The Greatness Guide: One of the World's Most Successful Coaches Shares His Secrets for Personal and Business Mastery

by Robin Sharma

The more quickly you can get every single person in the company demonstrating leadership behavior—regardless of their position—the more quickly you will lead the field.

A leadership culture is one where everyone thinks like an owner, like a CEO or managing director. It’s one where everyone is entrepreneurial and proactive.

Showing leadership doesn’t mean every employee will run the organization. That would lead to chaos.

we see the world not as it is but as we are.

beliefs truly become self-fulfilling prophecies (because your beliefs drive your actions—and you will never act in a way that is misaligned with your thinking; the size of your life reflects the size of your thinking).

If you think something cannot occur in your life, then there’s no way you will take the action required to make that goal a reality.

“There is no such thing as an average human being; if you have a normal brain, you are superior.”

The very definition of being a leader means you are out in front—with no one else.

Taking responsibility for results in a world that loves to blame and deny responsibility.

If you were in the herd, thinking and behaving like everyone else, then you wouldn’t be a ...

remember, every great leader (or visionary or brave thinker) was initially laughed at. Now they are revered.

I’ve yet to read an obituary that says, “he died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his lawyer, his stockbroker and his accountant.”

To lead a beautiful life, I suggest that you need to ask the kinds of questions that will provoke you to think deeply and connect with what matters most.

You can’t hit a target you can’t even see. And we’re really not here that long, when you think about it.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. But the second best time is today.”

So many leaders are afraid of conflict—they have a deep-seated need to be popular and cherished. They hate ruffling feathers and making waves. They are insecure and not so comfortable living in their own skin. But great leaders are different. They fearlessly make tough calls. They speak their truth. They run their own race, making the right decisions and worrying little about public opinion. They are courage in action.

Help people get to their goals and they’ll happily help you get to yours.

being kind doesn’t mean being weak. Being a good human doesn’t mean that you don’t need to be strong and courageous when required by the circumstances.

Extraordinary leadership is a balance between being tender yet tough, compassionate yet courageous, part saint and part warrior, friendly yet firm.

“Great people build monuments from the stones that their critics throw at them.”

It’s someone who gets stuck on a big idea or a passionate cause and then walks out into his day and spreads the message like a virus.

If you have not discovered something you are willing to die for, then you are not fit to live.

You are here to find that cause, that main aim, that vital destiny that will move you at the most visceral level and get you up at the crack of dawn with fire in your belly.

When you find the mission that your life will be dedicated to, you’ll wake up each day with that fire in your belly I mentioned. You won’t want to sleep. You’ll be willing to move mountains to make it happen. You’ll find that sense of internal fulfillment that may now be missing from your life. And you’ll preach that message to anyone who’ll listen. You’ll become an evangelist.

This very day can be the first day of your new life. It’s all your choice.

one of your most sustainable competitive advantages will be developing a Culture of Leadership.

John Abele, founder of the multi-billion-dollar Boston Scientific, once told me over dinner that “you get what you celebrate.”

If you agree that your organization’s number-one resource is your people, then it only makes sense to invest significantly in developing your number-one resource.

One of the deepest psychological needs of a human being is the need for belonging.

You can say that your primary value involves putting your family first, but if time with your family is not all over your schedule, well then the truth of the matter is that your family life isn’t your priority.

There can be no authentic success and lasting happiness if your daily schedule is misaligned with your deepest values.

If there is a gap between what you do and who you are, you are out of integrity.

Your schedule is the best barometer for what you truly value and believe to be important.

Put your family, along with your health, at the top of your priority list.

Try not to teach your fears to your kids. Introduce your children to what’s possible. Inspire them to be great human beings who will elevate the world—in their own special way. Be an enabler.

“You can do whatever you want to do when you grow up.” “Never give up.” “Whatever you do, do it well.” And “Remember how much your dad loves you.”

In this “experience economy” we now live in, the customers must be taken on a journey from start to finish that makes them go “wow.”

suggesting that constantly striving for more is unhealthy and the primary source of our discontent.

human beings, we were built to push beyond our comfort zones each day and reach for something higher—to become great.

It’s a balance, I’ve realized. I call it The Mandela Balance.

“After climbing a great hill, one finds that there are many more hills to climb.

This world was built by people who felt some discontent with the way things were and knew they could do better.

So love what you have. And then go for what you want.

Take personal responsibility for the success of your business. Show up like an entrepreneur. Grow sales. Cut costs. Get good stuff done.

You are the CEO of your functional area.

One of the best ways I know to create spectacular results in the most important areas of your life is through daily practice.

“The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.” Wise man.

What I’m suggesting is that personal and professional greatness takes work. I would never suggest that you could get to your dreams without having to make some sacrifices and pay the price in terms of dedication and self-control.

Top athletes know that practice is how you get to greatness.

Practices that will lock you into your best state include a morning journaling session where you record your feelings, thoughts and the blessings you are grateful for.