Chellie Spiller - Wayfinding Leadership: Ground-breaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders

What can be learned from the great wayfinding tradition of the Polynesian navigators to develop more effective leaders? This is a question that I (Chellie) have been exploring for the past decade and that this book addresses.

My journey has included a doctorate, a Fulbright Senior Scholar award to Harvard University and research and teaching at the University of Auckland Business School where I am Associate Dean Mori and Pacific and a senior lecturer. While at Harvard I received an email from Brian Bargh at Huia Publishers, enquiring if I was interested in writing a book on Mori leadership. I was. At the time I was writing a book chapter that brought wayfinding together with strategy. I suggested to Brian that lessons for leaders from wayfinding be the focus of the book. He agreed.

After eighteen months of extensive research for the book I was ready to engage with a practising wayfinder. I approached my friend, entrepreneur John Panoho whose business, Navigator Tours, I had studied in my PhD. John is the nephew of Ngahiraka Busby, the late wife of renowned wayfinder navigator, waka builder and tohunga whakairo Hekenukumai Busby MBE, OMNZ. He has been closely involved with the development of the Kupe Waka Centre in Aurere, where a traditional navigational school has been developed.

John introduced me to the wayfinder Hotu Barclay-Kerr. Hotu is the descendant (and namesake) of the great high priest who commanded the Tainui waka that carried the founding ancestors of the Tainui iwi (tribe) to Aotearoa. In 1966, when Hotu was about five years old, he used to sit on the tribal waka in the shed by the river, imagining his ancestors sailing across the ocean. He would daydream about traversing the ocean in a double-hulled sailing waka. He started learning about traditional navigation with Nainoa Thompson in Hawaii. Mentored from childhood by his elders, he has played a significant role in the resurgence of waka ama (paddling canoe) traditions across New Zealand. With extensive oceangoing experience, he took stewardship of the double-hulled sailing waka Haunui which is the focus of this book. Having trained many wayfinders Hotu was keen to participate in this book project as a way to further share this knowledge.

Late in 2013, I met with John and Hotu in Kwhia Harbour on the Tasman Sea coast in the Waikato Tainui region of New Zealand, which is the final resting ground of the Tainui waka. Over several days Hotu shared his stories of wayfinding and together we created the framework for this book. I then continued the writing journey interspersed with starting to learn sail a waka, including short trips on Haunui. I also observed leaders who are transforming their organisations applying wayfinding concepts, and continued researching and writing about how wayfinding theory and practice can weave with and add to the best of what academics and leaders know about leadership and change. Over the years I have come to appreciate what a powerful metaphor wayfinding is for personal, professional and organisational development.

This is not a manual about how to navigate a traditional voyaging canoe from one destination to another but an attempt to examine the concepts of leadership that are an integral part of the navigator's inventory. Readers who would like to learn more about the art of non-instrument navigation can research further through organisations such as the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Hawaii, Te Toki Voyaging Trust of Aotearoa New Zealand, or Cook Islands Voyaging Society of Rarotonga.

This book shares what we have learned from wayfinding to help develop leaders, it weaves several strands including:

Waka, the history of wayfinding, and what makes a successful wayfinder.

Mori culture and values.

Leadership theories and practices.

Application of wayfinding principles in a modern organisation context.

Waypoint Practices highlighted as bullet point lists at the end of each chapter.

We believe that everybody can be a wayfinding leader. Though some of us might not consider ourselves as leaders in any formal sense, the reality is that we are all called to lead regularly and with some frequency in our family, in our communities, and in our work settings. The more passionate you are about living your life fully, the more vital it is that you engage in the exploration of the unique approach that we offer as it can truly change your life, your organisation and the world. While this book has a strong emphasis on leadership in organisations it has real value for everyone because leadership really is everyones business. We invite you to read and apply this wisdom, and in doing so, become a wayfinder leader.

Authors, left to right: John Panoho, Chellie Spiller, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr

Source: Steffan Panoho

Our sincere appreciation to the amazing team of people at Huia Publishers, who have helped bring this book into being, especially Brian and Robyn Bargh, and Eboni Waitere. Your vision, belief and encouragement have made a world of difference.

Thanks to the people who, at various stages of this books evolution, read the manuscript and provided feedback, editing, proofreading and research support. In particular we thank John Moriarty, Gareth Craze, Andrew de Boyett, Lisa Lark and Rereata Makiha. A key member of Chellies support crew has been her husband Dr Rodger Spiller who spent many hours editing and strengthening this work. Thanks for your wisdom, loving commitment, patience and perseverance you daily demonstrate the qualities of a wayfinder leader.

To our waka community here in Aotearoa New Zealand: you inspire us with your aroha, commitment and dedication to our oceans we hope this book helps brings people closer to a more considerate form of leadership and management that safeguards our oceans for future generations. A special thanks to Duncan Morrison and Ema Siope for your selfless dedication in helping introduce and train so many people in sailing a waka. We wish to recognise Wikuki Kingi for your abiding enthusiasm for this project and your skills as a tohunga whakairo, master carver and artist.