Written by Vicki Caisley, Chief People & Strategy Officer, Southern Cross Health Society
I love a happy ending - movies, books, life generally. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if we could live in harmony and all have our fairy tale endings? I believe as Daring Leaders there is an opportunity and a responsibility to at least drive towards, if not a fairy tale ending, then at least the best ending we can possibly achieve, not only for ourselves, but also for others and for future generations.
The NZ Leadership Programme’s Retreat Six’s focus on Governance and Global Issues was a thought provoking, challenging and enlightening opportunity, generously hosted by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in Wellington. It got me thinking about my impact on our shared story, and about my own Daring Leadership. If I feature at all in our shared story, then how do I show up? Detractor or enhancer? I thought about this a lot after the retreat and reflected on the various chapters of the story that unfolded over the year and over the three days of this retreat.
The opening chapter of the retreat could not have been more interesting. It’s not every day that one gets to spend a morning with the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rt. Hon. Jim Bolger ONZ. Traversing his views on climate change, the sustainability of NZ Superannuation, the four-day working week, the impact of AI on society, Brexit and the validity of GDP as a measure of progress reminded me of the complexity of the many moving parts in our global economy.
The two panel discussions made up the next chapters of the retreat - ‘Governance in the context of daring leadership’ and ‘Entrepreneurship’. Both delivered insights and challenges around diversity, inclusion, driving for culture change and leadership learnings from three entrepreneurs making impactful progress. Across the two panels we heard from six extraordinary speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds.
The dialogue built on Jim’s story as we explored the complexity of solving the inclusion puzzle - and it was in this chapter that I realised I won’t truly understand ethnicity until I leave my own country. Unique to this country is that we can self-identify when it comes to race. I had never considered this. Identifying as a New Zealand European (Pakeha), it’s confronting to begin to understand that the system we reside in is difficult for some to navigate and has barriers to positive endings for people who don’t identify with many of its component parts. As daring leaders how do we reduce this friction?
One of our panellists spoke of the support she has personally received throughout her career from the ‘middle aged white guys’ and acknowledged their contribution. For me this was refreshing to hear. I don’t believe we have been having the right debate on this issue in New Zealand. I wonder why we don’t see the irony of the inclusion debate when it turns negatively on one race, or gender or age group. On one hand society is attempting to write a new and more inclusive story, but we let ourselves down if we do this by making some people feel excluded because they are considered no longer relevant based on arbitrary assumptions about race, gender and age. Our ‘middle aged white guys’ have as much to contribute as any of us do and I believe the conversation needs to change if we are to be a truly inclusive society.
The final chapter of the retreat brought together the conversations of the previous two days beautifully. Under the careful guidance of Christian Penny something magical was created with our cohort that day. There was a pronounced shift in our shared story. There was an opening of hearts, an expansion of minds, an appreciation of our different stories and a new energy in the room.
To say any more than that would ruin the end of a very good book – but I look forward to (writing and) reading the next chapter.
Did Vicki’s story resonate with you? This is one of many purposeful and profound experiences on The NZ Leadership Programme. Are you a mid-career, senior executive or community leader in New Zealand who cares for the future of our nation? Do you know someone who does? Then apply for our 2020 Programme - we’re accepting applications now!