Name: Laz Malaga
Role: Senior Operator
Company: SkyCity
Reflecting on your leadership journey, what initially motivated you to take part in this programme?
Throughout my life I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to lead groups and take initiative within many groups. Being 24yrs of age, I know I’m lacking in the experience department and applied for the Project Ikuna course. Learning more skills and preparing myself puts me one step closer to becoming a great leader.
How did this leadership programme help prepare you for your new role as a Senior Operator?
Being a Pacific Islander, we approach things in a different way. This course helped me build confidence and list skills that I may have already had but go into depth and present it in a professional manner. Having many skills is a good thing, but being shown in the course how other leaders displayed that in real life situations gave us a deeper understanding on how to use those skills.
What was the most valuable concept or skill you took away from the programme, and how have you applied it in your day-to-day work?
Passive Listening: Being able to multitask but also be aware of your surroundings. How I applied this is by keeping notes and checking up on my colleagues as they are working. Making sure to pay attention to their problems and put them into action.
In what ways did the programme challenge your perspective on leadership, and how have you grown because of it?
Empathy. There are a lot of cons to having empathy as a leader. But through this course I realised having empathy is a good thing if it’s managed properly. Having empathy can help raise the work environment morale and can affect the work ethic of others. Having empathy as an Islander is kind of in our genes.
What advice would you give to someone considering joining this programme or stepping into a leadership role for the first time?
Take the first step. You will never take a step backwards if you take the first step forward. Failure is a part of success. Be confident and trust yourself. Every leader in the world started at the bottom.
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