Self-Leadership – Strengths, Values, & Personality Types:
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” – Aristotle, Greek Philosopher.
In New Zealand Māori culture, there is a saying: “Ko Wai Au?” which translates to “Who am I?” This question is often the starting point before introducing oneself, accompanied by sharing one’s “Pepeha,” which explains who we are, our connections to our people, and the significant places we belong to. In leadership, it is essential to understand who we are and how to lead ourselves before we can effectively lead others. By becoming more self-aware, we can better understand our values, natural strengths, and personality types.
A critical question to consider is, “What is my purpose in life?” or “What is my ‘Why’?” This purpose often combines what we love doing, what we are good at, and what motivates us. Taking the time to discover these elements allows us to live more intentionally and with purpose, which leads to becoming better leaders at home, school, work, in sports, and within our communities.
Great Leadership
“Ko te tohu o te rangatira, he manaaki.” Translated, this means, “The sign of a great leader is their generosity and care for others.”
To be a good leader, it is crucial to understand what great leadership looks like in action. A great leader’s impact is seen in how they treat those they lead and in their ability to create an environment where people can grow, develop, and perform at their best while maintaining good health and well-being. Throughout history, great leaders have shown common traits, such as being driven by a vision, mastering influence and persuasion to inspire others, and having the strategic awareness to turn their vision into reality.
However, the leader’s character and moral qualities (values) determine whether their influence benefits humanity or causes harm. Leadership should always strive to serve and uplift others.
Leadership & Overcoming Challenges
Today’s young people face many challenges, including dealing with disappointment, mental health struggles, social media bullying, personal setbacks, injuries, criticism, failure, grief, burnout, depression, and peer pressure.
Being a leader means making courageous decisions, working hard, seeking help when needed, building character, finding solutions, and fostering resilience. Developing a growth mindset enables us to rise above setbacks, learn from failure, and persevere through tough times. My 28 years in the New Zealand Police taught me the importance of leading with compassion, a positive approach to problem-solving, humility to learn from mistakes, and confidence to face challenges head-on. These qualities help build resilience and inspire others to do the same.
Blues Rugby – Youth Development & Leadership for Life
At the Blues, we are committed to developing leadership capabilities across our staff, men’s, women’s, and youth squads. We have been on a journey that focuses on creating a high-performing, winning culture that nurtures talent, connects with fans, and strengthens our community ties. For us, people, connections, and excellence matter.
A shining example of this commitment is the Blues Charitable Trust (BCT), established in 2022 by our captain Patrick Tuipulotu and other Blues leaders. They recognized the unique influence of Blues players and staff to achieve positive social outcomes. The BCT’s mission is to empower young people to make good choices for great lives by offering youth leadership programs that blend lessons from high-performance sports with principles of youth development and leadership. These programs cover topics like self-leadership, values-based leadership, overcoming challenges, early career development, leading others, and building high-performing teams. The BCT also supports our Blues Youth Talent pathways.
In 2025, our Blues Youth Leadership Program will expand to the Rugby School Japan (RSJ) through the Blues Global Academy partnership. This opportunity allows us to share our leadership philosophy and programs with a global audience.
For more information about the program and the July Blues Camp at RSJ, visit: https://rugbyschooljapan.ed.jp/blues-rsj/.
