The Ceramic Cup

 This is an extract from the book, "LEADERS EAT LAST", by Simon Sinek.

This is a story about a former Under-Secretary of Defense, who gave a speech to a large audience.

He began to talk sharing the prepared material. After some time, he paused to take a sip of coffee from a Styrofoam cup which he had brought with him on stage. He then took another sip and looked down at the cup and smiled.

"You know", he said interrupting his speech. I was here last year and presented at the same conference on the same stage but that time I was still the Under-Secretary.

I flew here business class. When I landed at the airport, there was someone waiting for me who escorted me to the Hotel. At the hotel there was someone who had already checked me in and handed me the key and escorted me to the room. The next morning when I went down the lobby, there was someone who drove me to this venue. I entered the venue from the back door, and I was escorted to the green room where I was handed a coffee in a beautiful ceramic cup.

This time as I speak, I am no longer the Under-Secretary. I flew here economy class. As I arrived at the airport, there was no one to receive me, I took a taxi and came to the hotel. There was no one there, I checked myself in the hotel room. This morning when I came down the lobby again there was no one there, so I took a taxi and came to this venue. I entered this venue from the front door and found my way to the green room. When I asked for coffee, I was directed to the coffee machine along the wall where I poured my coffee into a Styrofoam cup there. He raised the cup to show to the audience. "It appears to me", he said, the ceramic cup they gave me last year was not for me, it was for the position I held. I deserve a Styrofoam cup.

The most important lesson I can impart to you is that the perks, benefits and advantages you enjoy are for the position you hold, they aren't meant for you. When you leave the role, which you eventually will, they will give the ceramic cup to the person who replaces you. 

"Because you only deserve a Styrofoam cup"