Leadership Is the Feeling That Draws People In and Moves Them to Follow
- Jun 20, 2025
- 7 min read
Written by Matthew Hutcheson, E.P.I.C.™ Philosophy
Matthew Hutcheson is well-known for having survived a politically motivated false allegation leading to his eventual incarceration. Now, Hutcheson and his wife advise law firms and organizations of all sizes on leadership and strategy. He is the author of the book Rapport, published in 2025, and the host of the E.P.I.C. podcast.
The following article is adapted from a leadership speech delivered by Annette and Matthew Hutcheson to State of Idaho employees in July 2024. Leadership is often mistaken for charisma, confidence, or communication, but true leadership transcends technique. It is not merely a role, nor a list of traits checked off in a seminar. Leadership is something far more elusive, yet profoundly felt.
In this deeply personal reflection, Matthew Hutcheson brings us into a pivotal moment inside the historic halls of Wall Street, where the legacy of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton intersects with a timeless truth. In 2010, while holding the very bond Washington signed in 1792, Hutcheson tells the story of one of the greatest acts of influence ever recorded. What unfolds is not a lesson in management, but a revelation of influence.
This article redefines leadership, not as persuasion or position, but as a powerful force of presence. It is influence that evokes a “feeling” – an invisible current that draws others near, inspires emulation, and reshapes the atmosphere wherever it flows. If that feeling is not present, leadership is not present.
Let this article challenge what you think you know about leadership, and more importantly, invite you to become the kind of leader others willingly follow, not because they must, but because they feel impelled to.
The Washington Bond, 1792
In 2010, I gave a speech to Wall Street executives at the Museum of American Finance, located at the former headquarters of the Bank of New York at 48 Wall Street, New York. The Bank occupied that building from 1796 until 1998. The Museum of American Finance is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.
As I addressed the audience of Wall Street executives about the historical events that took place within the walls of this magnificent building, the museum’s curator placed in my hands a rectangular piece of plexiglass, approximately 2 x 6 x 10 inches in dimension. Enshrined inside was a document now referred to as “The Washington Bond.”
Holding a document, preserved in plexiglass, that President George Washington and very likely Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton once handled with their own hands was breathtaking.
I held up the bond for the audience to see and shared several of its fascinating historical details. I also spoke on the founding of the United States Treasury in 1789 and the importance of the key events that followed during the formative years of the nation, particularly the role of that very financial instrument in the creation of America’s monetary system.
Then I continued with my speech, which was intended to educate and inspire. The audience listened to every word I spoke with rapt attention. Keep in mind, in that room were some of the wealthiest, most powerful, and most influential people on earth.
When the event concluded, I was surrounded by men and women asking if I’d like to have dinner, breakfast, go for a walk, or deliver the same speech to their entire firm. Members of the audience felt impelled to remain in my proximity.
Why?
What stirred that desire within them?
Leadership is not found in traits
In that moment, I observed and understood something for the very first time – what leadership actually was. To understand what it was, I first needed to clearly understand what leadership was not.
Contrary to the rote definition taught in universities around the world, leadership is not making the first bold and courageous move, persuading others to follow someone they would rather not, or possessing a list of characteristics and traits such as decisiveness, trustworthiness, the ability to empower others, the ability to communicate clearly, or the demonstration of resilience amid turbulence. These are traits everyone who wants to succeed in life should develop, but they do not guarantee that the possessor of such traits will be a leader.
So, what is leadership, then?
As a word, it is a noun. It can mean the position or role of a leader, or the period of time someone occupies that role – for example, “the organization experienced great success under his leadership.” It can also refer to one’s ability to lead or the act of leading itself. Yet none of those definitions captures the essence of what “leadership” truly means.
Leadership is a feeling
In the moment of that speech, when all eyes and ears were upon me, the audience was experiencing a particular kind of feeling. It’s a feeling that can only be evoked by the presence of a true leader.
Since that day, a few in the audience have tried to describe it: one called it a “burning curiosity,” another described it as “joyful enthusiasm.”
Perhaps there are even better words for it than those.
Related article: Rapport is The Invisible Thread of Leadership
Proximity
1. Urge to draw near to the leader
The leader employs his words, command presence, preparation, subject matter mastery, use of visual aids (such as rare historical documents), and his ability to maintain attention through an arsenal of finely honed oratory skills.
His character – the “stuff” from which he is made, and his integrity, how that “stuff” endures the heat of battle, are conveyed so masterfully that they evoke an urgent and ongoing desire in the audience to remain near him, or at least to follow his actions through other mediums, as if in his physical presence.
2. Exuded influence evokes a feeling
In other words, if that “feeling” is not evoked in others, the person is not a leader.
The feeling encourages the follower to emulate the leader, and he or she does so gladly. It cultivates aspiration and suppresses ambition. It gives the follower a sense of safety and belonging. The feeling tempers a follower’s reaction to a leader’s mistake, buffers the effect of bad news related to the leader or his leadership, and softens the impact of disciplinary correction. This “feeling” is a derivative of the “reason” a follower innately senses. That “reason,” at its core, is influence.
3. Hopeful anticipation and heroic aspiration
This kind of influence is neither arbitrary nor capricious. It evokes in others rightful expectations, hopeful anticipation, and heroic aspiration.
Leadership defines acceptable behaviors within a community or organization – standards that followers intuitively agree are righteous, and whose consequences for violation are understood to be fair.
Leaders possess an innate understanding of equity – the sense of what should be, as contrasted with the law, which defines what is. Even those who struggle to recognize their own emotions, or who are otherwise disconnected from them, can still sense something intangible about a true leader. That “something” is exuded influence.
The meaning of the “Washington bond”
When President George Washington endorsed the back of a $185.98 Assumed Debt bond on January 17, 1792, while serving in office, he wasn’t merely fulfilling a financial obligation; he was embodying the essence of leadership. By personally converting his own debts into a Treasury bond as part of Alexander Hamilton’s visionary plan to unify and fund the national debt, Washington staked his honor, his name, and his very presence on the fragile future of the young republic. He poured his belief into the fledgling system, stepping into the unknown with unwavering conviction. That single act, done not for applause but from character presence, became a conduit of influence. Others followed – not because of what he said, but because of what they felt.
Influence, derived from the Latin influere, meaning “to flow into,” is the invisible force that defines true leadership. As taught in The Philosophy of Hutch™ and the E.P.I.C. framework, leadership is not a trait; it is a feeling evoked in others. Washington’s decision flowed into the hearts of a nation, igniting sentiments of unity, loyalty, and belonging. The “Washington Bond” stands not merely as a financial instrument but as a historic artifact of emotional and philosophical leadership – the kind that causes others to act simply because of how one man made them feel. This could be one of the greatest demonstrations of leadership and exuded influence in the past three centuries. That is the power of influence rightly used. That is leadership.
Leadership is literally a feeling
In conclusion, the essence of true leadership is influence – an influence that evokes feelings so strong they impel the follower to seek proximity to the leader. The greater the influence, the greater the feeling. The greater the feeling, the easier it is for the leader to share and accomplish great visions. The greater the feeling, the easier it is to overcome monumental defeats. The greater the feeling, the easier it becomes to repair hurt feelings, resolve misunderstandings, bridge community or organizational discord, and successfully negotiate procedural disagreements.
They say money makes the world go 'round.'
It doesn't.
Influence does.
Leadership is that special feeling evoked through influence.
Read more from Matthew Hutcheson
Matthew Hutcheson, E.P.I.C.™ Philosophy
Matthew Hutcheson is a leader's leader. After years of working with elected officials in Washington, D.C. and powerful law firms around the world, he found himself in federal prison following a political dispute turned political attack. There, he developed a philosophy for overcoming trauma titled E.P.I.C.™ and helped over 200 inmates earn their GED's. Today, he provides leadership training to organizations on every continent and advises premier law firms on strategy. His mission: Help others to "defeat anything, triumph over everything, be limited by nothing, and emerge as an unstoppable force."
References:
Museum of American Finance | Museum of American Finance. (n.d.). www.moaf.org. https://www.moaf.org/
The Washington Bond | Museum of American Finance. (2010). www.moaf.org. https://www.moaf.org/exhibits/checks_balances/george-washington/washtington_bond
Hutcheson, M. (2021, October 8). The Philosophy of Hutch Part 94 | Aspire and Actualize. www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/OfnyP5KmJ8c?si=CQp2vl70hizASSNX
Hutcheson, M. (2021, June 5). The Philosophy of Hutch™ Part 53 | Influence. www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/nqFHv2qsQGU?si=m0t0ISueq-QN2Rc0
Arbitrary and capricious. (n.d.). LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved March 23, 2024, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/capricious
