travel. My Thermos full of coffee and the fresh pastries had been left behind as I cut my way deeper and deeper into the forest. Finally, after running for a little more than half an hour, I realized the figure was nowhere in sight. I immediately collapsed and lay on the ground, surrounded by bright flowers and small evergreens. Looking up through the trees, I caught glimpses of the blue sky. It was a cloudless summer’s day. Perfect really. Too bad I didn’t have the energy to move.

My thoughts then turned to Julian. Surely that wasn’t him back there with the stake. Why would he have wanted to scare me? And if it was Julian, at least he would have had the courtesy to reveal himself to me. I then grew angry. Here I was, in the middle of a forest notorious for bears, cougars and wolves and Julian was nowhere in sight. He had said there would be markers that would lead me to him, but I hadn’t seen them. To make matters worse, a deranged lunatic with a wooden dagger was hunting for me, and I had no idea how to get back to my four-wheel drive. As a matter of fact, I was totally lost.

Okay. I need to pull myself together,’ thought to myself. ‘I’m the CEO of a two-billion-dollar company. I have a wonderful wife and two great children whom I love deeply and who need me. I’m going to find my way out of this.’

As I stood up, I heard the something that offered me the hope I was searching for. It was the sound of a stream, flowing along an area of the forest that was much less densely vegetated. I realized this must have been the stream that appeared on the map Julian had left for me. If I crossed the stream, as his instructions had indicated, and followed it for one nule, I would find the Final Resting Place. But which direction was I to travel the one mile in?

I made a guess and headed down the stream. As I progressed, a sense of calmness began to return. Maybe it was the effect of the natural surroundings, the likes of which I had not seen in years. Or perhaps it was because this was the first occasion in a long time that I had taken the time to be by myself.

Eventually, the stream meandered past a particularly rocky area and then along the banks of a large meadow. As I climbed up into this clearing, I saw something very startling. In the center of the meadow stood a small hut made entirely of what appeared to be roses. Surrounding the hut was a vegetable garden and hundreds of exotic flowers. Butterflies flitted through the air, which was laden with a wonderful scent. The whole sight was dazzling. I knew I had found Julian.

“Hello,” I called out. “Are you in there, Julian?”

The door of the hut immediately swung open and out came my old friend, beaming. “What took you so long?” he asked. “I’ve been expecting you for quite a while.”

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. I came here at the crack of dawn, just as you asked. I found your map, read your instructions
and started into the woods. I was having a brilliant time until, all of a sudden, some madman started chasing me with a huge wooden stake. I panicked and started to run until I couldn’t run any farther. Luckily I lost him and found that stream. It led me right to you. I think I need a drink to calm down. You wouldn’t have any of that expensive Scotch you used to drink, would you?”

“My Scotch days are long gone. And as for the madman, don’t worry. I know for certain that he wasn’t chasing you,” Julian said with a surprising degree of certainty.

“How do you know that?”

“Because it was me. I was running through the woods to get this new stake back to this hut before you arrived. You see, this is my home and I’m planning to do some renovations. I needed the stake to hold up the new wing’,” he laughed.

“That was you?” I exclaimed. “Julian, I thought I was going to die. Why in God’s name didn’t you let me know? I could have had a heart attack!”

Julian put his arm around my shoulder in an effort to comfort me. “I almost did. But then a thought came to me. The reason I invited you here today, into this miraculous forest hideaway where I live, is to share the power of Ritual 4 with you. Ritual 4, as you know from my little gift to you the other night, requires you to Surrender to Change.

“I thought that if you were exposed to a little adventure and discomfort, you might have an even better appreciation of the lessons I planned to share. I sincerely apologize if I frightened you. But I knew you’d be okay. As a matter of fact, I was watching out for your safety at every step of the way. Now, please come into my home and let’s get started. We have an important day of learning ahead of us.”

Calming down, I asked, “But what do you mean by Surrender to Change? And how would getting me to feel uncomfortable be of any benefit?”

“Change is the most dominant force in the business world today, as I’m sure you know. Technology is changing, society is changing, the political landscape is changing, even the way people work is changing. Did you know that in the early 1900s, 85 percent of the workers in our part of the world were in agriculture? Now this field involves less than 3 percent of the work force. And it was recently reported that more information has been produced in the past thirty years than in the entire 5,000-year period before it!”

“I’m not surprised. Change is driving us crazy at GlobalView. By the time one of our products hits the market it’s actually obsolete since we are already testing something even more advanced. People are demanding new methods of doing their work, we are facing more regulation than ever before, our customers’ expectations have totally changed and our competition is now truly global. It seems that by the time we finally come to grips with one new development, ten more come along.”

“Precisely. That’s why I asked you to come here, to the Final Resting Place as I jokingly call my little home, to learn about Ritual 4, the ritual of adaptability and change management. You see, every visionary leader goes beyond struggling with change. He or she has the wisdom to realize that if one truly wants to master change, one must
surrender
to it.”