Robin Sharma: Mauritius: A Leadership model

Forget the naysayers and the doomsday prophets, Mauritius has a bright future. That is, if we base ourselves on what the world-acclaimed leadership guru Robin Sharma says. He was in Mauritius for a one-day conference at the Trianon Convention Centre on Wednesday 13 July.

The session was a real mind-opener and as you would expect for any Robin Sharma event. His followers queued up for a chance to listen to his unique philosophy which he has been developing over the past 20 years since he wrote “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”. This book has marked scores of business people and executives around the world. Not because of its technicality, but the relative simplicity with which the author honed in his message.

The world has a lot to learn from Mauritius, the reason, he says, is the unique way in which different cultures blend, be it from social cohesion, art and cuisine. For the last point, we now know that Robin Sharma is an epicurean even though he admits to not eating a lot – he fell in love with the local fish Capitaine. So what makes Mauritius so unique? According to Robin Sharma, our country has a very unique culture.

“So many different groups of people are living in relative harmony. You have so many, even the different types of cuisines, and even the art, I know nothing is perfect, but there seems to be such a harmony. You do not get to see that in too many places across the world nowadays. There are a lot of places where there are more conflicts than I see here. And I think the world could learn a lot about how people get on by here,” he said after the conference.

What got him to get this perception? A chance meeting he had with three young men studying accounting. That was a few days before the conference while he was swimming. He invited them over for dinner and shared their points of view on different subjects. The values which Mauritians hold dear to are the same that Robin Sharma promotes during his conferences.

“ I think a lot of core values such as humility, generosity, humanity, commitment to excellence, I think a lot of those values, generally speaking are being eroded."

He introduced the three accounting students at the beginning of the conference. “If the youth is like those three I met, then I am really excited for the future of Mauritius. They were really entrepreneurial, with really strong values, interested in education, interested in learning, and exploring possibilities.” For him, these are core values which set our country apart and can help us develop our own leadership style.

A new book

The world-famous author is now a Mauritian citizen and he comes to the island every year or so. “Mauritius is maybe one of the only four places on the planet where I just really feel happy and I just love being here. And I am working on my new book “The 5 am Club” here,” he said.

Without being too spoiler-y, the new book was inspired by one of his trips. He really loves Mauritius: “I love it, and so I came up with the idea, it is a story like ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’, about a man – I do not want to give away too much as I want you to read it – who is very successful in industry, and he retired and he is living on the beach in Mauritius.” For the rest, you will have to wait till the book comes out.

So what does it feel like being Mauritian we asked him. “It feels fantastic. I really adore the country, the people, the culture, and the beauty. I find people are still very open hearted, values are very strong, people are very funny.” He tries to visit every year but he could not do it last year. For now, the guru is planning to come to Mauritius two or three times a year. That might help him finish his upcoming book.

After having travelled the world, Robin Sharma says he is choosy about where he spends his time. “I am spending time only in places that fuel my joy. Around people who fuel my joy, and I only do jobs that fuel my joy. If something does not make me happy and I do not enjoy doing it, I simply do not do it.” And our island is one of those places.

Values in decline

Robin Sharma is a globetrotter. what is his perception he gets regarding values across the world based on his interactions? “I think a lot of core values such as humility, generosity, humanity, commitment to excellence, I think a lot of those values, generally speaking are being eroded. And yet, there are also places where people have never realised how important those are and they are standing for those values,” he answers.

Even though it is a generalisation, the leadership coach thinks people are forgetting a lot of values such as true leadership, pure heroism and living a great life. “I am little bit old-school but it is amazing how many people are resonating with my message of ‘Leading Without a Title’, getting back to quality, choosing rigour over superficiality, optimism versus negativity, connecting with fellow human beings. People are losing them, so they want to reconnect with those core values.”

Take home message

Robin Sharma is one of the most sought after leadership authors and coaches. Executives from around the world live by his teachings. However, how can laymen implement his teachings in their life? We put the question to him.

“What I teach is so applicable to laymen and it would be more applicable because you can show ‘Leadership Without a Title’. Even if you are cleaning a toilet, driving a taxi, answering the phone in an organisation, working in a factory, you can show leadership. You can innovate, you can build your mindset, set for quality versus average, you can drive change, inspire other people around you.”

By changing his mindset, a person can benefit in many ways and he gives us a hint as to how people can do so. “You can get up in the morning and run the 20-20-20 formula [a programme he has pioneered]. You can devote yourself to education versus too much entertainment, so that you can contribute more value to your organisation and thus move up through the company, build a better life for your family, contribute to the community. I think that the whole “Lead Without a Title” message, is relevant to CEOs, to executives, and the front-line people and even students,” he says.