In this edition of The Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits a powerful conversation from the archives with Rebecca Robins, Global Chief Learning and Culture Officer at global branding agency Interbrand. This episode explores how to nurture and empower the next
generation of leaders.
The central focus is Interbrand’s innovative “Horizon Board”—a shadow board of aspiring talent under 30 who work alongside the executive team. Rebecca explains how this initiative provides invaluable experience and mentorship for rising stars while injecting fresh perspectives into top-level decision-making. The discussion examines the critical shift from
dismissing “soft skills” to championing empathy, curiosity, and collaboration as essential leadership competencies.
Andy and Rebecca also cover the practical mechanics of creating a successful two-way mentoring program, fostering vulnerability between senior and junior talent, and embedding a culture where bold ideas can thrive without causing disruptive conflict. This episode is a masterclass in building a truly connected, cross-generational leadership pipeline that future-proofs the entire organisation.
Key Takeaways
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Soft Skills Are the Hard Skills: Skills like empathy, generosity, and curiosity are not optional extras; they are the fundamental drivers of high-performing, collaborative teams and are more critical than ever in a hybrid world.
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Establish a Next-Generation Board: Creating a formal platform like a “Horizon Board” gives young talent direct access to leadership, providing them with experience while ensuring senior executives stay connected to new, vital perspectives.
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Mentoring Must Be a Two-Way Street: Effective mentoring is a value exchange. Senior leaders have as much to learn from the insights of junior talent as the other way around, creating a richer, more dynamic relationship.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube
Connect with Rebecca Robins: LinkedIn
The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring
Episode 132 Featuring Rebecca Robins
Andy Lopata is a specialist speaker on professional relationships, mentoring, networking, and social media strategy. He is a firm believer that professional relationships underpin our success in business, our roles, and our careers. The right relationships with the right people can lead to new business opportunities, investment, collaborative working, innovation, and career progress. We just need to be comfortable approaching those relationships strategically, without making people feel ‘networked’ by us.
Andy has worked in the field of networking and professional relationships for 25 years, working with global giants such as Paypal, GSK, AstraZeneca, Wella, HSBC, Wembley Stadium, the BBC, and the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE, among many others during that time. He has also worked with leading universities including NYU, Duke University, and Oxford University’s Said Business School.
A regular blogger for Psychology Today, Andy has been quoted in The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian, as well as many other national and regional newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written or co-authored six books on networking and professional relationships, with his sixth book, "The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring," being published in Spring 2024. He is also the host of The Connected Leadership Podcast and has interviewed globally recognized names in business, academia, sports, and entertainment for the show.
Andy has been inducted into the PSAE Hall of Fame – the Professional Speaking Association Award of Excellence, which was held by only 21 other speakers at the time it was presented. He is a Fellow and a former President of the Fellows’ Community of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA), a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI), and a Member of the Association of Business Mentors and the Meetings Industry Association.
