Leadership Week cafés tackle issues of global importance
Back to Out and About
It was New Zealand Leadership Week from 29 June to 1 July 2009 and Asia:NZ teamed up with Excelerator: New Zealand Leadership Institute in sponsoring a series of World Café forums across the country.
In all, almost 300 people attended the series in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington.
The themes varied from city to city. In Auckland for instance, there was a heavy focus on individual citizens' social responsibility, while in Christchurch a more community-driven approach to leadership was advocated. In a similar vein, the Dunedin event focussed on issues around local leadership. Meanwhile, Hamilton participants explored the factors that they perceived were holding New Zealand back internationally.
Launching the Wellington café forum, Asia:NZ executive director Dr Richard Grant explained that fostering youth leadership was one of the foundation’s key objectives. “Investing in these areas allows you to develop and become future leaders in this country.”
The café attracted over 50 young people from diverse backgrounds. Hosted by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, it took place on the top floor of the Majestic Centre, Wellington’s tallest building.
Event organiser and Asia:NZ young leader Pritiksha Naran said that the café style setting allows the passion and energy of the participants to shine through. “The idea is to create an informal, homely atmosphere where people can hang out, chat casually and feel comfortable.”
Professor Brad Jackson of the University of Auckland Business School (pictured, right) fired up participants with a passionate keynote address on what leadership really meant. “Leadership is not about the charisma or the character of the individual. It’s the cause that matters.”
He pondered the ability of New Zealanders to lead on global issues. “We’re great at initiating, not too great at sustaining.”
Following Professor Jackson’s address, a question on how New Zealanders “should and could” effect global change was posed. Participants teased out the issues in small groups around café style tables.
Given New Zealand’s small population, there was a general consensus that the country could only influence the rest of the world by “leading by example”. Some tables pointed to New Zealand’s strong environmental record, its history of accommodating and celebrating diversity, and its reputation as an honest broker in global affairs.
Another table referred to the “empathetic community-style leadership” that exists in New Zealand. Citing the example of how Kiwi peacekeepers successfully engaged with communities while serving in Timor-Leste, they wondered “could small scale inclusive leadership work on a global scale?”
Professor Jackson, who engaged at the tables throughout, was highly impressed with the quality of contributions. “This is the stuff that the United Nations should be worried about.”
He suggested that instead of focusing on 25 issues to change, we should focus on one. “As a nation, we might be better able to drive change on one issue of global importance.”
Another Asia:NZ young leader and event organiser Kieron Brown rounded up the highly successful event, concluding that the underlying message from the evening’s deliberations was the power of conversation. “Take the world café methodology back to your work. Take the simple idea of paper, a pen and a table back home with you,” he urged.
