15 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER FOR LEADERSHIP SUCCESS
Speaking at the CWI She Leads event in Kuala Lumpur last month was fantastic. A huge range of speakers and topics, a talented and aspirational audience. It was inspiring to be part of it.
In almost all the conversations I had with delegates, there was one theme that continued to come up whenever I asked ‘What are you looking for from this event?’.
It was all about connection.
No real surprise.
In the last 18 to 24 months, I have been consistently hearing this desire for more connection.
“Communication is merely an exchange of information, but connection is an exchange of our humanity.” - Sean Stephenson, therapist, author, speaker
Connection is essential for you to build a support structure that allows you to thrive in your leadership. Research from the iOpener Institute in the UK suggests that the most well-connected people are not only happier, they are also better liked, they are more informed, they are more visible, they get more opportunities, they are promoted more often, and they earn more money.
There are a lot of upsides from simply being well-connected. Another benefit of a great network, from having connection, is the opportunity to collaborate. Collaboration creates options and opportunity. It allows you to work with a great diversity of people. It brings new thinking. It means you can share the load on activity and projects. You can utilise each other’s strengths. Collaboration opens new opportunities you simply could not create on your own.
Because when you are well-connected, you become well-informed. You can seek out information. Information comes to you. You are often the first to know something. Connection opens avenues and pathways into areas that you may not have previously had access to. There is incredible power in this.
The most well-connected people have access to whole other villages of people they can work with, they can be supported by, that they can support.
This gives you a few ideas about the value of being well-connected and having a great network around you. There are so many more benefits.
But how do you go about creating this for yourself? How do you go about creating a great support network?
Robin Dunbar’s work illustrates the power of having the right size network, the right kind of support structure around you. As an anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist, he has researched tribes around the world to understand what makes tribes thrive.
One of the significant findings from his research is that groups of 15 people work well together. They perform well. They achieve success, they achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
So, consider this. Having a group of people who are invested in your success as a leader. A group of 15 people who support you, who encourage you, who challenge you, who want to see you succeed. And who equally you want to support, you want to succeed and to be part of their success.
There is a great opportunity here for you to build your personal board of advisors, your group of 15 people who support you.
- The first step is to identify who are those 15 people?
They could be peers, your leader, perhaps even members of your team. Clients, past colleagues, teachers, mentors, partners, champions, industry colleagues. There is a whole range of people to consider here. This is not just about people you have known for a long time.
These are the people who you can add value to, who can add value to you. People who, when you reach out to them, would want to help you. And equally, when they reach out to you, you would want to help them. People who are relevant. For example, if you were interested in a new role in the next two to three years, there might be people in the space that you are heading towards you might consider including into your support structure.
And some people who were relevant five years ago but are not so relevant now, maybe they are not in your circle of 15 anymore, but in your group of 150 broader connections.
2. Maintaining this group of 15
If you have not offered value recently to this key group of people, if you have not been in touch, then you are not really setting yourself up for success when you reach out to them. If you have not invested in the connection, you have not built that emotional bank account with them, they may not feel the connection with you and want to support you.
It is important to keep this group warm. To be proactive about maintaining your connection with these individuals, so they know they are important. So nurture the relationship, as appropriate.
“Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone. ” - Margaret J. Wheatley, writer, teacher, speaker
To recap, Step one is to identify who is part of your potential board of advisors. Who are those critical 15 people who can contribute to your leadership success? And the second step is about how you are keeping these critical relationships nurtured and in good condition. So, when you need to reach out to them, they are ready and willing to support you and to deliver on whatever it is that you ask of them.
Humans need connection. It does not always happen naturally. It is up to you. If you want to thrive in your leadership role, I recommend you build a strong, well-nurtured support structure around you. Your personal board of advisors.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
Based on my latest book, Big Leadership, this session challenges CEOs to future proof themselves, their leadership, their people and their organisations.
Our world needs big leadership. We need more leaders who choose to be proactive, to elevate their own practice of leadership, and to develop the leadership around them, if we are to create a future we want to be part of.
This session offers straightforward insight into what makes it important for leaders to adopt Big Leadership, and the impacts if they do not. As well as providing practical ideas and approaches for how.
A light breakfast and an engaging networking opportunity with Senior peers in a small group setting.
Stacey will share key leadership insights for 2025.
MELBOURNE
Date: Tuesday, 2nd September
Time: 7:15am to 8:45am
Venue: Eva’s Restaurant & Bar, Pullman City Centre
Address: 265 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
This 12-month, high-end program is designed to rapidly build foundational leadership capability at scale across your organisation. And the best part? It’s fast, effective, and structured for impact.
Leaders will gain the competence, confidence, and credibility needed to succeed, all within a time-efficient, high-support environment.
