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What are the qualities that define a leader? Does one need a title to be recognized as a leader? How can everyone develop leadership skills?
The Leader Who Had No Title explores these questions and helps the reader gain insights into the basic qualities of a leader, shows them how they can develop these skills in themselves.
This book by Robin Sharma is in the form of a story. It is the story of an employee in a bookstore, Blake Davis, who learns leadership skills from five different people. The first is Tommy, who introduces him to the principle of being a leader without a title. Tommy explains to Blake the ten human regrets and the ten human victories that represent an average life and an exceptional life.
Tommy then takes Blake to meet a group of people who explain to him the principles of leadership. Blake meets Anna who is a member of the housekeeping staff at a star hotel. He then meets Ty Boyd - a ski champion, Jackson Chan - a highly successful businessman turned gardener, and Jet Brisley - a massage therapist. Each of them gives Blake an acronym representing a set of principles that define their concept of leadership.
As Blake learns from each of them, he recognizes the traits that makes a person a leader, He also learns that the first step to becoming a great leader is to lead himself, to change his own views and actions.
He learns the importance of innovation and creating value, to stop thinking like a victim and instead start acting like a leader should - to use hard times to build character and to try and stretch his limits.
Blake also recognizes the importance of building relationships, and of trying to improve himself first. He learns to examine his own strengths and concentrate on becoming a stronger person. The author also states, through his book The Leader Who Had No Title, that one does not need a title to be a leader.
