Recently I was given a great book by Robin Sharma, "The Leader Who Had No Title".  As with all of Robin Sharma's books, this one was full of simple and practical wisdom.   You may have guessed the premise of the book from the title, but the truth is you do not need a title to be a leader.  Whether you are a one person operation, an employee, or a CEO of a large corporation you have a responsibility to bring out the leader in you.

The book talks about the four main points to leading without a title.  The first point is:  You need no title to be a leader.  The second point is:  Turbulent times build great leaders.  The third point is:  The deeper your relationships, the stronger your leadership.  And the fourth and final point is:  To be a great leader, first become a great person.  Today I am going to tell you about You need no title to be a leader.

Acronyms make things much easier to remember and to teach and this book has a few absolute winners.  To teach the point of You need no title to be a leader the acronym is:  IMAGE.  Innovation, Mastery, Authenticity, Guts, and Ethics.

Innovation means be creative in how you do your job.  Always be looking for a way to improve what you do and how you do it.  The world is changing at an ever increasing pace.  Holding onto the old way of doing things means you will be left behind.  Creativity breeds Success.

Mastery means to work on being the absolute best at what you do.  Think in terms of BIW (Best in World).  So few people actually care and put in the time and the effort required to be brilliant that it is a relatively easy thing to achieve for the person that is committed.  Put out nothing less than your very best.

Authenticity means to be real, to be you.  You have unique talents, skills, insights, and wisdom that no one else in the world has.  No one can be a better you than you.  Put the stamp of your personality on everything you do.  Be trustworthy, be someone other people can respect, keep your promises.  Be authentic.

Guts means you need to take chances.  Success and leadership are not for the meek.  Step up to the plate and challenge yourself to stick to the journey.  You have to be unrealistically persistent and wildly courageous.  The world will do all it can to suck you into mediocrity and failure.  Only an internally strong person will make it all the way.

Ethics means to behave in a way that you would not be upset about being published on the front page of your local newspaper.  Do not cut corners.  Do not short change your customer.  Always be honest in all your dealings.  Only do deals where everyone involved wins.  Remember your manners.