The new Auckland ‘Supercity’ entity, birthed after a long and sometimes contentious gestation is loaded with positive potential. It is uncoordinated yet - just like a newborn and the quality of ‘parenting’ it gets in these early days will set the course for a generation (and more).
Those who voted and those who didn’t have in truth co-created the team that will lay the foundations and facilitate the unfolding future of the Auckland region. Everyone of voting age is responsible for who will now serve the community going forward - we have expressed ourselves. If we are truly to take responsibility for our choices, the consequences are now ours to keep. For better or worse, the new team is now in place and the accelerated evolution of the Auckland region has begun. There is a great mix of talent, experience, knowledge, skills and passion present in abundance on the new council, along with youthful exhuberance that will hopefully have the courage to call a spade a spade when crusty old thinking threatens to inhibit wisdom based progress.
Like cells joining together to create a whole new more complex and cooperative system (as life has done countless times from the very beginning), we in the Auckland region have the chance to see ourselves in a fresh new light, to expand our identity - led by the new council. Just like the great Kiwi traveller who begins with identifying with a small area of the country, once overseas we relate to the whole - we are Kiwi’s. If we were far out in space our nations would dissolve and we would become earthlings - members of a whole species living on one home planet. This expanded view of ourselves as Aucklanders is something we must come to grips with going forward - even as we rightly retain our smaller community identities and sub cultures. Let’s have decision making based in wisdom and forethought and what is sustainable and good for the whole instead of scrapping over the parts. Those who fear the ‘loss’ of local community identity are missing the chance to not only retain and enhance that identity but to connect, coordinate and collaborate with other ‘sibling’ communities and see ourselves as one family expressing all parts fully, being MORE of who we are, not less.
Anyone who has had the joy of being part of a truly high performing team knows that the key to success is all about robust relationships and alignment on a common purpose, vision and values. A skilled team of champions doesn’t often win over an equally skilled champion team - the joy that isn’t shared gets lonely too. The quality of relationships in our new council team will lay the foundations for relations with all the other players: Iwi, central Government, the CCO’s, Community Boards, the people, and other life forms that live here. There is right now a genuine opportunity to model what excellent teamwork in community looks like and what is possible as a result. And therein lies the evolutionary challenge of the new council - to quickly align as a united team and to grow through any individual limitations. The current ‘moment’ of opportunity is potent!
Call me Pollyanna but I see a wonderfully attractive future potential of One Auckland flourishing, and serving the whole country in that.
I believe in the new teams’ capacity to engage in the process. They are now forever the first ‘One Big Auckland’ Council. Their legacy is in their hands and hearts and heads - the spirit of a united region is what they will seed, set on its way towards a future we can only dream about now...
If this council can align on a common purpose, vision and values it will have a better foundation than many countries and by understanding the transformative process itself, they will be much better equipped to serve the community. If council can demonstrate its’ willingness to find the truly collaborative ‘super council’ inside them as a team, it will be easier for the community to understand, support and cooperate with the process simply because it will be clearly in the interests of everyone to do so. This has both individual and collective components - personal and group transformation. Yep - call me Pollyanna but I see this as our positive potential. We are the species that can choose our own destiny - we can consciously respond to our environment.
Mine is not unlike many visions of a better future but the signposts to it that I am seeing point to a path that is profoundly challenging and utterly compelling at once. Willingness to grow as individuals and as team is at the heart of it all.
The new council leadership team with Len Brown and Penny Hulse at the helm have a range of great gifts around the table that can compliment their own. Their faciltation skills will be needed to harness and shepherd the talented ‘starter pack‘ they have been gifted to work with. I for one believe that between them, with the support of each other, their loved ones and a decent bunch of us backing them up, they absolutely have a shot at co-creating something very special. There certainly seems to be a clear intent to unite.
Change is challenging, exciting and can be as stimulating as hell if it is well understood and communicated about. Sure we will all need to let go of some things in order for the new to emerge - just like pruning a fruit tree, but that shouldn’t worry us, if we understand what is happening and that’s why effective communication with the community will be vital.
The One Auckland example reflects the wider challenge we face in today’s New Zealand and the world at large. If we can foster individual brilliance and collective teamwork we can set a wonderful example for others to follow - this is what true leadership is all about - modeling the way. Yes - the community has birthed a baby with unlimited potential - one that can (if we cooperate) grow us as we grow it, towards a more co-creative future worthy of our greatest aspirations!
May the new council transform our address to One Auckland - Planet earth. A universal destination, a source of inspiration, a true model of collective leadership in human affairs - one that calls forth the very best of our natures and our individual and collective genius.
My view is an ideal, a personal dream on the level of dynamics - and - if we even lumbered slightly in that direction, meeting the challenges and seeing them as the grit that makes pearls rather than something to avoid, we would manifest our dreams whatever they may be, and enhance our quality of Life. Politicing and power struggles are handbrakes - we have a chance to do things differently so here’s hoping the chance is grasped with all hands! Remember Pollyanna did manage to melt the stingiest heart - eventually.
And that’s it, from my view.
Amanda
Friday, October 15, 2010
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