The 111 files: Essential qualities for credible leaders

Police youth officer Mark Enright with Eria Takao after completion of "The Longest Day".

Leadership is important. Leadership guru Francis Yamamarino summed it up when he wrote: "Leadership is one of the most widely researched and discussed topics ... because literally nothing gets accomplished without it."

It is now widely accepted that leadership is a skill that can be learned. That said, because leadership is essentially about influencing people, there are a few personal qualities that are critical to being a successful leader - no matter how skilled you are.

Regular surveys conducted since 1987 in more than 20 countries about the essential qualities of a credible leader have consistently returned the same results.

In all of the countries surveyed, the top four personal qualities have always been the same - although some countries have prioritised them in a different order. The top four personal qualities for a credible leader in every Western country were:

- Honesty (85 per cent of respondents, 15 points higher than the next most important).

- Being forward looking.

- Inspirational/passionate.

- Competent (you don't have to be the best, but you can't be useless either).

So it's not about personal traits or charisma or being the best in your field. The four qualities that are regarded internationally as being the most important are all about character. Or to put it another way, being authentic "- the "real deal".

If you Google "authentic leadership", you will get over 2.5 million results in less than a second, which is indicative of the importance that people all over the world are now placing on the importance of honesty, integrity and being authentic.

Consequently, leadership experts the world over are now saying that "authenticity" in leadership is the foundation for all positive forms of leadership. But I don't think any of you would be surprised by that.

Earlier this year, research was published that claims New Zealand and Australia are the two most challenging countries in the world in which to be a leader. There were a few reasons given for this.

One is tall poppy syndrome. New Zealanders are particularly harsh on their leaders.

Another is our egalitarian culture. In other words, everyone is seen as being equal. Kiwis are not inclined to follow someone just because they have been given a title or placed in a "leadership" role. Most New Zealanders will only follow someone if they are "authentic".

So the starting point in becoming a leader is making some decisions about character. One of the best things about being the Area Commander in Rotorua is that I am surrounded by authentic leaders. Mark Enright is one of them.

Mark is a youth worker on our Youth Development team. He is also one of the stalwarts of the police CACTUS programme, which is a leadership development programme run in local high schools.

On Saturday, I watched Mark and other Rotorua police officers lead 23 teenagers through "The Longest Day", the climax of the CACTUS programme. It was a pretty special moment, but I'm over my word limit so that story will have to wait for another week. Ka kite ano.