Striving towards Excellence

- Karthik Gurumurthy

Isadore Sharpe started a little company called The Four Seasons, with a single little hotel, in 1961. Did deals based on a handshake. Spoke his truth and kept his word. Did great work and offered great value. Well, good things happen to people who do good things (key thought to remember).

The Four Seasons, now one of the planet's most successful hotel chains, recently received purchase offers from the likes of Bill Gates and other heavy-hitters. Friends and colleagues of Issy Sharpe said things like "he deserves all the great things happening to him". Stands to make hundreds of millions. His reputation continues to soar. Fitting way to tie up his Cinderella Story.

Lessons learnt from his story:

1. Stay true to your vision/dream. There's something to be said for just staying at what you are trying to achieve well past the point everyone else gives up. Life rewards the (unreasonably) devoted.

2. Stay true to your values. In a world of fast-buck artists and people playing the short-game, Issy took the long-view. Built high-trust relationships. Protected his brand. Underpromised and overdelivered. Didn't care if others were unethical - stayed true to himself.

3. The little things amount to big things. Issy's dream started small. But he tended to it daily. Small daily elevations compound into massive results over time. Remember that success comes via those daily wins.

So model Issy - no matter what work you're doing today. Because leadership is all about Leading Where You're Planted. And it's not about the size of your title - but the depth of your commitment.