"Leadership is about clarity, humanity, and the art of meaningful connection."
Larry Robertson Tweet
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with a true luminary in the realm of leadership and business, Larry Robertson.
In this captivating conversation, we embark on a journey into the life and experiences of a globally recognized leadership advisor and speaker with a career spanning over three decades. Larry is the driving force behind Robertson Burns, a distinguished consultancy founded in the vibrant city of Sydney, Australia, back in 1993.
Larry’s distinct approach to leadership draws inspiration from his Scottish heritage, encapsulated by the twin pillars of clarity and humanity. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to nurturing authentic leadership and achieving remarkable, sustainable outcomes for clients spread across 30 diverse countries.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Larry’s life is a tapestry of varied roles, from military service and a foray into the world of advertising to his current role as a sage of leadership. His home, Glenmore House, an early 19th-century farm on Sydney’s pastoral fringe, is a testament to his passion for cultivating leadership, nature, family, and community.
In this exclusive interview, we explore Larry’s profound insights on leadership, gain a glimpse into his upcoming book, and discover his strategies for thriving in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Join us as we embark on a voyage of wisdom and experience with Larry Robertson.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET FEATURED?
All interviews are 100% FREE OF CHARGE
Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Larry Robertson: I’m a globally recognised leadership advisor and speaker with more than three decades of experience helping current and emerging leaders to become more authentic, inspired and effective.
I founded Robertson Burns in Sydney, Australia in 1993. Reflecting my Scottish heritage, Burns relates to the 18th century poet Robert Burns, the Scottish Bard. Through the twin lenses of clarity and humanity, I focus on delivering authentic leadership and achieving outstanding, sustainable results.
Across 30 countries, my clients range from chairpersons, senior business executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, politicians and families to highly qualified and intelligent younger achievers. I have also helped client organisations win over USD$6bn in new business.
I live with my interior and garden designer wife at Glenmore House, an early 19th century farm on Sydney’s rural fringe, where we have created a renowned and often visited garden, host small events and nurture a small herd of Angus cattle. We also have two adult daughters.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Larry Robertson: Employees want to be acknowledged, listened to, appreciated and have opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. In other words, leaders must engage with their people regularly and often, both formally and informally.
Mine has been a portfolio career: The military (army officer), adland (advertising agency), entrepreneur (advertising business and farm) and 30 years in my current role as a leadership advisor and speaker.
To adapt to the current shift, I am now re-booting myself to remain relevant by continuing to help current and future business leaders truly lead and be better people in this changing world.
Here is a two-fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Larry Robertson: The book that has influenced me the most is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This book is timeless. It covers the basic human principles such as integrity, selflessness, dignity, connection, fairness, personal growth.
I met the late Mr Covey almost 30 years ago, shortly after starting my current business, and immediately knew I was on the right track. I don’t often gift books; however, I do recommend them. One of my favourites has long been The Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni.
It’s a terrific read and addresses much of what I see in too many current leaders: Status over results, popularity over accountability, certainty over clarity, harmony over productive challenge, invulnerability over authenticity.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Larry Robertson: My new book WHY listen to, work and follow YOU? – The 3 Qualities of True Leaders will be released on 31 October.
I have written this book to help people who want to get ahead, change direction and/or simply make a worthwhile difference. Most are aspiring leaders or already in leadership positions and recognise they need to lift their games and truly lead.
Yet no one succeeds alone. At the heart of the book are the questions: Why should anyone choose to listen, work with, follow, recommend, back or buy from you? Afterall, no one has to!
The answers are straightforward and compelling. We choose to go along with someone because we feel we know and trust them; we feel appreciated and respected by them; and we recognise their intent and readily align our own with theirs.
Every meaningful relationship in our lives is founded on these core principles – mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual purpose.
This highlights the central thesis of my philosophy and approach: true, effective leadership is relationship, full stop. It is simple, powerful yet fundamental and I bring it to life in this book. If you want others to come with you, you need to establish a meaningful relationship with them.
And, as it is with every relationship, communication is at the heart of leadership: it is 80% of a leader’s role. If no one is listening to you, no one is following you and you’re not leading.
My proprietary 3 Qualities of True Leaders (AQ: Authenticity; EQ: Empathy; IQ: Intent) are illustrated by way of easily relatable examples and stories. I provide the advice and tools with which to put the 3 Qs into practice and lift your game holistically, both as a true leader and a better person.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Larry Robertson: I run two small businesses. Day to day administration and dealing with ‘officialdom’ take up too much time!
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Larry Robertson: I would be able to attract/inspire the right business partner (smarter than me) and, together, we would build an enterprise that could influence world leaders to lead better and build a better world for future generations.
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Larry Robertson for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Larry Robertson or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.