this internal reservoir of leadership potential. We just need to become aware of it and then really own it. Man, if people in every organization—from companies to governments to communities to schools embraced this concept—the whole world would transform. ”
“Uh, that’s sort of what I’ve been trying to tell you, my friend,” Tommy said in an encouraging tone. “And once you awaken your inner leader, you should exercise it every day. Because the more you use this power, the better you’ll come to know it. And the stronger it’ll get. And one more thing, Blake.”
“Tell me please.”
“I can’t tell you what LWT stands for,” Tommy said mischievously, increasing the mystery even more and rubbing the letters on his necklace yet again. “Only the four teachers who shared the philosophy with me are permitted to explain what LWT means. And they’ll only do so under the most special of conditions.”
“Please tell me, Tommy,” I begged.
“I can’t. At least not yet. Maybe I’ll get the permission I need to get and tell you in a few days. Oh, and to get back to your question about why I’m not the manager here, please know that I’ve been offered that opportunity many times over the past few years. If you want the whole story, I’ve actually been invited to become a vice president on more occasions than I can remember, Blake: company car, expense account, and a huge office. But that’s not what turns me on now. And that’s not what real leadership’s about. Leadership has nothing to do with what you get or where you sit. Leadership’s a lot more about how brilliantly you work and how masterfully you behave. Like I suggested, it’s all about doing great work— right where you now stand . And about lifting up every single one of the people you work with and getto serve. LWT is all about a profoundly fundamental yet long-forgotten secret: you don’t have to have a title to be a leader .”
“Such a cool concept,” I affirmed.
“People in today’s business world misunderstand leadership. They are so confused about it. They really do think it’s just for executives who run organizations.”
“Or for those who lead countries.”
“Right. And that’s just not true, Blake. I’ll repeat it because it’s so important: everyone can lead . Actually, to build a truly outstanding organization, every single person who works there must lead.”
Tommy paused and played with his hair a bit more for a moment, reflecting on the words just spoken. He then continued energetically, now standing on the ground again.
“And so for all these years, I’ve left my ego at the front door every morning as I’ve walked into the bookstore, being far more concerned about doing fantastic work, supporting my teammates, and showing real leadership than with having some lofty title on my business card.”
I was impressed. Tommy seemed to be a man of honor. I hadn’t seen many like him since I’d left the military and returned to civilian life. I was so happy to have met him. And then a question got the better of me: “You have a business card?” I asked. “I didn’t get one,” I said with mild disappointment.
“Yeah, here it is,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling one out for my inspection. In gold-embossed letters, it stated:
Bright Mind Books Inc.
5555 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York
TOMMY FLINN
Human Being
“Your job title is ‘Human Being’!” I exclaimed. “Man, that’s completely hip. I love it.”
“Like I said, Blake, you don’t have to have a title to be a leader . You just need to be a living human being. That’s enough. That’s all it takes. Because every single one of us alive in the world today has unrecognized powers and disowned potential that are far superior to the power conferred by a title. Once you learn how to awaken and then apply those powers, every element of your life will explode into success. Leadership then becomes automatic —the default at