Today we’re introducing you to the Kōkiri Whakamua framework, which is based on the work of Dr. Chellie Spiller.
This framework will hopefully help you to articulate for yourself, your whānau, and your workplace, who you are in all your fullness and what you bring to the party.
We will unpack five ancestral leadership strengths, use them as our keystones for our mahi, and in each session we will be working on how to put these into practice.
These strengths are:
- Mauri ora – creating wellbeing
- Whanaungatanga – having a family-based approach to work
- Tangata Whakapapa – embracing the wholeness of a person
- Hūmārie – practicing humility
- Tuākana/Teina – creating effective succession through mentoring
These are examples of strengths that are ties between traditional Māori ideals of leadership and the leadership practices of today. While this module is not strictly a leadership module, you putting your hand up to step into this space was a leadership decision. You are more than likely leaders in your own world, without even realising it.
There are two parts to this Practical – and the first part will probably be the most difficult as I know you come into these spaces ready to churn out the mahi.
- Set a timer on your phone or watch or some kind of alarm, and for an hour – sit with yourself. Have a bottle of water or a cup of tea, but no kai.
- No music. No phone (except to hide somewhere for the alarm). No book. No television, screen or device. No podcast. No humans. No laptop, no emails.
- You can sit outside in nature, you can sit in your flat, your house, your bedroom. But wherever you are, you need to be alone and be sitting with yourself.
During this hour, your brain is going to go wild. It is going to think up every single random thing you need to do, question why you are there, are you doing this “being by yourself thing” right, asking what are you supposed to be thinking about...
- The point of this first part of the exercise is to acknowledge yourself.
- All those thoughts that will race through, are parts of yourself.
- The best way to ensure your Mauri has the best chance is to acknowledge every voice and thought, then pack it away.
I hate sitting with myself, I can’t go for a walk in the morning without my ear pods playing music or a podcast, because actually being with my own thoughts means I need to acknowledge myself and what my SELF needs. And I am so busy, I know I’m going to have to shave some things out to give my SELF what I need.
So do your best.
At the end of the first part of the exercise, you can take a break or move straight into part 2.
In order to nurture your awareness of Mauri Ora, you need to note it down.
To help you articulate the process, use this template (make a copy) and answer these questions:
- How long do you think you sat down before the to-do list kicked off in your mind?
- How long could you sit before you fidgeted?
- Did you go to sleep?
- What emotions did you feel while doing this? Frustration/hoha? Anger? Stress? Loved it?
- Did you make the full hour?
List some of the things your brain decided to share with you.
And then, to your own sharing comfort level, share with someone else what your brain was up to. That person/people could be a fellow student, or someone you trust: whether that’s friends or whānau.
By sharing, you validate your fundamental human need to be heard. We can’t create an environment of mauri ora without creating a space of caring and empathy – and it might just be that it will start with you. So practice.
If you're happy to share your results of these practicals, post to your thread in the Module 6 Practicals Forum.
Learning together: We learn better with a little encouragement and discussion. Check out the answers of other students and leave a comment on their posts too.
Mauri ora!
