Creative Execution: What Great Leaders Do to Unleash Bold Thinking and Innovation

The Golden Rule: Sharp’s Secret Formula

Not until 1982 did Sharp feel the need to lay out a leadership formula. But when he did, it was crystal clear, and has remained the bedrock of how executives and employees treat each other—and customers—at the Four Seasons for the past three decades. “As we expanded,” Sharp recalls, “I decided to make our values explicit, to tell everyone how to act. In essence, to deal with others—partners, customers, co-workers, everyone—as we would want them to deal with us.” This simple rule is what motivated a Four Seasons bellman to get on a plane to return a piece of luggage to a guest who had accidentally left it behind. “Just put yourself in the other person’s shoes and use your common sense,” says Sharp. “Business ...