Leadership Wisdom from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: The 8 Rituals of the Best Leaders

“Go on,” I replied, my curiosity piqued.

“The wisdom I’ve come to share with you is contained within a unique and extremely powerful system, a leadership blueprint of sorts. It’s actually foolproof. Follow the system and then just sit back and watch your company return to prime health. Well, actually, it’s designed to do far more than that. If you follow the formula with conviction, your business will be much more successful than it ever was. It will improve it in ways you never could have imagined. Morale and productivity will soar. Your people will be more committed and creative than you’ve ever seen them. They will be much more responsive and adaptive to change. Your team will start to work together again and deeply care about the work it is doing. And, to state the obvious, profits will go through the roof.”

“Okay. You’ve got my attention,” I responded. “But first let me ask you something. Assuming you are Julian, and that’s quite an assumption, why are you dressed like a monk? The Julian Mantle I knew wouldn’t be caught dead in anything less than Armani.”

“Fair question, my friend,” the young man replied with a mischievous grin, which I quickly realized looked very much like the one Julian was so well known for in his younger years. “Mind if I start my explanation at the beginning?”

“I’m all ears,” I replied, leaning back into my plush leather chair for what I sensed would be a good story.

The young man proceeded to relate, in minute detail, the rise and fall of the legendary Julian Mantle, from his days as a brilliant young student at Harvard Law School to his unparalleled success as a litigation lawyer handling some of the most complex corporate law cases in the country. He spoke candidly of his victories and also of his welldocumented decline. He talked about his dreams, his fears, his failed marriage and his heart attack. He even referred to the intricacies of my golf game and said that he sorely missed our fun-filled afternoons in the sun.

“They were pretty great,” I interrupted, sensing that, somehow, this young stranger dressed in the attire of the sages really might be my long-lost friend Julian Mantle. Who else could have known all these details? I sat there silently, unsure of what to say next. Then I stood up and walked over to him.

“Julian it really is you isn’t it?” I said apologetically.

“Yes it is. And it’s really great to see you after all these years. That golf ball you gave me for my fiftieth really meant a lot to me.”

I was delighted to see him. We embraced as only old friends can and began to revisit memories of our glory days together. But, in the back of my mind, one thought still nagged me. I still couldn’t find a rational explanation for Julian’s amazing youthfulness.

Feeling my unease, Julian asked with his trademark flair, “A little curious to discover my beauty secrets?” his lips curving into a full grin.

“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 hopefilled 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.

CHAPTER FOUR The Wisdom of Leadership Vision (#ulink_9ace40e0-b3c1-51e8-96b7-21bde8535342)

Of all of the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this – that you are the master of your thought, the molder of your character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny.

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.”