Free The Greatness Guide: One of the World's Most Successful Coaches Shares His Secrets for Personal and Business Mastery by Robin Sharma Page A

nice, big workout to energize me for the day. I’m a client, one of the people who keeps them in business. But they didn’t seem to get that. No greeting. No smile. No warmth. Just a continued conversation about the destroyed bridge.
    I asked whether the club was still open. They laughed. One of the employees said, “We won’t be open for a while.” Okay … a little more information might be helpful, guys. But no more information came. No data on when the club might re-open or a solution for me such as alternative clubs that could allow me to work out for the interim until this place gets up andrunning again. I turned away, receiving further evidence that this organization just doesn’t get it. And that it just doesn’t care anymore. It once did.
    In the past, it offered excellent service, excellent facilities and excellent amenities. I’d get a birthday card signed by the whole team once a year and they always used my name when I walked in (which felt good even though I knew they’d look up my name when they’d swipe my card as I entered). Then things began to slip. They got successful. Nothing fails like success. Richard Carrion was right. They stopped training their team. They let the machines get old. And so they took us—the clients—for granted. The bridge isn’t the only thing broken there.
    Business is about loving the people who do business with you and giving them more value than they have any right to expect.
     
     
    And guess what? If a new club opens up that shows it understands why it is in business—to add value and delight its customers—I’ll be the first to show up. To me, business is about loving the people who do business with you and giving them more value than they have any right to expect. Care for your clients. No … astonish them. And your success and sustainability will be guaranteed. Pretty simple idea. So few get it.

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Lead Without Title
     
    When I go into an organization to help develop and grow leaders, the client often asks me to help employees understand what leadership is all about. Leadership has nothing to do with the title on your business card or the size of your office. Leadership is not about how much money you make or the clothes you wear. Leadership is a philosophy. It’s an attitude. It’s a state of mind. It’s a way of operating. And it’s available to each one of us. No matter what you do within an organization. Robert Joss, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business, made the point splendidly when he observed: “By leadership I mean taking complete responsibility for an organization’s well-being and growth, and changing it for the better. Real leadership is not about prestige, power or status. It is about responsibility.” The invitation I offer to every group of employees I work with: Lead without title.
    Here’s an example. I spend a lot of my life on airplanes and traveling so I’m hard on my luggage. The handle on my carry-on luggage broke after my tour of Russia (you have to put a visit to St. Petersburg on your list of places to visit before you die). Anyway, I took the piece in to Evex, a dealer in Toronto. The young man at the counter treated me wonderfully and, within a few days, the handle was fixed. Perfect.
    While in New York a little while later, the handle broke again. I assumed that I’d have to pay for the repair when I went back to Evex. Most businesses put clients through so many hurdles: If you haven’t saved the receipt you are out of luck. If you don’t know who did the initial repair we cannot help. If you didn’t buy it at this location you don’t exist. Well, Evex is different. They just get it. They understand that without treating their customers well, there is no business. They haven’t forgotten who puts food on their table each night. Treat your customers like royalty and you cannot help but win.
    When I explained that the handle had broken again, the young woman at the counter—without a moment of