Leadership Wisdom From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: The 8 Rituals of Visionary Leaders (4 page)

“Stop teasing me, Julian. First you show up unannounced after all these years wearing that foolish-looking robe, bouncing rocks off my office window and scaring the daylights out of me on what has already been a stressful day. Then you stun me by telling me who you are and that you can offer me some priceless wisdom that will somehow save my bleeding company. And now you won’t even explain how you managed to knock years off the way you look. You’re walking a fine line, Julian,” I said in mock annoyance.

“After my heart attack, I decided to make some drastic changes. I’m sure you heard that I sold the mansion and the summer home and the rest of my toys.”

“At least you could have kept your Ferrari, Julian. That was such an amazing machine. I still remember seeing you fly around with that blonde bombshell you used to date in the passenger seat, her long hair waving through the wind.”

Julian smiled for an instant. “The one with those hot pink miniskirts?”

“That’s the one.”

Then he grew pensive and serious. “I had to cut every tie I had to my former world if I really wanted to get somewhere new. I
loved the Ferrari, but I knew it had to go. Otherwise it would have been like trying to go on a sailing adventure but hoping to keep a little rope tied to the dock for security. It just wouldn’t work. So I sold everything that symbolized my hard-driving, ‘take-no-prisoners’ lifestyle and headed for India, a land I had always suspected was rich in knowledge and truth.”

Julian then described how he trekked across that vast country in search of information he could use to improve the way he worked and lived. Sometimes he traveled by train, sometimes by bicycle or by foot. He visited ancient temples and studied under respected teachers. He met others who were also searching for answers to life’s larger questions and made friendships that have lasted until this day. But during his first months in India, the wisdom he sought eluded him. Then, as he searched deeper and deeper, he began to hear whispers of a band of monks living high in the Himalayas.

According to legend, these sages, known only as the Great Sages of Sivana — Sivana meaning “oasis of enlightenment” in the language of their culture — had developed an extraordinary system that could be used to attain remarkable levels of personal and professional fulfillment. The only problem was that no one knew how to find these monks.

“Many people had tried to find them,” said Julian. “Business people searched for them to discover their deep insights for leadership in the world of commerce. Others sought them for their lessons on leadership in life. But the higher reaches of the Himalayas are deadly and many innocent lives were lost in pursuit of those elusive sages.”

Never one to be deterred from a challenge, Julian threw caution to the wind and started climbing himself, determined to
find what he was looking for. For many days and nights, he climbed those majestic mountains, beginning first at the moderate foothills and progressing to steeper and steeper paths that he prayed would lead him to the home of the Great Sages. He told me that he used that time in solitude to reflect on what his life had been — and all that it could be.

“In the corporate world, I had been so busy being busy, I never had time to think about life. And yet reflection and contemplation are among the most important of all business skills. I’ve since realized that in this information-led world we live in, ideas are the commodity of success and the most effective people are the most effective thinkers,” Julian observed. “My time alone in those mountains was transformational. For the first time in my life, Peter, I began to develop a true sense of self and to understand who I really was.”

As he progressed on his trek, he grew weary and began to fear that he would succumb to the treacherous terrain as so many hope-filled adventurers before him. Then came a breakthrough. As he was traveling on a particularly steep path one sun-soaked morning, he caught a glimpse of another figure, dressed strangely in a long flowing red robe topped by a dark blue hood. It had taken him many days to reach this stage and Julian was astonished to see another person. As he was many miles away from civilization and still unsure where Sivana lay, he called out to his fellow traveler.

The figure refused to respond and accelerated along the path, not even giving Julian the courtesy of a backward glimpse. Soon the mysterious traveler was running at full speed, the red robe dancing gracefully like crisp cotton sheets hanging from a clothesline on a windy autumn day.

“Please, friend, I need your help to find Sivana. I’m looking for
the sages,” yelled Julian. “I’ve been traveling for seven days with little food or water. I think I’m lost!”

The figure then stopped abruptly. As Julian approached, the traveler, whose face was hidden by the hood, remained strikingly still. Suddenly, a burst of sunlight struck the face, revealing that the traveler was a man. But the worldly-wise Julian Mantle had never seen a man quite like this one. Though he guessed he was in his late fifties, his olive complexion was supple and smooth. His body appeared strong and powerful and the man radiated vitality and vigor. And his eyes were so penetrating that Julian said he was forced to look away.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that I had found one of the elusive Sages of Sivana,” said Julian, clearly still excited by this discovery, despite the passage of time. “So I poured my heart out to him on that mountain. I told him why I was there and what I hoped to learn. I told him of my former life in the corporate world, of my heart attack and of my longing to find the secrets for true leadership in business and in life. I pleaded with him to take me to his people and to allow me to discover their wisdom for myself.”

After listening intently to Julian’s tale, the man put an arm on his shoulder and said gently, “If you truly have a heartfelt desire to learn the wisdom of a better way, then it is my duty to help you. I am indeed one of those sages you have come so far in search of. You are the first person to find us in many years. Congratulations. I admire your tenacity. You must have been quite a lawyer. If you like, you may come with me, as my guest, to our temple. It rests in a hidden part of this mountain region, still many hours away from here. My brothers and sisters will welcome you with open arms. We will work together to teach you the ancient principles and strategies that our ancestors have passed down through the ages.”

There was, however, one condition the sage imposed upon Julian. “Before I take you into our private world and share our collective knowledge, I must request one promise from you. Although we are isolated here in these magical mountains, we are acutely aware of the turmoil your world is in. Leaders of every sort are struggling to cope with the great transition and tremendous turbulence that this new era of business has brought with it. Competition has never been so fierce, the rate of change has never been so high and morale is plummeting as people struggle to find solid ground. With all this upheaval, people no longer have a sense of loyalty to their companies. They lack any connection to their work. Sadly, too many men and women fail to attach any meaning to what they do and that, in turn, has led to a lack of fulfillment in their lives. Your heart attack was personal evidence of this. But there is hope for these people and the hope will come from you.”

“How will the hope come from me?” Julian asked. “I’m here to learn from you.”

“Don’t worry,” replied the sage. “While you are with us, here in these mystical mountains, you will discover a remarkable system for true leadership. We will show you a formula that any leader in the business world can immediately apply to transform the effectiveness of his of her company, raising it to far greater levels of prosperity and contribution. We will also teach you timeless truths for personal leadership so that you can get your own life back together and start making a real difference in the way you live. Few in this world have the privilege of learning the leadership wisdom you are about to acquire. And yet it is so important that it be made available to all. So, before I take you into our culture and introduce you to my brothers and sisters, I must place one requirement on you.”

The sage then requested that Julian share the lessons he would learn at the feet of the Great Sages of Sivana with all those in the West who needed to hear them. It would be his duty to be the human conduit of the ancient wisdom of the sages, spreading it throughout this part of the world and transforming many lives in the process. Julian instantly accepted the sage’s terms and promised he would carry their message to the West with sincerity and dedication.

“Don’t tell me,” I interjected with foresight. “I’m one of the people who needs to hear the message of the sages.”

“Believe me, Peter, you will be glad you did. Neither you nor your company will ever be the same.”

Brushing aside my usual skepticism, I replied with uncharacteristic enthusiasm, “When can we start?”

I guess I was simply fed up with the lack of progress we were making and hoped that Julian really could deliver the blueprint for renewal and transformation that were desperately needed. In spite of his many failings, there was one thing all who knew Julian Mantle could agree upon: he always told the truth.

“How about tomorrow afternoon? Is 5:00 P.M. okay?” Julian asked as he reached into his robe with his right hand.

“I had a meeting scheduled with one of our strategic partners but I’ll change it. Of course 5:00 P.
m
. is fine, Your Holiness,” I replied mockingly. “Should we meet here? You seem to have a fondness for my rose garden. And security already knows you.”

“Actually I had another place in mind. Let’s meet at our old golf club. There’s something I need to show you and that place will be perfect.”

He then pulled out from his robe what appeared to be a small wooden piece of a jigsaw puzzle and, as he had done with the gold
ball that had emerged from it earlier, he tossed it into the air for me to catch.

After giving me a quick smile, he turned around and walked past the security guards who had been sipping coffee in the hallway outside my door. “See you tomorrow,” I heard, Julian’s voice trailing off.

As I watched the long red robe of my former golf partner swing from side to side as he moved farther down the long corridor that led to the exit, I shook my head in disbelief. I felt a sense of excitement I had not had in a long time. Perhaps there was hope for GlobalView after all. Perhaps I would be able to get my troops inspired and rejuvenated again. Perhaps I could actually regain a clear sense of vision for the future of this once-great organization. Maybe this special leadership system Julian had discovered in the Himalayas would allow us to seize the opportunities the new marketplace presented and experience far greater achievement than we had ever known. And maybe I’d finally learn how Julian had transformed himself.

As I caught myself staring at the foot-high pile of paperwork on my desk, I turned away to study the wooden jigsaw piece that Julian had tossed to me. I noticed it had a design on it. Though I looked closely, I could not figure out what it was. But I did notice that there were also words carved into the wood. ‘How strange,’ I thought. The words were almost illegible, having worn down with the passage of time. I quickly reached into the drawer of my desk and pulled out a magnifying glass. Finally, I could read the words. They read simply,
Ritual 1: Link Paycheck to Purpose.

James Allen

My heart was racing as I turned onto the tree-lined country road that would eventually lead me to my golf club, a club widely recognized as one of the most prestigious in the entire country. Judges, senators, financiers and celebrities were well represented among the membership and a ten-year waiting list ensured this would remain the case for the foreseeable future. I felt lucky to be able to belong to such an establishment. I would have felt even luckier if I’d had the time to enjoy the facility on a more regular basis. With all
the turmoil GlobalView was facing, a round of golf was nothing more than a fantasy.

As I approached the clubhouse, a massive wooden structure with majestic pillars and a breathtaking view of the beautifully manicured golf course and the lush gardens that surrounded it, I spotted Julian. He was sitting up on the verandah, his table shaded by an umbrella to protect him from the late afternoon sun. He appeared to be reading a book as he sipped his drink. And, in violation of the club’s rigid dress code, he still had on his ruby red robe. I couldn’t help but smile. Julian always did things his own way. And you had to love him for it.

“Julian,” I called out, as I got out of my car and walked up the stairs that led to the verandah.

As he saw me approaching, he stood up and extended his hand. “Thanks for coming, Peter. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

As we settled in, I ordered a martini. It had been another rough day at the office and I felt the drink would help me unwind. I had been under such pressure over the past few months that anything that would calm my nerves was welcome. “What are you reading?” I asked, looking down at the leather-bound book Julian held in his hand.

“It’s a book on the life of Gandhi.”

“I didn’t know you were into Gandhi. As a matter of fact, I can’t recall seeing you carry around a book in all the years I’ve known you.”

“I have nothing in common with the time-starved, over-stressed Julian Mantle that you once knew. I’ve changed in so many ways you cannot imagine. One of the many lessons I learned in the Himalayas is that with the twin elements of knowledge and courage, all things are possible. So I now make sure that I read
from a good book every single day. Doing so connects me to the intelligence I need and keeps me focused on where I’m going. And inspired by the knowledge of where I’m going, I maintain the courage to keep moving forward.” “Interesting. But why Gandhi?”