Sam Cawthorn - People Follow People

In an era when the environment is crying out for our care, when millions of people have too little while a few have far too much, there are so many reasons why we should choose small before big. One is really practical: when we do the small things well, giving them our full attention, we often find they grow into something much bigger, something that has a major impact on our life or business. I celebrate Small and welcome it to my table.

Whatever task we take on, we need to start by finding out why we need to do it. Only then can we work out how to do it. Our teams will come on board only once they understand why we are doing this. And when we can clearly articulate why we have to, need to or want to achieve something, then we can start to find different ways to do so. We can experiment with the what and how in our organisation or company, or in our own life. Why is one of the first things we should ask of ourselves and of others, so Why definitely has a seat at my table.

We all want to make emotional connections with others. For better or worse, we think with our hearts as well as our brains, and to create these emotional ties there is nothing better than a story. We need precise data and comprehensive information too. You can't run a business or a country without knowing all the facts and figures; you need the analysis and the objective reasoning. But to trigger an emotional response, share a story. For me, Story rules supreme, so it always has a seat at my table.

Now look around at the 12 seats at your table and you'll see the support team you need if you're to be a successful leader today and in the future of influence.

It's up to you to choose how you'll fill the seats at your table and what priority you'll give to each one, and you need to choose wisely. Unfortunately, some people bring the wrong emotions, actions and traits to their table. Offence and anger definitely have no place there. Some people bring bad habits or addictions, some an insistence that they are not good or worthy enough. Some believe they are not loved or don't belong at the table, or simply don't know what to do there.

To help work out what you should focus on and what best suits your situation, seek advice from people you trust. At Speakers Institute I have an advisory board I rely on and trust. These are people who have achieved things I haven't done yet. They have attained a place in their career that I have yet to reach. Also, I have observed their character and how each of them work for others in their own businesses — how they respect people and live according to their own values. These people listen to me and we work together to decide which attributes, emotions and actions I should bring to my table and how I can use them every day.

When looking for your own mentors and advisers, ask these questions:

Do they have experience and success in areas where you have yet to build experience?

Is their character and integrity evident in their actions?

Can you learn from and grow through them?

Will they hold you accountable?

It's essential to be accountable to someone. So many people think they can become influencers on their own without actually being transparent or accountable to anyone else. That's not sustainable; we can't make real progress on our own. We all need someone to challenge us on what we believe in, to ask us why we are doing something or acting in a certain way. And to ask practical questions: Are we meeting our goals and targets? Are we treating our staff well? Are we leading successfully?

Leaders and influencers who attract loyal and lasting followers are people who are trustworthy and transparent and not afraid to share information.

Personally, I need and expect access to information to help me make judgements. Before reaching a decision, I first make sure I am fully informed. Then I find it really easy to draw a conclusion. In the past, I've based most of my big decisions on gut feel, but that's changing now that so many people rely on my decision making. As my company has grown, more people have come to depend on me at work. Our children rely on my wife, Kate, and me to make informed decisions. So even though I still find it easy to make decisions, these decisions now need to be a lot more conscious. And I need influencers around me who will tell me the truth, provide me with all the facts and figures I need, and prioritise my needs and the needs of my colleagues or family over their own interests.

Decisions about who I'll employ and who I'll work with must be based on having all the relevant information about those people. If this means talking to others who know them, even meeting them with their family to see them in a different environment, then that's what I'll do in order to make a conscious choice.

This is the style of leader and influencer I have chosen to be: honest, open, transparent and inclusive. It's not always easy or comfortable to share information, but it's essential to inform.

I identify two major shifts in what people look for in the leaders and influencers they are prepared to follow today and going into the future.

One is that we're now looking to leaders who are part of what I regard as a beautiful push towards authenticity and transparency, even vulnerability. Think of the worldwide movement of ordinary people who are standing up and demanding that governments become more accountable and transparent, and that corporations be more open and trustworthy.

The other is that increasingly we aren't following organisations, governments, logos, products; rather, we are following other people.

Let's look at the three L's of leadership and influence:

Loyalty. A good leader generates deep and sincere loyalty in his followers. A good leader will earn the loyalty and respect of their followers through what they do as well as what they say. They won't backstab such a leader or jump ship. They have that leader's back.

Longevity. Leadership isn't just about being a leader or influencer once. Through the toughest times, a strong leader will push on with focus and determination. Their leadership will be characterised by consistency and longevity. It's about being there for the long term.

Legacy. Great leaders, through that loyalty and longevity, will create a legacy that will last beyond their own career and even their own life. Their actions demonstrate that they place the interests of the people around them above their own. Leadership is not a title; it is something so much bigger.

If you aspire to become an outstanding leader, think about what you can offer others now and about what you would choose to be your legacy. Consider what will make you an influencer worth following, because ultimately people follow people .

Thank you for joining me on this journey to discover how to lead with purpose in the future of influence. Between the chapters that follow, three outstanding individuals who have also been my clients, Pauline Nguyen, Tony Tan and Fadzi Whande, share their stories to inspire and inform us, and I am grateful for their contributions. I hope their example will encourage you to share your own leadership stories with others.

Like everyone, I fill many roles in my life. I'm a husband, a father and a brother, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a leader. I run a business, the Speakers Institute, that has grown in scale from a small startup to a very solid medium-sized company, and it's still growing. We have a big staff, a significant team of volunteers, and clients from all around Australia and the world.