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

you, Blake. But he sensed that you needed someone to inspire and show you how to get to your best. And for whatever reason, he didn’t feel that person was him.”
    I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was stunning to me that this stranger was a friend of my father. The scene felt surreal. I sat down on a stool and leaned my back up against one of the stacks of books.
    “Don’t worry, Blake, getting lost along your path is a part of finding the path you’re meant to be on. Sometimes we need to get off track before we can develop the clarity to be on track. All that you’ve gone through, from your personal loss to your tour of duty in Iraq, has been preparation.”
    “Preparation?” I wondered aloud, still feeling a fogginess in my head.
    “Sure. If you hadn’t gone through everything you’ve gone through, there’s no way in the world you’d be ready to hear what I’ve come here to teach you. Life’s had to break you down so you could be rebuilt better. And, boy, just wait until you see the breakthroughs you’re about to experience. Before you know it, you’ll be the rock star of this whole book company,” Tommy said as his voice rose, full of passion.
    “A rock star?” I questioned.
    Tommy instantly shot one fist into the air and started shaking his hips, sort of similar to a Mick Jagger move. But this sight wasn’t pretty. “Yes, a rock star,” he replied as he laughed.
    “Man, I have trouble just making it through the day. Look, I know you’re trying to help and it really blows my mind you somehow know my dad. But you really have no idea of what I’ve gone through. I still have flashbacks from the war when I least expect it. I can hardly sleep most nights, so a lot of the time I’m exhausted. And even though I’ve been Stateside for a while now, my girlfriend and I have nothing close to the relationship we had before my deployment. So my goal isn’t to be some kind of a ‘rock star’ at work. My goal is pretty much just to survive.”
    Tommy folded his arms. He looked deep into my eyes.
    “I hear you,” he said, growing very serious. “And I respect what you’re telling me, Blake. Please, just be open to what I’ve come to share with you. My life was a mess, too. But it’s been completely turned around. It feels like a miracle occurred. And I guarantee that the same thing will happen to you. I promised your dad I’d help you years ago. I’ve never felt the time was right to pay you a visit. Then by some quirky twist of fate, I saw your name on one of the applications that came in for an opening at this bookstore. One of the perks of winning the Number-One Bookseller in America award, along with the cash and the trip down to the Caribbean, is the opportunity to sit on the recruitment committee and to have regular breakfasts with the executive team to exchange ideas on how to build a better company. I realized that this was my chance to reach out to you—and share a transformational philosophy for leadership in business and success at life that was taught to me a number of years ago, when I too was a little lost along my professional and personal journey. Just imagine becoming so good at what you do here that people give you a standing ovation when you walk through the front door every morning, like they do for Coldplay, U2, or Green Day!” Tommy exclaimed, his enthusiasm rising.
    I had to laugh at the idea. Maybe it would be cool to be therock star of this organization. And I definitely wanted a chance to win that trip to Aruba, along with the money.
    Tommy continued. “And just imagine not only getting to world-class in your career but reaching your absolute best in terms of your health and your relationships and your levels of happiness. I can show you exactly how to have all of this. And it’s a lot easier than you might think.”
    “Does that necklace you are wearing with LWT on it have something to do with what you want to teach me?” I asked, filled with