Notes for NZ Institute of Intel igence Professionals Panel Discussion
1. How do you maximise an intel igence team’s effectiveness?
Capability: Ensure you have the right skil s and experience in the team. Avoid
putting SMEs, without a desire or the aptitude to be good people leaders, into
people leadership roles. Ensure there are other pathways for SME leadership and
progression
Focus on great leaders who prioritise management and leadership
Mission: We know our people are driven by the mission of protecting NZ and
NZers. It one of the key drivers that attracts people to our agencies, so it’s critical to
ensure that when in the agency staff can always see the connection between the
work they do and the mission.
Enabled: Ensure teams have what they need to successful y delivery, not just
resources but time and learning and development opportunities.
Remove Barriers for Success: Work with your people to understand what they are
and resolve what you can.
Or, al ow space for your team to innovate and come up with solutions to the gnarly
problems/barriers.
Create inclusive and respectful teams where people can bring their ful selves to
work. When people can see they’re valued, respected, and able to be themselves,
that’s when you’l get the most from them, including discretionary effort that you
wouldn’t others get.
Culture – what is the culture you need to maximise effectiveness. What attributes
do you value? Instil these in the team including through your selection process.
Collaboration
2. What perspectives create the most robust intelligence outputs?
The widest perspectives.
However, teams need to be respectful and open to different perspectives.
We need to be prepared to listen, consider, and chal enge current thinking.
Avoid being dismissive or discounting peoples idea’s because they differ from our
own, or because they come from less experienced members of the team.
3. How have intelligence teams evolved in recent times to meet your
chal enges?
Growth – we have been fortunate to have received government investment in
building our capability and workforce over multiple years.
Different progression pathways – Providing progression frameworks for SME
leadership and people leadership
Significant focus on Recruitment and Retention of staff. A strong focus on what’s
working, what’s not working for our people through engagement with them, using
insights for their experiences to inform where we place our efforts.
Changing workforce demographic. Increased diversity, and diversity of
thought. Different work and life experiences from different environments to draw
on.
Increase Collaboration across agency, and between agencies where it makes
sense.
4. What techniques have you used to create innovation in the
workplace?
Various methodologies: Lean Six Sigma, Agile to name a couple
Time and Space: Self initiation – let the team identify problems they want to tackle
and provide the time, space, and resources to solve them. Identify the innovators
and enable them. Not everyone is an innovators. Enable innovation when
operational demands/opportunities arise.
5. What policies have you seen advance the intelligence discipline most
significantly?
We have significantly professionalised our approach to people leadership and
workforce, which has advanced the agencies. This has resulted in policies and
priorities that focus on:
Greater diversity, and creation of a more inclusive and positive workplace
culture.
Greater engagement with our people. Strong desire to hear from them
what’s working, what’s not and using the inputs from our people to focus our
priorities and resources aimed at our focus on recruitment and retention
Growth and building of capability (including career pathways)
Strengthened leadership
Increased focus on learning and development
Flexible working - huge demand. Might not be able to do work from home
ful time, but enable as many other flexible work arrangements as you can
helping people to balance both work and life.
6. How have you seen efforts to foster workplace innovation flounder?
Getting too wrapped up and focused on methodology. Opportunity can pass you by.
Trying to make people who are not your innovators, innovate.
You know the people who are your innovative, solution focused people. Identify
them and give them the time and space to innovate.
7. What advice would you have for intel igence leaders and aspiring
leaders for the coming years?
Prioritise people leadership – good people leadership takes effort, time, and
commitment. Realise that if you’re a people leader you need to prioritise it. You
should be spending at least 50% of your time on it.
Take a genuine interest in your people. Be approachable, be available, ask them
what they think/need and listen.
Adapt – be prepared to adapt to meet the needs of your people. Don’t insist on
leading individual members in the way “you like to be managed”.
Create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve AND ensure
you and your teams provides a truly inclusive workplace where everyone is
respected, able to bring their ful selves to your work, because then you wil truly get
the best from your people, including discretionary effort that might otherwise be
withheld.
Lead by example – ensure you understand the agencies, your teams, priorities,
values, cultural expectations and you walk the talk every day – your people are
looking to you to lead the way, set the example.
Connection to the Mission: Ensure that what was on the tin is experienced by your
people. Ensure they maintain line of sight always between what they do and the
mission.
Challenge the status quo – in your own thinking, thinking of others, and ways of
working. Not only al ow, but encourage others to do the same. What works today,
might not work in the future so always look ahead and ask what does that mean for
how we do our work?
Create different pathways for progression and development and make sure you’re
setting people up for success. SME leadership and people leadership.
