Invent Great Things Like Leonardo Da Vinci Did

I have been a fan of the works of the Great - Leonardo Da Vinci.. My wife had a post on her blog about the occasion when we all had seen an exhibition about his work.. The Seasoning. The artcile below is from one of the recent newsletters from Robin Sharma


Leonardo Da Vinci came to mind. Perhaps one of civilization's finest minds, he lived by three primary values (as you know, values are those things we most value): Vision. Optimism. Courage.

VISION. Vision is all about challenging your assumptions and playing out on the edges so you see new ways of working/creating/being that The Herd just can't see. Without vision, you're just half-alive to life. Being a victim vs. becoming a leader. And as the CEO of NIKE, Mark Parker, said: "Curiosity is life. Assumptions are death."

OPTIMISM. As I've traveled across Europe on this tour evangelizing the Lead Without a Title message and hearing all the success stories from readers of "The Leader Who Had No Title" (thanks to all of you who share your stories with me on Twitter), I've become more clear than ever before as to the power of optimism. Genius-level work doesn't happen within an environment of negativity. Every work of art was produced by someone who felt deeply inspired. And radically optimistic. So, no matter what title you may hold, may I suggest that you get paid to be optimistic. To lift people up versus tear people down. To shine a light onto other human beings. And please also remember: Leadership (and optimism) isn't just how you behave under perfect conditions. Leadership is about how you perform when everything's falling apart.

COURAGE. Well, this is the base of leadership - and crafting a precious life. Da Vinci had the courage to stand for (and advance) his convictions. From the ball bearing to the Mona Lisa to the world's first parachute, while others laughed, Da Vinci dreamed. Why? Because at some level, he believed in himself more than the doubts that those around him were trying to sell him (as I Tweeted recently: "Your doubts are nothing more than the lies your fears are trying to sell you."). And because of his courage, his ridiculously brilliant work touched - and informed - millions of lives. And isn't that what work - and leadership - is mostly all about?