Leadership

Tonight I am going to share five lessons I have learnt from my boss that are shaping the leader I am becoming.

My respect for my boss is born out of the knowledge of what he has come from and where he has been. He epitomises the age old ‘rags to riches’ story. He was born into a hard life. He finished school early and was told that he would never amount to much. He drifted for some years until he made the call to re-ignite the Maori within. From that has emerged an educated Maori leader who has a passion and drive to ensure the survival of his people, and in doing so will contribute to the biggest transformation through education this country has ever seen. I have oversimplified his life here due to time constraints – but his is a truly inspirational story.

I have chosen to write about him, because what he has taught me literally saved my working life.

LESSON ONE: Meet your people face-to-face
Don't get me wrong - I met with people but if I could I would have emailed them. I had learnt from an early age the power of the ‘poison pen’ and once when I was asked to describe something I was good at – I had responded with one word “emails”. Now however, I try where possible to meet with people face to face. The results have been far more effective than sending emails where every line can have multiple meanings. When I meet with people I am prepared, have identified the risks, known the expected outcome, and been genuine and confident in what I was saying. There is no longer room for ambiguity.

LESSON TWO: Trust no-one
This survival tip has been one that keeps me the safest but was also one of the hardest to implement. To trust no-one sounds harsh, because you need to trust someone – however, the essence of the lesson is about not taking everyone at face value, something I used to do readily to the detriment of my own wellbeing. I have learnt that in a position of responsibility, trust is a rare commodity that should be guarded and traded cautiously. I am fortunate to be in a position where I have since sifted through the people I engage with on a daily basis and am now confident in the people that really do ‘have my back’. This may well be the greatest lesson I will ever learn.

LESSON THREE: Integrity
This lesson came in the form of advice that was given after a confrontation from a staff member who accused me of something that I had supposed to have done. The advice was "as long as everything that you have done was with integrity then there is nothing to worry about. Let go of the other stuff(accusations, hurtful comments, damaging remarks etc)and flick it off like water on a duck's back." So away I go flicking off all the things that I know I haven’t done and I am better off for it. Integrity has always been one of my favourite words and to be lead by a leader who champions this in his own practice and expects it of those around him has been refreshing.

LESSON FOUR: Learning from the past
My boss is teaching me and others in our team, stories from the past and bringing them into the current day by applying them to management principles. Last week he used pourakau (legends) to teach us about 'honour' and in 'doing the right thing' and it was a privilege to listen to and watch. I am learning everyday about Maori leadership principles that have been tried and tested by ancestors from someone who practices what he teaches.

LESSON FIVE: Leadership is a lonely position
The measurement of a successful decision, in my past practice, was based on the amount of disappointment or the contentment in the team when a decision was made. I wanted to make decisions that would make everyone happy and that they would eventually be popular ones and basically we would all live happily ever after. Now I know that it is expected of me to walk ahead of my team pathing the way for them to follow. It is my job to make decisions that progress the vision, and not decisions that would make everyone happy all of the time. I am expected to make the hard calls - and mine alone. And in return I was to expect to be lonely, because like it or not - leadership is not a popularity contest.

Thanks for tuning in.

Yours in friendship

Mxox