Honest and courageous

LEADING SELF

You deliver clear messages and make decisions in a timely manner; to advance the longer-term best interests of the people we care for.

ultraviolet coloured koru design

Honesty and courage looks like sharing your opinion in a respectful and constructive way; taking responsibility for tasks and showing initiative; and doing what you agree to do and staying true to your word.

When you are honest and courageous, you…

  • Show courage and take responsibility

  • Show decisiveness and act to address issues

  • Lead with integrity

  • Follow through on your commitments

 

Quick tips

  • Consider which actions will best serve the health system, even if they conflict with your personal goals.

  • When you make an important decision, think about the costs of not taking a proposed course of action; in other words, the opportunity cost.

  • Correct mistakes, especially when it would be easier to ignore them.

  • Think about your fears, limitations and vulnerabilities. Make sure that they don’t impact your decision-making.

  • Commit to behaving in a manner that is consistent with values of Te Whatu Ora.

  • Be truthful. Take a hands-on approach to issues rather than avoiding confrontation.

  • Set realistic expectations to ensure you can follow through and achieve what you say you will.

 

Practice this behaviour

Here are some ways you can practice this behaviour:

  • Lead a group of people through a significant change initiative.

  • Manage a crisis or ethical dilemma.

  • Manage a patient complaint.

  • Work with an underperforming team to improve delivery.

 

What can hold you back

Here are some things that could get in the way of developing this behaviour:

  • Too concerned about what other people might think of you; trying to ‘fit in’ with a group/team.

  • Not wanting to champion an unpopular point of view because you’re concerned about the potential impact on your career.

  • Being unsure of yourself and your judgment.

  • Not taking a moment to step back and consider ethics. Be clear about your ethical principles and what they mean to you.

  • Avoiding confrontation at all costs.

 

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