LEADING LIGHTS Issue 1 | 2021
It was fantastic to see our leaders begin 2021 with so much positivity, after such a disruptive 2020, Little did we know that uncertainty and more lockdowns would follow this year. Despite sometimes feeling “when will this end?’ I have discovered that I have a capacity for learning and growing when faced with difficult situations and being the leader I need, has meant digging deep and focussing on what matters most. For me that is family, friends, colleagues and the new people I meet.
“He aha te mea nui o te ao -he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata”.
Join us and rediscover over 2021, the leader you need to be at this time.
Members of our National Executive felt that in 2021 we wanted to further capture the voices of you, our many leaders, to explore what it is to be the leader you need to be in these up and down times. We met face to face in Dunedin at the end of January and came to the conclusion that our zoom sessions in 2020 taught us that sharing practice and dialogue is an integral part of our NZEALS networking. The zoom meetings engaged members across sector and across New Zealand.
We reflected on what we offer our members. Our termly Leading Lights magazine: a big thanks to Murray Fletcher for taking on the editorship and to Annette Sheehy for her past editor role. We have our fantastic JELPP research papers. We have our new forum–shared dialogue sessions and it has been so heartening to see members step up and be happy to re-invigorate some of our branches. That means you will also have the opportunity for face to face meetings this year. And, of course we aim to get back to our conference in 2022. So all in all, it is great to be part of this leadership across all sectors group. To me there is no doubt, “We have a place on the leadership landscape and thank you to our wonderful members for keeping it alive”.
You will see on the web site nzeals.org.nz that our shared dialogue sessions are scheduled over the first 3 terms… members told us Term 4 is just too frantic for anything. Our theme for this year is “Being the Leader I need”.
Term 1- Knowing the leader I am. How do we know ourselves as leaders? What do we bring to leadership? Who do we bring to leadership?
Term 2 - Navigating leadership. This topic is explored through two sessions, looking at how we use our leadership skills for positive impact, and at how we flourish relationships with others.
Term 3 - Lifting our sights. What can we learn from beyond our own experience? Where is our leadership taking us and others? What lies beyond the horizon?
So, when I consider those concepts I think about some key evaluative and value based questions: Who am I? What core values do I bring to my leadership? How to strengthen the Vā - the relationshipi? What are the tail winds that inform my leadership and what are the head or cross winds that sometimes get in my wayii?
I hope you join us and rediscover over 2021, the leader you need to be at this time.
Regards
Dr Anne Malcolm
Executive NZEALS
- The vā constitutes a realm where personal and cultural stories of identity through space and time are imparted
- Thanks to Helen Varney, the newly appointed President of Tautai ole Moana, for bringing this fabulous metaphor to my mind.