Leadership

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari taku toa he toa takitini
A warrior never stands alone, but stands with many

Leadership is about being visible; providing an example to others taking responsibility for those things you can influence; accepting that you will have to be places you would rather not be; sharing the good with the not so good, sharing the glory; providing guidance and encouragement.

You are seen as a LEADER when you:

• Are available to others on a regular planned basis;
• Model the desired behaviours associated with the Ministry’s values;
• Accept that the role requires that you do things which you may prefer not to have to do;
• Share the successes of your team with the team on a regular basis;
• Accept the responsibility for the teams decisions;
• Provide guidance and encouragement to the team.

Professionalism

Whaia te iti kahurangi mehemea ka tuohu koe me he maunga teitei
Pursue high standards of excellence and if you are to bow let it be to a lofty mountain

Professionalism is about setting the highest standards of work for oneself; seeking and maintaining current best practice standards; learning from mistakes and not repeating them; focussing on quality not quantity; saying no if the request is unreasonable.

You are seen as a professional person when you:

• Ensure your work is always of the highest standard;
• Seek out new and better ways of doing things;
• Do not repeat mistakes;
• Focus your efforts on producing quality work, and associated to outcomes rather than being satisfied with the amount of work produced;
• Do not make commitments which you believe you may not be able to meet.

Caring for Others

Me manaaki te tangata
Value people

Caring for others is about providing support and encouragement to others; welcoming people into your workspace and seeing to their needs; making your and their environment safe so that all can contribute; behaving in a way which acknowledges the contributions of each party.

You are seen as a caring person when you:

• Show people that they are important to you by being accessible to them;
• Listen to what people have to say and acknowledge their contribution;
• Visitors are received into your workplace appropriately;
• Ensure that you and others are able to work in an environment which is physically, emotionally and spiritually safe;
• Behave in a way which is designed to raise and acknowledge the contributions of each party;
• Act as a mentor to others;
• Accept responsibility for the spiritual needs within the workplace

Working Humbly

He ngakau mahaki
With a humble heart

Working humbly is about acknowledging the worth of others for what they are able to contribute; being willing to take on a different role where circumstances may determine this; accepting that others may have a more important role to play when the environment changes; not criticising or shaming others or yourself.

You are seen as a humble person when you:

• Acknowledge the contribution of others;
• Accept that others will contribute to the best of their ability;
• Take on a different role than your normal one when the kawa may require this;
• Do not use your organisation bestowed status to unduly influence others with less status;
• Acknowledge the worth of yourself and others without making comparisons.

Acting with Integrity

Me pūmau ki te kaupapa
Adhere to the philosophies

Integrity is about acting on conviction; setting the highest ethical standards and living by them; exercising self control; being committed to the kaupapa of the Ministry; acting in a manner that is fair and just for all.

You are seen as a person with integrity when you:

• Always follow the tikanga;
• Behave in a way which brings credit to yourself and the Ministry;
• Treat all people with respect;
• Understand and acknowledge your role and act accordingly;
• Seek feedback from others to ensure you are fulfilling your responsibilities;
• Are forthright in all of your dealings and will not compromise.

It is also about doing the right thing even if that means having to say no to someone who has more institutional power than you; keeping to the task even when others do not support you; trying new and unfamiliar things to get better outcomes; taking risks and making mistakes to learn from.

You are seen as a person with courage when you:

• Are able to say no to people when you believe that the request they have made is unreasonable;
• Keep to the kaupapa even when others do not support you;
• Try new ways of doing things;
• Take calculated risks;
• Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn from;
• Speak up for honesty and integrity.

Being Honest

Kia pono te kupu
Tell the truth, being truthful

Being honest is about what is right, doing it yourself and ensuring that others have the opportunity to do so also; always telling the truth even though you may suffer some personal disadvantage and appreciate the truth from others; being trusted by others to keep your word.

You are seen as an honest person when you:

• Say what you mean and do what you say;
• Keep your word;
• Admit your mistakes;
• Tell the truth while being mindful of the feelings of others;
• Refuse to lie;
• Always do what is right and accept the responsibly for your actions.

Being Trustworthy

Kia tika o mahi
Act with integrity

Being trustworthy is about being trusted and trustworthy; accepting that others will endeavour to do their best; having confidence in others; giving others the responsibility to do their job; having the confidence that they will do it right; keeping your word; being someone others can rely on; accepting responsibility and giving your best effort.

You are seen as a person who can be trusted when you:

• Always give your best effort;
• Accept responsibility for your own work;
• Can be relied on by others to do what you say you will do;
• Always do the right thing;
• Remember the commitments you make to others and keep them.

Co-operation

Mahi tahi
Work together

Co-operation is about working together in teams, using the skills of others to produce better outcomes, helping others reach their goals, recognising that organisational structures do not restrict people’s ability to contribute across other areas; sharing knowledge; accepting advice; appreciating that others have different sets of knowledge skills and experience which can help you to do a better job.

You are seen as a person who is co-operative when you:

• Seek out the assistance of others;
• Appreciate the contributions of others;
• Share your knowledge, skills, and experience with others without thought of reward;
• Offer assistance to others;
• Work with others across a wide range of functions.

Communicating Face to Face

He kanohi kitea he hokinga mahara
When you see a person your thoughts reflect

Communicating face to face is about acknowledging that others have something worth saying and that to hear this properly you need to be face to face with them; saying things to people's face rather than behind their back; talking to people rather than about them.

You are seen as a person who talks face to face with people when you:

• Go and talk to people
• Paying attention both to what people say, and how they say it;
• Settle issues you may have with someone directly with them;
• Do not listen to or spread rumours about people.

Respecting Others

Awhinatia i te tangata
Respect people

Respecting others is about finding out where people come from; acknowledging that when you are speaking to someone they have a whanau and hapü with them; focus on the actions of people not the people themselves; not presuming to judge others by your own standards; acknowledging that people are different.

You are seen as a person who shows respect when you:

• Take time to find out where others come from geographically and their whakapapa;
• Acknowledge the whanau and hapü of the individual;
• Talk to people about what they have done not who they are;
• Acknowledge that others have a right to their own views and opinions and to express these safely;
• Accept others for what they are

Last modified: 18/04/2008