“Model what you want to see in others,” says Suzi McAlpine. It’s a leadership concept she believes in and embraces, especially in times of difficulty or challenge.
McAlpine, leadership coach and author of the book, “Beyond Burnout,” was a keynote speaker at the 2021 IMNZ Summit, held on 4 and 5 May, with the theme, “Every Great Team Has Tough Starts.”
The summit, run by The Institute of Management New Zealand, was part of the IMNZ virtual summit series, virtually connecting participants with a selection of New Zealand’s strongest and most inspiring leaders.
“Modelling a behaviour is one of the best ways of influencing people,” says McAlpine. “It’s even more important in troublesome times. If you’re running around flapping, it’s contagious.
“I think leaders sometimes underestimate the shadow they cast. Their whisper can come out as a shout. That’s a theme I focussed on in my talk at the summit, and it was something I heard again and again in the speaking slots from the other speakers.”
McAlpine says one of the toughest lessons she learnt when first starting out as a leader many years ago, was falling into the trap of the superhero archetype.
“We believed that in order to be a good leader, you had to have all the answers,” she says.
“I’ve now learnt, through various leadership experiences over a long time, that we need to ditch the superhero archetype of leadership. We must think leadership, not leader, exploring the ways in which we can draw on the strengths of our team and those around us, rather than trying to go it alone and have all the answers. That’s a huge lesson.”
Having been a business leader and senior executive, now a respected leadership coach, McAlpine says she has been influenced by some excellent mentors such as Nick Simcock - “he was my boss then and my business coach now. He’s very practical” – and Sir John Kirwan, who wrote the foreword for her book, ‘Beyond Burnout.’
McAlpine says Kirwan has been an important influence in her life.
“He’s done great work on mental toughness, mental wellness and destigmatising mental distress in the workplace.
“But my first mentor was my father,” she says. “He was a very kind and creative man and I believe kindness and creativity are important leadership traits.”
McAlpine is now fully booked for the rest of the year with speaking engagements, writing her award-winning blog, ‘Leader’s Digest,’ and promoting her book, ‘Beyond Burnout.’
“I’m very fortunate to have had my book become a best seller. Of course, now my focus is to not write a book about burnout and then become burnt out!
“So, I’m practicing living what I preach and enjoying the ride, while also ensuring I’m observing really good boundaries and living my values.
“As I wrote in my recent blog; if you live and lead through your values, it will be an easier ride.”