Inbox: Back yourself

Courage, conviction, hard work, perseverance and integrity are the keys to achieving your goals “even in the face of what can seem like insurmountable obstacles”, Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye told gathering of young managers.
Speaking at function for New Zealand Institute of Management (NZIM) graduates and the finalists of the NZIM Young Executive of the Year Award Northern Region, 31-year-old Kaye drew parallel with her own entry to Parliament. She was given very slim chance of being selected as the National Party candidate for Auckland Central.
“When I came back from overseas and decided to run for MP, I quickly learnt something that I think is the number one lesson in business: have courage and back yourself. Being elected, when close friends were telling me it wasn’t possible and when I knew that the odds were small, taught me that if you fight for what you believe in, you can succeed.”
Kaye said one of the privileges of being an MP is mixing with leaders right across the community in business and in social sectors and she pointed to some similar traits that successful leaders share.
The first is conviction and clarity of vision. In any leadership role many people will have different views on issues. “In order to be able to navigate through them conviction is really important quality. Being convinced about what you want, and being able to discuss that with clarity of vision is very important so that people know what you want to deliver and come with you on the journey.”
Kaye said she had met many talented people but the most successful are those with strong work ethic. “Not many people have success fall into their laps. Most of the successful people I have known are ones that work long hours, started out at the bottom and have fought their way to the top. They are all willing to sacrifice time and energy to get them past any knock backs or disadvantages they might encounter.”
Kaye also commented that people who succeed are the ones who will find the ability to persevere despite the failures that everyone at some stage experiences. If the cause of that failure has involved compromising integrity, that can be more difficult to live with.
“Integrity takes courage. If you are successful and operate at high level then your integrity will be tested. Staying true to your beliefs can be difficult in the face of opposition and can sometimes require sacrifice, but it brings greater and richer success in the long run.” M