‘A journey not a destination’

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield have led New Zealand through one of its toughest assignments to date: the Covid-19 pandemic. Together they have led the country, each with their own unique style, but what i

“Leadership is about knowing the goal being aimed for, ensuring that goal is clearly articulated throughout the organisation and only focusing on the initiatives that take the organisation toward the goal,” Webber said.

“There are some inherent qualities that a leader must have but there are also techniques that can be learned along the way.”

He said when the pressure was on, his strategy was to continually remind himself and his team of the goal they were working towards, which helped prioritise aspects when making decisions.

“Don’t get tangled up in the white noise. Distractions are part of being in leadership. Fortunately, I have worked for some great leaders, Sir James Graham, John Roadley and John Young, but I have also read a lot on Mahatma Gandhi and in recent times Barack Obama.”

When asked what other books he would recommend potential leaders read, Webber said: “The Goal by Elijah Goldratt, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goldman and The Five Pillars of TQM: How to Make Total Quality Management Work for You by Bill Creech.”

He said his proudest achievement as mayor was “getting our councillors, when they are making decisions, to focus on the long-term viability of our council and not on the next upcoming elections”.

Mark Cairns ‘Be self aware’

Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns received the prestigious Caldwell Partners Leadership Award in 2019.

He started his working career as an engineer but quickly found himself leading teams, a role he thoroughly enjoyed.

“I started my career designing and building things but very early on I was lucky to have opportunities to manage teams of people and I worked out pretty quickly that I really enjoyed the management and the accomplishment of things through people.

“From an early stage I enjoyed working with people and that’s where I wanted to progress.”

Cairns said he used an “old cliche” to guide his approach as a leader.

“You have two eyes, two ears and only one mouth and you should use them in that proportion. That’s something CEOS probably need reminding of from time to time.

“I’ve subscribed to the difference between emotional intelligence and IQ and I think the emotional intelligence is being self-aware and listening.

“It’s important to be self-aware and listen to your people, listen to your customers and listen to your stakeholders — that’s a really important management and leadership trait. To me, being a CEO is really easy if you get it right and have the best people working around you in the organisation.

“That what I’m proud we have achieved at the port here. We probably have the best cranes and straddles in the world but we’re the best port in New Zealand because of our people, not because of the equipment,” he said.

“I try to operate in a number of different leadership styles, depending on what the situation is in front of me. When you are in a crisis, you do move toward a more authoritarian sort of leadership style.”

In his role, Cairns has had to lead through times of great pressure, most significantly the Rena oil spill off the coast of Tauranga in 2011.

“Normally, my preferred style is participative, bringing people along, having a vision and getting people to buy into it. When we do have a crisis like we did with the Rena, you go through a very regimented, organisational style which is appropriate for a crisis.”

In terms of leaders he looked up to, Cairns said one who came to mind was on the board when he first applied to be chief executive of the Port of Tauranga.

“That was Lloyd Morison. He died a few years back, but Lloyd was just an outstanding leader and visionary business person. He taught me to always challenge the status quo, to look for different ways of doing things better. “Also in my engineering and contracting career, there was a chap David Faulkner, the managing director of Fulton Hogan when I was working for them. David’s style with people is something I’ve picked up along the way.

“When you’re managing big teams it’s about getting your people to trust you and demonstrating integrity. When I’m getting ratty with the administrative side of the job I like getting out on the wharf and working with the guys out there.

“Working with your people and being visible is very important in large organisations.”

He said CEOS and boards should be wary of over-complicating things.

“In a highly regulated environment, it’s easy to get tied up with risk and compliance when the primary role is value creation.

“Step back and simplify things, ensure your staff have all the tools they need to do the job.

“I’ve always found that people will surprise you. They often will do tasks you might not expect them to do.

“I’ve always found I’m not often disappointed when I give staff challenges or the autonomy to do things.”

"You have two eyes, two ears and only one mouth and you should use them in that proportion."