Leadership Wisdom From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: The 8 Rituals of Visionary Leaders (27 page)

“Just look at these kids,” Julian said, pointing to the children scurrying around the playground, deeply absorbed in the games they were playing. “That little guy over there, strumming his imaginary guitar thinks he’s the rock star he saw on the music video channel last night. That young girl by the tree believes she’s a super hero, charged with saving the world from disaster. You can’t tell me that each and every one of them is not an artist, a creator, rich with the ability to generate a fountain of delightful ideas at any given moment.”

“True, but they’re a bunch of children,” I protested. “The people I lead are adults, the vast majority of whom appear to be incapable of thinking or doing anything out of the ordinary. Suggest that they try something new and they grow sweaty-palmed and frightened. They cling to their traditional ways of doing things as if their very lives depended on it, even if the new approach is a thousand times better.”

“Whose fault is that?” Julian asked in a serious tone.
“Remember, the way you lead teaches your people how they must

follow.
If that’s how they react when you suggest that they stretch themselves a little, you and your managers have obviously not created an environment that is safe enough for them to explore new concepts with confidence. Perhaps they fear they will be punished should they fail. Perhaps their rigidity stems from the feeling that they will be ridiculed if they perform in a less than acceptable fashion. If your people are unwilling to embrace new ideas, concepts and systems with enthusiasm and energy, it’s because you haven’t taken the time to create a workplace that is risk-free.
Creativity is always stifled when people feel that they have something to lose. “

“So how do I create a ‘risk-free’ environment?”

“There are many ways. Give your people the freedom to fail. Raise the level of trust. Celebrate spontaneity and reward original thinking. And let people be themselves. Give them permission to let the gifts of their imaginations shine.”

“In an article I read a while ago, I remember the CEO of Reebok, Paul Fireman, saying that the secret to the company’s success was that the employees were given the freedom to create. ‘Ordinary people went way beyond themselves only because they were allowed to do it,’ he reflected.”

“Precisely. Remember, visionary leaders never manage creativity — they simply uncover it and allow it to flood the organization. They unleash it, in the hope that their companies will become dynamic playgrounds of innovation, much like the one we are now standing in.”

Just as Julian completed his sentence, a spoonful of thick pudding whizzed through the air and landed on the sleeve of his immaculate red robe. The culprit, a small boy with a devilish grin, let out a loud cheer the moment he realized he had connected with
his intended target. He then turned around and ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, all the while yelling,” I got the monk! I got the monk! I got the monk!”

Julian just stood there, startled. Then, true to form, he reached over and dipped a finger into the slippery mess running down his robe. “Hope it’s chocolate,” he said with a laugh. “It always was my favorite flavor.

“That actually leads me to another key point about fostering creativity within your workplace, Peter,” continued Julian, mopping up the remains of the pudding with a crisp white hankie I had pulled out of the suit jacket I was wearing. “In order for your company to become the ‘playground of ideas’ that will skyrocket it to world-class status, the environment you provide for your people to work in must be a fun one. You see, one of the great barriers to creativity is the belief that playfulness is reserved for kids. That kind of thinking not only limits creativity, it increases workplace stress. There’s nothing wrong with people letting their hair down from time to time and enjoying a solid belly laugh. There’s nothing wrong with letting people have fun at work.
Work should be fun.
And allowing people the chance to have fun through their work is a brilliant leadership philosophy because it will confirm to all that you truly do put people first. It shows you care. Hugo Rahner said, ‘To play is to yield oneself to a kind of magic’ and Plato observed that ‘Life should be lived as play’ Remember, the men and women you lead spend the majority of their lives at the office. The least you can do is make it a great place to be. Rin and laughter are doorways to the hearts and imaginations of your people.
And people love doing business with people who love their business. “

“Great point, Julian. What other tips do you have to help me unleash the creativity and energy of our people?”

“Here’s a few quick thoughts that will help you revitalize and re-energize your workplace. Encourage your people to set a weekly idea quota’ for themselves. Develop a formalized system to reward the best ideas so that people learn their originality matters. Organize monthly outings for the people in your different divisions to keep things interesting and build team unity. Visit a comedy club or rent a movie theater or have a beach party — at the office. I also recommend you set up a contest committee. That’s when the good times really start.”

“A contest committee?”

“Yes, a committee that dreams up all sorts of fun and playful contests that will make your people laugh and smile and grow to love working at your company. It’s a great way to increase job satisfaction and reduce turnover. It will even help you win more customers.”

“Really?”

“Sure.
Never forget that when you ensure that your employees laugh while they work, they mil ensure that your clients laugh while they buy
Are you beginning to see how a positive work environment not only boosts creativity and innovation but also the bottom line?”

“I am.”

“Just think about how great Ugliest Tie Day or funniest Joke Week or Free Pancake Morning, where everyone would be treated to pancakes prepared by you and your management team, would be for the hearts and spirits of your people? Imagine letting the people in production have half an hour off late one Friday afternoon to have a paper-airplane flying contest if they meet a specified quota. I’d be willing to bet that they’d not only meet but exceed it. And if you really want to telegraph the fact that your
attitude has improved and you want people to have more fun, you might even do a ‘4-4-5-4-9-8.’”

“What’s a 4-4-5-4-9-8?”

“It’s the tune to Happy Birthday on the keypad of your telephone. Imagine playing it for one of your employees on her birthday as you wish her well. It would be unbelievable wouldn’t it?”

“Unbelievable
is what my people would think.”

“Remember, if your people rediscover the playfulness they knew as kids while they are at work, they will be much happier. Happier employees are more creative, productive and loyal. And creative, productive and loyal people are at the foundation of every truly great organization. Right?”

“Right.”

“Just remember that
the company that plays together stays together.”

“Oh, and from time to time,” added Julian as he walked me back to my car while the school kids waved, “treat yourself to some great questions.”

“What do you mean?”

“Creative questioning is one of the finest methods to keep your thinking fresh and original. Smart questions help to get you out of your regions of security into the zone of the unknown, that place where your perspective shifts and all things are possible.”

“Can you suggest a few questions for me to consider?”

“Sure. How about, ‘What would I do if I knew I could not fail?’ Or consider, ‘What three things could I do every week, which, if I really did well, would change my leadership effectiveness?’ Then ask yourself why you are not doing them. When you face a problem, why not ask yourself, ‘How might Kennedy, Churchill or
Confucius have handled this?’ And perhaps the best question to ask yourself when it comes to challenging yourself to rise to higher levels of creative achievement is,
‘What would the child that I once was think of the adult that I have become?’ ”

“That’s quite a question, Julian,” I said softly as we reached my car, “I’m almost ashamed to answer it.”

“Nourish your imagination and flex your mind. Let your natural curiosity out of the box again. Dare to dream bigger dreams and envision a higher future. Though you might see what every other leader in the business world sees, start to think what no one else is thinking. Never forget that deep within the body of every truly visionary leader lives the spirit of a little child, full of excitement and wonder. The sense of energy, optimism and hope you will generate will be contagious. You owe it to the men and women who look to you for leadership.”

“You really seem to believe that a leader who has ‘hope’ can make a world of difference, don’t you?”

“Absolutely. Hope is a fuel that drives visionary leaders and vision-led companies. It reminds me of what one old man said near the end of his life, ‘I am an average person with below-average capabilities. I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have if he or she would put forth the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.’”

“Was that one of those rich business executives you used to represent in your former glory days?”

“No, Peter,” Julian replied, pausing for a moment. “Those were the words of Gandhi.”

“Remarkable,” I replied quietly. “Speaking of hope, I remember glancing at the paper recently and seeing a headline that read, ‘Paralyzed Journalist Wrote Book by Blinking.’”

“Really?”

“Yes. It was the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the former chief editor at
Elle
magazine in Paris. While driving his son into the city one morning, he suffered a massive stroke and collapsed in the back seat of his car while his frightened son ran to get help. Three weeks later, he emerged from a coma speechless, nearly deaf and paralyzed. He couldn’t move any part of his body—except for one.”

“Which was?” asked Julian, hanging on my every word.

“His left eyelid. And given his abundance of hope and optimism along with his deep desire to make a difference, Jean-Dominique decided that though he could not move, he would somehow find a way to write a book so that he could share the wisdom he had discovered from his tragedy with others. Using the power of his creative imagination to think of ways to fulfill his dream, he eventually stumbled upon the solution: he would create a special alphabet where each letter would correspond to certain blinks of his eyelid.”

“You’re kidding?”

“No, it’s absolutely true,” I replied. “For three hours every single day with an editor by his side in a dark hospital room, this man slowly blinked his way through his book. The newspaper estimated that Jean-Dominique blinked more than 200,000 times to produce his 137-page text. And by all accounts, the work is a masterpiece.

“In it he wrote about all the things he had always wanted to do in his life but had never done: climbing an Alpine peak with the Tour de France cyclists, racing down a Formula One speedway or enjoying a Lyonnais sausage on a beautiful summer’s day. And he expressed his pain at not being able to hold his young children anymore and play their games and be the kind of person he had wanted to be.”

“After completion of the book,” I continued, “he founded an association to help other paralyzed victims and their families, dedicating himself to transforming his adversity into a victory by inspiring others through the power of his example. Sadly, Jean-Dominique passed away — the article I read was actually his obituary. But I know you’ll agree, Julian, that his life stands as a shining tribute to the strength of the human spirit to achieve the kinds of things you have been teaching me about. His act of personal heroism really is what See What All See, Think What None Think is all about, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Peter, that’s exactly what Ritual 7 is about. Finding great opportunity where others see only tragic adversity. Finding hope where others feel only despair. Seeing light where others see only darkness. That’s a moving example. I thank you for sharing it with me. You know, what people can accomplish while fueled by a compelling and worthy cause never ceases to amaze me. What does surprise me, though, is that most people wait until they face some kind of a crisis, whether professional or personal, before they reach deep within themselves and discover their human gifts. It’s really quite sad.”

As I sat in the driver’s seat of my car and rolled down the window, Julian stooped over, placing his hands on his knees.

“Well, my Mend, we have only one meeting left before I have to head on to my next destination. It has been a true joy spending time with you. I’m glad to see my leadership wisdom is having such a positive impact on GlobalView.”

“I’ll never be able to thank you enough, Julian,” I replied gratefully.

“Just keep putting the lessons I’ve been sharing into practice and sharing the philosophy of the sages with all those around you.

Let the leadership truths they discovered spread throughout your organization and into the business community. Tell as many leaders and managers as you can about this timeless knowledge. That will be thanks enough.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” I asked as Julian began to walk away.

“I know, I know. You want to know where to meet me next, right?”

“You got it. I’m not missing the last ritual for the world.”

“Our final meeting will take place out at the observatory. Meet me there at midnight. I’ll show you something that will change the way you think about leadership forever.”

“Really?”

“Really. Oh, and before you go, you better take this little piece of wood I’ve been carrying around. I know how much you like making jigsaw puzzles,” he said with a wink.

Julian reached into his robe, pulled out the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle and pressed it gently into my left hand. “Until next time, amigo.”

I looked down at the simple gift my friend had bestowed on me. These pieces had come to have great meaning for me and served as powerful reminders of the rituals of visionary leaders that I had learned to date. The eighth one contained a faint design that, as with each of the others, I had difficulty making out. It also carried a message as mysterious as the previous seven. It read simply,
Ritual 8: Link Leadership to Legacy.