Celebrating the spirit of leadership
Peter Blake's passion for winning, down-to-earth nature and charisma made for an enduring leadership legacy.
Monday, December 12 2011 || Comment || BY Chris Quin
The ceremony was an occasion to both reflect on the past 10 years without Peter Blake and, importantly, to celebrate his life, achievements and the great legacy he has left behind.
I reminded people of something I was told years ago: “We are never upset about what is ... rather we are upset about what is not”.
This event was simply to acknowledge the gap that the absence of a great leader like Sir Peter leaves.
It was a real honour to be there among many of the 50 alumni of the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards – people who, like Peter Blake, are proud Kiwis contributing to New Zealand and who are ‘doers’ rather than ‘talkers’.
The calibre of winners the awards have attracted are both a testimony to the spirit of leadership that Peter Blake inspires and to the hard work and dedication of Sir Peter Blake Leadership Trust.
The trust has done a tremendous job in keeping his legacy as a leader alive. I know Lady Pippa was very keen that any celebration of Peter was about looking forward, building leadership and capability and not a static memorial and this has definitely been achieved.
A perfect example of this is its latest initiative, announced this week – the Young Blake Expedition to the Kermadec Islands for young New Zealanders in 2012.
This project perfectly embodies Sir Peter’s spirit and it brings together all the things that were important to him – youth, adventure and the environment.
It will help instil a sense for adventure and essential leadership skills in a new generation of young Kiwis.
So for me what is it that made Peter Blake stand out as a leader?
He was so down to earth, connected and pragmatic, but with a burning desire to win and a passion for his love of the sea and environment. He gave great clarity to his teams, with lines like “only if it makes the boat go faster” and some other much more colloquial quotes.
To me, he was the quintessential Kiwi leader – humble and hardworking, but also charismatic and wildly passionate about achieving his goals.
He strived for success – not for his own sake, but rather for the benefit of his teammates, his family and, indeed, the nation as a whole.
It is these qualities we should to celebrate and honour as we remember Peter Blake this month and beyond. It’s fantastic to see us celebrating a tall poppy with no reservations – we need to do a lot more of this.
Chris Quin (@chrisjquin) is CEO of Gen-i Australasia and a board member and trustee of Icehouse. He has a passion for how innovation and technology can enable brilliant economic and social outcomes of the region’s people, businesses and communities.
