Robin Sharma, the indefatigable leadership expert, draws on his favourite form — fable — to let us in on the formula that has catapulted him to fame on the road to self-realisation and leadership. In The Leader Who Had No Title, he tells us, for example, how we could seize opportunities in times of deep change, find ways to do intense innovation and find tactics to channelise and optimise our creative and leadership abilities in our respective arenas:

Excerpts from an interview:

Q. In The Leader Who Had No Title, you give us lessons in leadership with yet another powerful story. Do you think such a method is more effective?
A. I think both the non-fiction straight ahead format I used in The Greatness Guide as well as the storytelling format I’ve used in The Leader Who Had No Title are powerful methods to transform lives. But as far as entertaining my beloved readers while helping them learn, nothing beats the fable style. And The Leader Who Had No Title was a fun book for me to write. I fell in love with the four teachers. They feel like family now.

Q. You quote many people in each chapter. Have these people, in some ways, influenced you?
A. I am a product of every conversation I’ve ever had, every book I’ve ever read and every place I’ve every visited. So yes, the quotes I’ve used throughout The Leader Who Had No Title are from people who have, at some level, influenced my thinking and way of being. And I love using quotes in my books because a wealth of knowledge and insight can be received in a single line.

Q. Leadership is a very broad term. How would you describe a leader?
A. The old model of leadership is dead. And with the dramatically new times we live and work within, we need new ways to respond to the changed conditions. The Leader Who Had No Title is all about Leadership 2.0. Now, anyone can show leadership in the work they do and inside the lives they live. Whether they are teachers or fire fighters of entrepreneurs or street sweepers. Leadership is less about title and more about doing your absolute best work.

Q. As the story in the book shows, adversity has its own fruits. Do you think it produces better leaders?
A. Yes. Hard times introduce us to our biggest selves. Setbacks and failures are superb teaching tools to draw our resources and strengths we didn’t know we had. The key is to leverage our stumbling blocks into stepping stones. The second teacher, Ty Boyd, is a master of that.

Q. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari was a publishing phenomenon. Looking back, would you tell us how it has helped in your journey so far?
A. Well, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari helped me build a hugely loyal following around the world that I remain humbled by. But if I may say, The Leader Who Had No Title is the book that makes me feel best about my work. I think it balances the inspiration of the monk with some real-world lessons to help people achieve exceptional success in the changing world we live in.

Q. Tell me something about your corporate trainings. How crucial are leadership trainings in the business sector?
A. We help clients build employees who lead without a title so the organisation flies. The #1 advantage of any company in business is their commitment to building leaders at every level. And those that don’t will be gone.

Q. You are one of the most widely accessible authors in the genre of leadership and self-help books. What role do you see of such books in an economy like India’s?
A. Leadership and self-help books help people play at their best, stay focused and inspired and remain centred on the fact that as we develop our highest potential, the quality of our work rises with is. So these books are very valuable. The best performers are always the people who learn and practice the most.

Q. What inspires you? Who are your own models?
A. My readers inspire me. And great visionaries who are not afraid to chase the heroic inspire me.

Q. What is next from Robin Sharma?
A. More books, more presentations, more travelling and more skiing.