Name: Andy Lopata

Title: Speaker, Author, and Podcast Host on Professional Relationships

Organisation: The Relationship Matrix

With over 25 years of expertise in professional relationships, Andy Lopata is an internationally recognised speaker, author, and mentor. His six influential books and the Connected Leadership Podcast position him as a leading authority on networking and modern leadership.

Andy has worked with major clients such as PayPal, Harrods, and the BBC, delivering impactful keynotes and workshops globally. A Hall of Fame member of the Professional Speaking Association, Andy’s unique Relationship Matrix framework is celebrated for transforming how professionals build and nurture valuable connections.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Andy's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

The most important thing for me is to remember to put my agenda to one side and focus on what the other person wants to achieve and what is happening for them. Easier said than done, but so important.

A curious mindset is key. People will trust you if you are open, curious, and honest with them. A level of humanity and vulnerability breaks down barriers; it's hard to connect with someone if you're wearing a mask.

Truth is important too - owning mistakes and not trying to be the person who has all the answers. Also, you should be willing to say 'no' if something isn't right for you, but suggest an alternative approach or introduce someone else who can help.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

These are often used without the work needed in the background. Organisations can't pay a consultancy to provide them with their 'vision' and 'mission', stick them up on the wall behind reception and think that's 'job done'.

For a company's vision and mission to be powerful and impactful, it needs to live in the DNA of the organisation. It needs to inform decisions at all levels and be reflected in communications internally and externally.

As a small business, we don't have a formal vision or mission, but I know my values, and those are what inform everything we do.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

A leader needs to trust the people they lead and role model that trust by not micromanaging them. You might have the experience, and it might be quicker sometimes to direct people, but people won't grow if you don't allow them the space to make their own mistakes. So, guide rather than direct and make mistakes, something that you learn from rather than penalise people for.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

As the co-author of 'The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring', the support of other people has been at the heart of any success I've achieved and has helped me to deal with a number of challenges that have come my way on the journey.

One of the most impactful interventions came relatively early on. After exiting my previous business, I co-founded a very early online network with my father. We had invested a lot of money in the venture, and it wasn't taking off.

I was a member of a 'Mastermind Group' at the time, a peer mentoring exercise. I took the floor and asked for support with marketing our new venture. The group asked me a few questions about how the network operated and how we had marketed it to date, before one member asked, 'Andy, is your heart really in this?'.

It was a question that turned around our business. The truth was that my heart wasn't in this venture. I had been running a breakfast meeting network with my father for seven years, I wanted to move into speaking and training. I had agreed to run the social network in parallel for my father. But, as this person pointed out, if I didn't believe in it, nobody else would.

That turned the conversation around. We spent the rest of the session focusing on what I would be passionate about delivering, how to get my father onboard with the change of direction and writing off the sunk costs, and then developing steps to move forward.

Two of that group went on to become my first mentors, and I'm still close to many of them nearly two decades later.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

It's easy to fall for the 'squirrel' trap - letting something new and shiny grab your attention. And I'm as guilty of it as anyone.

I'm always better focused when I'm under pressure. There's nothing like deadlines or a demanding client to focus your mind. At other times, I use a version of Cal Newport's 'Deep Work' approach to make sure I focus on some key tasks. And I've had to learn to say 'no' much more frequently, even though it's not necessarily in my nature to do so.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

Not well enough, if I'm completely honest! I'm in awe of some of my colleagues who have their planning processes down to a tee. It's not something I have managed to master just yet.

We do know where we're going, what we want to achieve, and how to measure progress. But this is where I'm better working with someone who is more structured. We have been developing some new software over the last couple of years, and one of my biggest steps in recent months has been to bring in a COO to help me accelerate our progress.

Recognise where you're not so strong and find people to complement the qualities you do bring to the table.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

Perfectionism can kill progress. Help others follow in your footsteps by guiding them, but giving them the space to take the lead.

I often struggle to delegate when I can see how it would be quicker to just do things myself rather than show people exactly what I want. But that time spent helping others take on work from you is an investment, giving you more time to focus on other things more suited to your abilities, while also creating an engaged, empowered, and capable team around you.