About Robin Sharma

The Author

Once a distinguished litigation lawyer with double law degree, including a Master of Law, Robin Sharma is now the author of ten major international bestsellers including "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" and The Greatness Guide Series.

He is also the CEO of Sharma Leadership International Inc., a global training firm that focuses on helping people lead without title. As a globally recognized leadership expert, Robin was recently ranked #2 in a line-up of Top 30 Leadership Gurus by leadershipguru.net alongside gurus such as John Maxwell, Tom Peters and Stephen Covey.

Robin Sharma presents highly empowering workshops and is the influencing factor to elite performers in many world-successful organizations, helping them achieve results. His impressive following of clients include multinationals such as Microsoft, IGM, The Ritz-Carlton, Nike, Wyeth, KPMG, Kraft Foods, BP, Oracle, Unilever, FedEx, Panasonic, Unilever, General Electric, Yale University, NASA, etc.

Robin Sharma's one-day event "Lead Without Title: High Performance Leadership in Turbulent Times" held on 11 May 2009 in KL shared breakthrough strategies with 350 participants to show them how they can seize opportunities that arise and create extraordinary results in our fast moving and challenging times. It was a proactive response towards global financial crisis to aid local and multinational organizations in Malaysia achieve results in difficult times.

Robin Sharma Facts

In an independent ranking of the world's top leadership experts by leadershipgurus.net Robin is ranked #2 (along with Jim Collins, Jack Welch and John Maxwell).

Robin's books have been published in over 50 countries and in 70 languages.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari is the 5th best selling book in the history of Israel. It has been on India's Top 10 bestseller list of over 2 years. Robin's books have been the fastest selling books in Turkish publishing history. His books have also been blockbusters in Japan, Spain, England, Dubai, Mexico, Singapore, Puerto Rico and throughout South America.
Robin starred in his own PBS special and has appeared on over 1000 television and radio shows.
Robin Sharma is the founder of The Robin Sharma Foundation for Children to help underprivileged children become leaders.
Sharma's heroes include Mandela, Picasso and Philippe Starck along with his two children and the people he works alongside at SLI. His passions include skiing, sailing, travel, art, reading and good ideas. He lives in Toronto and Collingwood, a ski resort town in The Blue Mountains.

Robin's Mission Statement

To help people and organizations across the world Lead Without Title.

What they say
"Your high-energy, multimedia presentation made us laugh, and made us think. Your messages were insightful and on target."
Bill Norman,
Vice President,
Worldwide Operations, Microsoft

"Robin Sharma was inspirational and exceeded the highest expectations of the audience. His words were moving and inspiring to everyone including myself."
Balakrishnam G. Lyer,
Vice President,
Portfolio Analytics,
GE Commercial Finance

"Everyone who attended your session was impressed and motivated by what you had to offer. You were able to inject excitement and more than satisfy the expectations of the attendees in explaining the concepts of your leadership lessons"
Michael Eow,
President,
CIMA Malaysia Division

Robin's website and social networks

QA With Robin Sharma

Q1: As an advisor to some of the globe's F500, top CEOs and executives, along with many professional athletes, what have you found to be some of their key concerns recently?

Robin's Reply: In this day and age - a time of dramatic distraction - it's so easy to be busy just being busy. With our Blackberrys, 24 hour news cycle, demanding jobs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., we can lose sight of our most important objectives. My clients often come to me unable to cope with competing demands: work is over-demanding and stressful, unable to lead their organizations effectively, family life is suffering, health has become a distant priority, and they're no longer happy in their current situation. Modern life has become so complex, and for many people, it's overwhelming. So, my coaching allows these people to prioritize, get rid of the 'clutter' and focus on what's most important.

Q2: In these uncertain times, what is your advice for people going through some difficult situations?

Robin's Reply: We must remember that the most successful and resilient people are able to transform challenges into opportunities. Each distraction or challenging situation that life throws our way must be interpreted as a learning point and as an opportunity to improve as human beings. This is the time to shed our old ways, to create and be remarkably innovative, and remake old business models. A simple way to deal with stress is to focus on the positive and distance yourself from the overwhelming negative news in the world right now.

Q3: How did you get the idea for your book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari? And why do you think it has resonated with millions of people around the world?

Robin's Reply: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari is largely a book that reflects my life's journey. I was a very unhappy litigation lawyer, just like the lead character Julian Mantle. I had two law degrees, I was working with a very successful firm, but in many ways, I was living someone else's life. I was living by an external definition of success rather than by my own. So I decided to do some soul searching, and get my life on a new path. I wrote The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari in the form of a story because fundamentally, adults are nothing more than deteriorated children. Everyone of us loves to be entertained. Every one of us loves to be inspired. I thought that if I wrote a book that was entertaining and fun, yet shared real and powerful ideas that help people achieve greater success, people would enjoy it.

Q4: What do you think about all the international success that your books and work has generated?

Robin's Reply: I'm humbled by it. And I'm so grateful to everyone who has helped me along the journey. I'm a very ordinary man. No different from the person reading your story. I was born in Africa and grew up in a town of 2000 people on the East coast of Canada. I fell into this whole thing - almost by accident. I used to be a lawyer. I was successful on the outside but very empty within. So I began to search for answers. I began to try and learn how the best got there. How happy people created their happiness. How superstars created their mastery. I discovered some very powerful lessons. I shared them in a selfpublished book that my Mom edited and my Dad and I sold out of the trunk of my car. The book began to sell very quickly. That led to invitations from companies to help them inspire their employees and assist them in developing their leadership capacities. The message spread. The dream grew.

Q5: Who inspires you?

Robin's Reply: My two children are my heroes. They teach me what passion, curiosity, joy and unconditional love looks like. People like Bono, Richard Branson, and Nelson Mandela inspire me. Unknown human beings reaching for their own unique form of personal and professional greatness inspire me. My readers - and all their stories of personal and professional transformation - inspire me deeply.

Q6: You talk and write a lot about this concept "Lead Without Title". Explain what leadership means to you.

Robin's Reply: Every person within an organization has the opportunity to show leadership behavior each day. To Lead Without Title. Leadership is far less about position than it is about attitude and the way you show up each day. Leaders without a title are able to seize opportunities amidst setbacks, constantly innovate, and treat people with compassion. Every person can be the CEO his or her own role. For example, frontline sales staff can become 'CEOs' of the division or business they're responsible for. This enables them to assume job ownership and foster a sense of freedom to control their own careers. The role of great leaders is to help their staff to realize their own potential, driving them to do their best and work towards excellence. The best companies get that. Their race is to grow leaders faster than their competition. My company, Sharma Leadership International Inc., helps the best organizations do exactly that.

Q7: Could you name 3 of your best tips, or pieces of advice, that people can quickly adopt into their daily lives?

Robin's Reply: Be the greatest you can be before it is too late, because no one knows how long we are going to live. Run towards your fears rather than away from them. Within your business or organization, show leadership in whatever title you have, and help build a culture of success, and build strong relationships.

Q8: How do you define happiness?

Robin's Reply: Happiness is being in the process of creating what's most important to you in all significant areas of your life (including work, home and personal). Happiness is not about reaching the destination, but about enjoying the process of getting to your own personal mountaintop. Happiness is also about being true to yourself and living life on your own terms rather than according to the values and dreams of others.

Q9: In your books, you encourage people to spend 60 minutes a day reading. What are your favorite books?

Robin's Reply: Reading is having a conversation with the author. Just imagine having a conversation today with Mahatma Gandhi and Richard Branson and Lance Armstrong and Salvador Dali and Madonna - by reading their books. One idea read in one book has the power to revolutionize your life or your career. I love to read. My greatest gift to my kids will be my library. Some of my favorite books are "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, who has become a good friend. "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius" and "The Prophet" by Kalhil Gibran. I still love classics like "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie as well as a lot of the popular business books out there like "Winning" by Jack Welch and Jim Collins', "Good to Great".