InTouch : A Responsibility To Do Things Well

Jason Attewell, project manager with Statistics New Zealand (SNZ), has been named the NZIM Central Young Executive of the Year and will go forward to the national final which will be announced at the Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Awards on 4 December.
Attewell joined SNZ in 2001 and has worked his way up to his current position leading the team which produces the country’s quarterly GDP accounts.
“The results that we produce have implications for monetary policy, the exchange rate, and the credit rating of New Zealand as an investment destination. In some way, QGDP impacts on all New Zealanders so we have responsibility to do it well,” Attewell says.
In 2005 he was chosen to attend six-week course on balance of payments statistics in Washington DC, hosted by the International Monetary Fund.
“There were 40 participants on the course, each person from different country. I was honoured to be selected from my peer group to give speech representing all the participants from the course at an official IMF function on the final day,” Attewell says.
His role as project manager involves him in planning, measuring, assessing and mitigating risks and resolving issues.
“My output is one that uses data from number of areas within the organisation, so maintaining and developing relationships with key stakeholders is an important aspect of my work,” he says.
As leader, Attewell is responsible for developing and fostering collaborative work environment for the 10 staff in his team.
He also plays an important external role for SNZ, representing the organisation through fronting media releases, visiting parliamentary offices, and at regular meetings with key users.
“I am passionate about what I do. I believe this gives me credibility because I am genuinely excited about the work we do. For example, I love going out to talk to groups about the statistics we produce, and I remind my team about the importance of what we are doing,” Attewell says.
“I work through others. I recognise I can’t do everything myself, and that there are often people in the team who will do better job. Delegating tasks has double benefits – it helps grow others and also allows me to look at the bigger picture. It’s possible to motivate and stretch person by giving them piece of work and showing that you believe they can do it.”
The key elements of the leadership style he aspires to, are communicating, enabling and enjoying.