The Culture of Modern Leadership

By Rod Large

The true qualities of leadership

 

In many leadership books, the lessons have come from overseas studies and examples. From a New Zealand point of view it is easy to find concurring examples in our own industry. This has led to an interesting question. Where do we differ? The answer is simple – our culture.

 

Our culture is influenced by the large number of different races that make up our work force. New Zealand has an abundance of Polynesian employees who through their cultural beliefs and protocols, have offered another intangible but most powerful element. It is wairua or spirit. No longer only head and heart we need to capture and faster. But one step deeper – our spirit. Truly Maori Culture leads this belief that we must seek ways to engage our people's spirits at work which will magnify their performance. From this belief, we discover that all other races also have spirit and when awakened by others showing spiritual leadership, they too follow and join in.

 

Our culture is also well mixed with predominantly European influence and we are truly a bicultural country. Here too, the lessons of leadership when seen as a whole differ through the unique cultural mix we have in New Zealand.

 

"This is therefore a book about heart and spirit of leadership from a uniquely cultural perspective in business."

 

STEPHEN THOMAS

SENIOR MANAGER KIWIRAIL

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rod Large
• Release date: May 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9780473565824

Book preview

Title page

First published 2021 by Rod Large

Produced by Indie Experts P/L, Australasia

indieexperts.com.au

Copyright © Rod Large 2021

The moral right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

Except for the purposes of reviewing, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the author. Infringers of copyright render themselves viable for prosecution.

Cover design by Daniela Catucci @ Catucci Design

Edited by Anne-Marie Tripp

Internal design by Indie Experts

Typeset by Post Pre-press Group, Brisbane

A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Australia

ISBN 978-0-473-56581-7 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-473-56582-4 (epub)

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure this book is as accurate and complete as possible. However, there may be mistakes both typographical and in content. Therefore, this book should be used as a general guide and is not the ultimate source of information contained herein. The author and publisher shall not be liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

All Māori wording is subject to contextual interpretation and dialectical differences.

Contents

PART ONE

Accountability (Kawenga takohanga)

Chapter 1: What is Accountable Leadership? (Te Ārahitanga Whai Mana)

Chapter 2: The Prerequisites of a Successful Business Model (E rima nga whakaritenga)

Chapter 3: The Value of Stuffing it Up Sometimes! (Te mahi he)

Part TWO

Performance Development: (Te whakahaere mahi)

Chapter 4: Getting the Best Out of Your People (Tino pai roto i to iwi)

PART THREE

Recruit, Interview and Select Great People (Kimi, uiui me te tohu i nga taangata nui)

Chapter 5: Finding Great People (Te rapu tangata nui)

Chapter 6: Interviewing and Selection (Uiui me te kōwhiringa)

PART FOUR

Communication (Whakawhitinga korero)

Chapter 7: Understanding Each Other Better (Te maarama pai ki a rata ano)

Chapter 8: The Purpose of Communication (kaupapa o te korero)

Chapter 9: One-on-One Communication Success and Barriers (kotahi ki te kotahi angitu korero me nga aarai)

Chapter 10: Effective Written Communication (Te whakawhitiwhiti korero a tuhi)

PART FIVE

Meetings (Hui)

Chapter 11: Meetings and Making Them Count (Hui me te tatao i a raatau)

PART SIX

Teamwork (Mahi roopu)

Chapter 12: Building an Effective Team (Te hanga i tetahi roopu whai hua)

Chapter 13: Barriers to Effective Teamwork (Nga aukati ki te mahi ngatahi o te mahi tahi)

Chapter 14: The Art of Delegation (Tuhunga o mua)

PART SEVEN

Strategic Thinking (whakaaro rautaki)

Chapter 15: Strategic Thinking (Whakaaro Rau thai)

Chapter 16: Where Do You Want to Be? (Ki Te Wahi e Hiahia ana Maton)

Chapter 17: How Will We Get There? (Me tehea pehea e tae ai tatou ki reir)

Chapter 18: The Barriers to Success (Ngā aarai kia angitu)

Summary: The Seven Key Elements of Accountable Leadership (Whakarapopototanga)

Foreword

In this constantly changing world of the 21st century, we see things we’ve hardly ever seen before: the United Kingdom leaving the European Union with unknown consequences; a United States President being impeached for the second time; massive climate change resulting in devastating, disrupted weather conditions; the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the world.

As a businessman of over 34 years, I’ve seen all these changes – and many more – and I have often wondered how businesses survive, and thrive, in such a swiftly changing, challenging world. The answer lies in the seven elements of leadership that key leaders of this world embrace and adhere to.

The first element is accountability. Great leaders are people who believe in and demonstrate personal accountability. They are the people I sometimes refer to as internalists; while leaders who fail to take personal accountability are externalists. Leaders with accountability recognise that the buck stops with them. They understand the characteristics necessary to be successful and the failures to be avoided. They understand that change is a constant, and they also build their teams to be accountable.

The second element is performance development. Gone are the days when performance management was undertaken as a way to discipline or get rid of underperforming staff. Good leaders recognise that there is a shortage of skilled professionals available in the workforce and so they understand the need to invest in and develop their current team members. Good leaders make sure everyone knows what their job is and how to do it, and make sure nothing interferes with their desire or motivation to do their job well.

The third element of great leadership is good communication. Communication is 70% non-verbal, and only 30% verbal, so great leaders recognise how to read and respond to the body language of their colleagues, staff, clients and customers, and they understand the differences in social styles so that they can communicate with a wide range of people appropriately. They understand how, in today’s marketplace, communication through digital and online means has become very common, and that it has both advantages and disadvantages. Good leaders know when it is appropriate to send an email or text message, or when to just go and talk to people face-to-face.

The fourth element is recruitment. Great leaders realise that the strength of a business is often based around their ability to recruit, interview and select the correct people to make up their team. Recruitment is a skill that many leaders lack, but good leaders have always been aware that they need to bring the right people into their organisation. As someone once said to me, ‘you cannot carve rotten wood’; so you need to find the right people from the beginning and then develop their skills.

The fifth element of successful leadership is the ability to build a team. Good leaders are those who can engage with all key stakeholders, including their customers, staff, and shareholders, and build a winning team environment where everyone shares the same vision. They do not allow conflict to take place and they encourage all team members to be creative. They challenge the existing paradigms.

The sixth element of leadership is the art of delegation. Great leaders understand the difference between delegation and abdication; not simply passing rubbish jobs that they do not like on to staff, because they know that will not allow for growth. Great leaders recognise the power of delegation as a development tool to provide staff with the confidence and the skills necessary to move onto bigger and better jobs within the organisation. Great leaders realise that delegation is one of the most productive tools they can use to build a successful business.

Finally, the seventh element of successful leaders is that of strategic thinking. Great leaders work on the business, not in the business; they realise that leadership is a thinking job, not a doing job. Consequently, it is their strategic planning ability and their capacity to make their plan believable and acceptable by all parties that provides the future direction for the company.

This book is designed to explore these seven elements, and to help you understand how to become a great and successful leader. Great leaders are not born; they are the product of study, practice and effort. I hope that these lessons we have gathered over the last 34 years will help you achieve your goals of becoming a great leader.

Rod Large

Managing Director

Smart-Train Systems Ltd

Part ONE

Accountability

(Kawenga takohanga)

Chapter 1

What is Accountable Leadership?

(Te Ārahitanga Whai Mana)

When was the last time you saw or heard a big news story about politicians, chief executives, senior managers, even some civil servants who have failed to deliver on their key accountabilities, but were given a golden handshake and sent on their way with a big fat cheque so that they don’t even have to worry about their next job? Their company might have nearly collapsed, or their area of responsibility left in turmoil, but he or she