True Leadership
No one succeeds alone.
Whoever you are, and wherever you’re at in your career or life, your ability to engage with others… to have them trust, buy in and come with you… is critical for your success.
And, as you aspire to more senior roles, the more vital this becomes.
Yet, no one has to listen to, work with, support and follow you.
So, why should they?
For over 30 years, we have been helping current and future leaders at every level around the world answer this question.
We’ve showed them how to step up, lift their game, bring others with them and, together, succeed.
We call it True Leadership.
We can help you be the true leader you aspire to be, and make a real difference for others, your organisation and yourself.
Larry Robertson
– Founder, Robertson Burns
All our current and former clients have one thing in common:
an uncompromising commitment to building a sustainable reputation for
quality, leadership and achievement.
Organizations with which we've been privileged to work around the world include:
True Leaders
Success – and failure – start at the top. Leadership quality – that’s about disposition, not position – has the greatest impact on organisational performance.
To excel, organisations of every type need strong, confident and committed leaders who consistently share their values, wisdom, passion and vision. Leaders who bring others with them every time and get results. We call them true leaders.
Yet, across the board and despite the plethora of leadership programs, we still see too many so-called leaders who disappoint and let us down. Everywhere, people are craving greater connection, more meaning and better leadership in almost every aspect of their lives.
True leaders provide clarity and insight. They inform, engage and energise. They influence, inspire and make a worthwhile difference.
To do so, they need to be certain of consistently playing at the top of their game, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure’s on.
Communication is a leader’s most vital trait. Despite the growing power of technology, face to face communication remains the most compelling form of human interaction. This means engaging others in the manner and voice of a true leader every time. And by giving them an experience they welcome and want more of. Why? Because people buy people, and their leaders.
A leader’s brand is who they are. Their reputation is what they’re known for. Both are critical to stakeholder sentiment. They’re how others judge, buy in and choose to follow. Perceptions are real. If you’re to truly lead, grow your career, bring others with you and make your mark, they must be both accurate and favourable.
“We did it! The chairman called me with the news this morning. I take over on 1 February.
It’s been an exciting and challenging journey…having you at my side has been invaluable. Thank you!”
- Newly appointed CEO
of top 20 ASX listed company
“Occasionally in life you get lucky and meet people who change the way you think about things. Robertson Burns has done that for me on leadership. Through insights, numerous anecdotes and practical advice, they’ve helped me reshape my view on what a true leader is, and how to truly lead.”
- Senior executive,
top 20 ASX listed company
“From our very first meeting it became clear that Robertson Burns brings a profound understanding of how vital it is for leaders to create successful and lasting impact by combining technical expertise with the forging of genuine emotional connection with people.”
- Senior executive,
top 20 ASX listed company
Meet Larry
Larry’s early career as an army officer, followed by becoming a senior executive at what was then regarded the world’s most creative advertising agency and, later, setting up and ultimately selling his own ad business, has taught him a lot about leadership, engagement and business.
He has led and been led. He has worked with good and not so good leaders. He knows what it takes to be a true leader.
From his deep and real-life experiences, Larry has identified relationship, founded on the core principles of mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual purpose, as the heart of true leadership. In his book, ‘WHY listen to, work with and follow YOU?’, he brings these principles to life as the 3 Qualities of True Leaders.
And he shows leaders at all levels how to put them into practice and achieve their ambitions.
“O wad some power the Giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us.
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion:
What airs in dress an’
gait wad lea’e us,
An’ ee’n self devotion!”
Robert Burns 1759–1796
Working with us
True leadership is both science and art. We refer to these as the twin lenses of clarity and humanity. We show you how to live your role through them and be the true leader you can be, not as a champion of one but as a successful leader of others.
By helping you unlock your full potential and develop consistency in your day-to-day performance, our aim is that you achieve your personal level of excellence as an authentic, trusted and outstanding leader. To become better aware of yourself and of others’ expectations of you; to have the ease and courage to display your true character and constancy; to reveal your passions and your imperfections; and to build a lasting presence that properly reflects the affable, confident, credible, effective and unique Best of You.
We bring original thinking and a proven, targeted approach. These are founded on over 30 years of global experience and well-proven methodologies.
We work one-on-one, with groups and teams. As advisor, speaker and facilitator, we strive to add measurable, lasting value for individuals and organisations, whether advancing personal careers, transitioning to non-executive roles, developing leadership behaviours, maximising internal and external relationships, aligning and leading teams, building and executing strategies, preparing for live events or striving to win a major bid.
Our focus will be on enabling your success and adding measurable, lasting value. Our success will be measured by yours. Yours may depend on us. We know what it takes to win.
'A must-read for any executive seeking a reset in a fast-changing world.'
– Grant Duncan, Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry
Whether setting out on your career or already ensconced in the boardroom, you will not succeed on your own. You need others to choose to listen, buy into and come with you.
Using his 3 Qualities of True Leadership: Authenticity (AQ), Empathy (EQ), and Intent (IQ), global leadership expert Larry Robertson highlights communication as the most critical, yet least well practised aspect of leadership.
WHY YOU? is packed with stories, examples and tools to help you lift your game holistically, both as a true leader and a better person.
Get in touch.
Until then, keep well and all the very best…just give your most and be your best, as must we all. It’s enough.
leaders@robertsonburns.com
+61 2 4654 5770
Stewarts Suite 302, 309 George Street, Sydney 2000
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