Free The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in by Robin Sharma

Tommy, chocolate covering most of his front teeth.
    “You, Blake, just happened to have picked the perfect time to join him. Anyway, please tell me what do you think about what I wrote on the napkin?”
    “You sure you’re not a management consultant?” I asked with a cheeky laugh.
    “Nope. I’m just a housekeeper. Who just happens to have made the choice to behave as a leader,” Anna shot back warmly.
    I continued. “I loved what you wrote, Anna. In the army, it was so important that what you call ‘titled power’ was honored. I definitely understand why that was so important there. We needed someone to guide us. To give us our marching orders. To keep us out of harm’s way. And to help us stay calm when death was nearby. Without ranks and titles in the military, there would be no order. The organization would lack structure. And that would not only mean that we’d be completely ineffective to fight for our nation’s freedom, it would mean people would be killed unnecessarily. But after my tour, I returned home to a vastly different environment, to put it mildly. I no longer had a rank. I no longer had a role. And I’d lost my band of brothers. It’s only now, here with you both, that I can see why I struggled so much.”
    “Let’s hear it,” Anna said encouragingly.
    “I’d defined who I was by the rank that I had. I’d allowed my formal authority to become the measuring stick for my moral authority. And so when I returned to civilian life and lost my military title, it felt like I’d lost everything. Without a rank to identify myself by, I had no identity. I now understand I haven’t really lost my power, and that all I have to do is own my true power.”
    “Exactly. And this authentic power is one we are born into. So it’s our birthright to awaken it and then unleash it to do its thing in the environment around us. Simply remember that no matter what your position within any organization and no matter how oldyou are or where you live throughout the world, you have the power to show leadership. And no one and nothing can ever deny you that. But it’s totally your responsibility to activate that power.”
    Anna elegantly moved to the well-stocked minibar. Inside it I could see CDs, votive candles, exotic chocolate bars, and drinks of every sort assembled. She then opened up a wrapped CD by an artist I’d never heard of called Sola Rosa. “This CD’s awesome, guys. Don’t worry—I’ll pay for it. I just love music. And I feel it’s time to enjoy some now.” She then played a track. Next—unexpectedly—Anna started flicking the light switch next to the minibar on and off. She didn’t say a word, leaving me completely baffled by her behavior. The music played steadily, its rhythmical sounds lending a mesmerizing effect to the scene. As if Anna were in a trance, she just kept flicking the switch, turning the lights on and off. It was all so fantastic. Tommy looked unfazed. He sipped his coffee. And dug into another chocolate truffle. I still remember every detail from that hotel room, even to this day.
    “What are you doing, Anna?” I finally blurted out with uncontainable curiosity. Tommy just shook his head. “Another one of her teaching tactics,” he said, licking the chocolate from his fingers between more sips of coffee. He seemed to love Anna’s java and was grateful for every delicious mouthful. On watching Tommy—and his passion for nearly everything—I realized that there’s a large difference between being alive and knowing how to live.
    “Each of us has a leadership switch within, Blake,” Anna finally said. “It’s exactly what you were suggesting. Each of us has these true powers I wrote on the napkin slumbering inside us. And it’s up to us not only to recognize that we have them but to also flip the switch. And in so doing, we make the fundamental choice that will radically transform any career—and every life: it’s the profound choice to stop pretending to be