Be Extraordinary: The Greatness Guide Book Two: 101 More Insights to Get You to World Class

Okay, your shoes don’t need to shine for you to be a superb leader. And please remember, leadership isn’t about your position, it’s a way of being—Leading Without Title, to be precise. Leadership is about holding yourself to world-class standards, taking personal responsibility (versus playing the victim), being excellent within the sphere of your influence, building beautiful relationships and elevating others by your example. My point with this chapter is simply this: The way you do the little things says a lot about the way you will do the big things. And resigning yourself to mediocrity around your minor pursuits sets you up for mediocrity when it comes to the major ones.

If your yard or home is well organized, I’ll bet your life is well organized. If you are attentive to details like remembering the birthdays of your friends and sending thank-you notes after every meeting, my guess is that you will be attentive to the details around your larger projects and bigger opportunities. And if your place of business is spotless, there’s a great chance the work you do for your customers will reflect the same commitment to excellence. (I can tell a lot about a business by the cleanliness of their bathrooms; an immaculate bathroom shouts “We care!” and that caring translates into remarkable service.)

So pay attention to the details. Focus on the small stuff (like crazy). Commit to OAD: Obsessive Attention to Detail. World-class people and organizations always do. Because the little things truly are the big ones.

My point is simply this: The way you do the little things says a lot about the way you will do the big things.

7 (#ulink_c44635b8-da2f-5400-9ad8-193d004b8e8f)

LISTEN CAREFULLY (#ulink_c44635b8-da2f-5400-9ad8-193d004b8e8f)

Just read these immensely important words of celebrated designer Bruce Mau that I need to share with you: “Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own. Neither party will ever be the same.”

We are shaped by our conversations. We are influenced by the ideas we hear and the people we meet. (Big idea: Every person you meet knows at least one thing you don’t; don’t let them leave without learning it.) Listening is a master skill for personal and professional excellence. Leaders listen. Staggeringly well. Mau’s absolutely right: When we go deep into listening to the person we are communicating with, when we allow them to share what they know, we have the opportunity to get behind their eyeballs and learn, grow and evolve into our highest and best. And if you are lucky enough to be talking to the right person—at the right time—that single conversation might be the one that changes the way you think, feel and behave forever. Their stardust will rub off on you. And you’ll be transformed. For good.

Every person you meet knows at least one thing you don’t; don’t let them leave without learning it.

8 (#ulink_4d7b1ce0-121c-55fd-90c9-f4a14a9e5b41)

DREAM LIKE DAVID (#ulink_4d7b1ce0-121c-55fd-90c9-f4a14a9e5b41)

There’s a man I wish you could meet. I was introduced to him while I was in Mexico City to deliver a speech to business and social leaders. He moved me with his story. And he humbled me by his courage.

David Mejia was born without ears. Doctors predicted he would suffer from poor hearing throughout his childhood and that he would be unlikely to live a full adult life. His youth was riddled with operation after operation, a great deal of pain, and the hurtful taunts of classmates who made fun of his appearance. But David persevered. Greatness, in so many ways, is determined by whether you persist through failure or let it consume you. David dreamed. He worked hard. And he believed. Because he knew he was meant to do extraordinary things.

David Mejia has been blessed. With a powerful mind. With a big heart. With a strong spirit. And with wonderful parents, who told him on a near-daily basis that if he looked for the best from life, he would find it. They encouraged him never to play victim. Told him to find the opportunity amid his challenges. And so he has. Masterfully.

The man I met in Mexico City is a leader. A hero. An inspiration. Why? Because he has taken what life sent him and turned what most of us would spend our days crying about into gold. He now has prosthetic ears. He’s healthy and remarkably vital. He has achieved superb success in his career. He has found great love and joy. He has more friends than most people I know (far more than me). And he is stunningly positive in a world where people who have nothing to complain about spend most of their time complaining about trivialities.

You can curse the darkness, or you can light a candle and show up as a leader. Life is all about how you exercise the choices available to you. And your daily choices stack up to craft your destiny. Day by day. Week by week. Month by month. Year by year. David Mejia knows how to make the choices that will raise him to his own personal mountaintop. So do you.

You can curse the darkness, or you can light a candle and show up as a leader.

9 (#ulink_3e2f461a-ea1b-5a3e-bcb8-55d8a1ab2304)

DO IT NOW (#ulink_3e2f461a-ea1b-5a3e-bcb8-55d8a1ab2304)

Woke up this morning with the following line from Mick Jagger’s solo album Goddess in the Doorway screaming through my head: “No use getting misty eyed, it all screams by so fast.” True. Life really does scream by.

Why postpone what you can do today to some time off in the distance? Why put off playing your greatest game as a human being to some point in the future? Why delay having a remarkably good time until you are old? The other day I read about a young woman who was reflecting on her retirement savings plan. She said, “I want to make sure I’ve saved up a lot—that way I can have at least some fun at the end of my life.” I don’t get it. Why wait until you are old to love living?

I’m in no way suggesting that you neglect the importance of planning for your future. Take the long view and prepare for a full life. As always, it’s a balance. Do your plans. Save for retirement. Be strategic. But at the same time, live in the moment. Play full out. Take daily risks. Smart. Emirates Airlines has an ad that asks: “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” Smart.

So fill your days with color. Hunt for the best that this very day will bring. Laugh a lot. Love a lot. Dream a lot. And if there’s an opportunity that the coming hours present to you—and we both know there will be—seize it. Because life screams by. So fast.

Why delay having a remarkably good time until you are old?

10 (#ulink_12ca3da2-3ed6-5563-bd60-4f1ee153e0a3)

JBN (JUST BE NICE) (#ulink_12ca3da2-3ed6-5563-bd60-4f1ee153e0a3)

Question for you: Why don’t we see being “noticeably nice” written into any job descriptions? There’s a ton of stuff in those descriptions about what needs to get done each day, but nice is just an accessory, it seems. An add-on. An afterthought. I don’t get it.

I believe that being nice is, in many ways, the very lifeblood of a world-class business. Being nice to teammates (so they love coming to work each day) attracts and retains superb talent. Being nice to your suppliers (so they go to the wall for you) is excellent for operations. And being nice to your customers (so they keep coming back) is the best way to grow your community of loyal and passionate followers. Nice is what builds enduring businesses. Here’s an example.

Went to my local deli yesterday. Felt like some protein and veggies for lunch. I was in an ultra-creative mode and wanted to feed my brain well. I decided on a portion of turkey and a snow pea salad. I asked for what I wanted. The young woman behind the counter replied with a smile, “The rule is to sell the turkeys whole but I’m going to go see if I can break it for you.” A minute later, I had my piece of turkey. She added with a wink, “I’ll give you the one with the most seasoning—you’ll love it.” And on it went. Helping me. Wowing me. Being stunningly kind to me. A delicious experience of exceptional customer service. Because she was uncommonly nice.

Guess where I had lunch today? I returned there because, like most human beings, I do business with people who treat me well. Who doesn’t want to help the nice ones succeed? Nice got my loyalty. It got my repeat business. It generated an evangelist. To world-class businesses, nice matters. So JBN. Daily.

Nice is what builds enduring businesses.

11 (#ulink_c7cd9cb9-0c2b-529c-9434-cba073d2b232)

THERE ARE NO MISTAKES (#ulink_c7cd9cb9-0c2b-529c-9434-cba073d2b232)

It’s so easy to beat yourself up over mistakes you’ve made. Too many among us live in the past rather than loving the present and building a dazzlingly bright future. Some people stay stuck for years over something they did or a failure they experienced. Sad. A life is a terrible thing to waste.

But let me ask you a question: Is there really such a thing as a mistake? First of all, no one tries to fail or mess things up. Every one of us wakes up in the morning, walks out into the world and does the best we can do based on what we know, the skills we have and where we are on life’s journey. But even more importantly, every so-called mistake is actually a rich source of learning. An opportunity to build more awareness and understanding and gain precious experience. Experience that will help us do, feel and be even better. Everything that has happened to you in your life—the good and the difficult—was necessary to help you become the person you are now. Why make it wrong? So, just maybe, there are no mistakes. Just maybe what we could call failures are actually growth lessons in wolf’s clothing. And just maybe the person who experiences the most wins.

Everything that has happened to you in your life—the good and the difficult—was necessary to help you become the person you are now.

12 (#ulink_bbf1b0f3-3524-5206-972d-1f81c90a100c)

THE BLANK SLATE OF TOMORROW (#ulink_bbf1b0f3-3524-5206-972d-1f81c90a100c)

At midnight tonight, you’ll get a most amazing gift: a fresh set of 24 hours. These hours are pure and flawless and limitless. They offer you the opportunity to show courage, behave brilliantly, connect compassionately, and forge those new habits of mastery that will get you to a better place of being. And they offer you a space to laugh. To create value. And to do your dreams. Whether you’ll admit it or not, tomorrow is incredible. Not everyone gets one.

I just got home from Kazakhstan. Loved my time there. Almaty is such a beautiful city, surrounded by those mountains, and those apple trees. Filled with truly delightful people and rich with unforgettable culture. The leadership seminar I delivered was such a joy for me. On the long flight back, I read Peter Mayle’s book A Good Year. I had enjoyed A Year in Provence, so I thought I’d find this one relaxing—and I did. It’s a perfect vacation-reading book. One line in the work struck me: “It’s better to die standing than live your whole life on your knees.” Unbelievably powerful phrase. Thanks, Peter Mayle. For waking me up. To what’s most important.

So make tomorrow special. No, make it outrageously great. Wildly wonderful. A piece of art—one that you can tell your grandkids about. Just amazing what one can do in a single day. Each one is a chance to be more of what we are all designed to be.

“It’s better to die standing than live your whole life on your knees.”

13 (#ulink_e0f53704-df2a-5e38-8731-60d97011a547)

GET GREAT AT GRATITUDE (#ulink_e0f53704-df2a-5e38-8731-60d97011a547)

A while ago on CNN’s Larry King Live, King interviewed Carolyn Thomas, who lost most of her face when her ex-boyfriend shot it off. There she sat, with bandages, one eye and more courage than I’ve seen in a long time.

This got me thinking about gratitude. Powerful idea: What you value in your life increases in value. What you think about and focus on grows. What you appreciate begins to appreciate. Appreciate your good health. Appreciate your family. Appreciate your gifts, your friends, your work and your life, and your perception will begin to shift. You’ll see the blessings of your life (versus the broken parts).

I’m big on lists. My suggestion for you: List 50 things you are grateful for (yes, 50). The first 10 are easy: loved ones, job, home, etc. But go down to the roots. Dig (the pearls always require deep diving). Be grateful for the fact that you can speak English (or Japanese, Spanish, Hebrew or Hindi). Be grateful you have two eyes or a healthy heart or for the fact that you don’t live in a war zone. And be grateful to others. Bless the farmer whose effort brought the fruit that’s on your breakfast table. Bless the factory workers who put together the car you drive. Bless the cashier at the store where you buy your toothpaste. And bless the person who serves your food in the next restaurant you visit (this is life-changing stuff, even though it doesn’t seem like it).

The attitude of gratitude. Counting your blessings. Not taking things for granted. I’ll bet you have a lot more to be thankful for than you currently see. Just think about it. Just get grateful. Then fasten your seat belt. And watch what comes.

What you value in your life increases in value.

14 (#ulink_55abf11a-7283-59e3-b8c3-7cfd3e694aad)