Ninety percent of the personal development books out there can be distilled down to the very basic formula of figuring out what your #1 goal is and then using various techniques to achieve it. Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title is different. Robin presents four basic tenets for leadership, which he frames as “Leadership Conversations”, each with a set of five rules. Each set of rules has a catchy acronym to help you remember them and the “conversations” themselves are memorable and insightful. Taken as a whole, the book presents a complete philosophy for achieving leadership mastery in your everyday life.

The book itself is written as a tale of one man’s mentorship in the the Lead Without a Title philosophy. We are taken through a day of discovery as the main character and his mentor meet with four teachers. Each teacher reveals one of the core principles of the philosophy along with the corresponding set of rules. Initially, I was a bit disappointed in the story. It seemed a bit contrived and shallow. However, as I progressed through the book, I found myself thoroughly engaged in the story and felt strong emotion in the final pages as the story concluded.

I typically avoid parable style development books but I’ve been following Robin Sharma’s work for a while now and I felt he’d have something good to say. I was *not* disappointed. Although the book is just under 200 pages, I found it to be a quick, enjoyable read. Having previously practiced some of the advice given, I can definitely atest to it’s effectiveness. For me, this reminder of habits lost is most welcome.

If you spend alot of time reading traditional personal development books, The Leader Who Had No Title provides a refreshing change of pace. Conversely, if you’re new to the personal development world, this book will make for a good entry point. Either way, the advice is solid and putting the rules into practice *will* make your life better.

- Dave