Leadership Excellence

We are all on a leadership journey. This page sets out an excellent leadership framework that supports a way of being successful as a leader of a highly functioning team. The core of the model focuses on people, which is encircled by AUT's values and AUT's ability and commitment to develop and enhance relationships with Tāngata Whenua. The six wedges of the framework are described below. The source of this information can be found on the internal AUT website. 

There are six cultural capabilities within the framework. 

• Strategic Leadership
• Organisational Leadership
• Making It Happen
• Developing Our People
• Positive Learning Climate
• Leadership Character *

[the link to the complete framework can be found here]

Teams are exposed to conflict as a normal function of our work. Well-managed, conflict leads to positive change, growth and high performance. A helpful distinction is understanding your roles as manager and leader. Management is measured by your performance against strategy and outputs. Leadership is characterised by the success of relationships and your ability to communicate. Great leaders build and maintain high levels of self-awareness.

Characteristics of excellent leadership will best support the values of pono, tika and Aroha by fostering an environment of curiosity, agility, and moral courage. These behaviours enhance self-awareness and build resilience in you and the people around you.

Fostering curiosity and agility:

• Take time to listen to your team. Provide regular [not frequent] fora for group and individual discussion. 
• Leaders encourage new ideas, opportunities and different approaches. Ask people, "what are we missing here?" and "How will we know we are succeeding/failing?"
• Adopting and promoting a nimble and flexible approach to process design and delivery will encourage others to speak up. 
• Ensure you celebrate the moments when people do raise things. This sometimes takes great courage, and as a leader, it is important to create an environment where speak-up is rewarded, not frowned on.

Demonstrate moral courage:

• Leadership requires the strength to "speak truth to power". When done respectfully, you can support what you know is right while modelling excellence in leadership at the same time. 
• Remember that being right is not the only element in provoking change courageously, excellent leaders need equal measures of savvy, influence and humility. 
• Taking responsibility for your mistakes and weaknesses. This will build your personal integrity in the hearts and minds of the people around you.

Enhancing self-awareness and resilience:

• Whether you like it or not, your job gives you power over the team. Great leaders find ways of sharing that power with the people around them. This generates integrity and loyalty.
• Critical self-awareness is another important trait in a leader. Take time to assess your relationships with people and be willing to check in with them on how they find your style.
• When, like everyone else, you make mistakes, it is much more endearing to others when you take responsibility and acknowledge the error. By modelling this behaviour, we also encourage others to do the same. 
• Stimulating optimists uplift and inspire others to persevere.
• Proactively demonstrating self-care and well-being principles. Engage with mentors and supervisors and make sure your team have similar practices.