Leading Beyond Boundaries

A solid start

Paul’s first people leader role was as a policy manager at the Ministry of Justice. He’s grateful they sent him on his first management development programme.

“It was a classic management programme. I learnt a bit about myself through a 360, but there were also super useful tools and practical content I could apply to managing people, finance and delivery.”

On reflection, he may have taken his new role a bit too seriously but he wanted to make sure he was doing the right things, such a regular check-ins, 1:1’s and getting performance and development plans in place.

“I knew I didn’t want to be that type of manager who did all the work, so it was really about how I could empower the team.”

However, he had a salutary lesson when he realised he had made the wrong decision in order to placate a senior advisor in his team. It brought into sharp focus his role as a leader and the importance of navigating being part of the team, while also separate from it, and knowing when to pull on that authority.

Stepping into system leadership

His role four years later as Director, Office of Treaty Settlements provided intense growth as a leader. It was a challenging role with high public visibility, direct engagement with Ministers, and significant autonomy, including responsibility for a separate vote. The workload was immense, expectations were high, and the pace relentless as Ministers sought to accelerate the Treaty settlement processes.

“I learned a lot about leading under pressure. I was leading across a much bigger group of people and having to be the front person with ministers and the public. It was also complex and sensitive work.”

Most importantly, during this role, he realised the power of genuine cross‑agency collaboration. Much of the negotiations were with other departments and progress was dependant on bringing multiple parts of the public service together in pursuit of shared goals. He found effective strategies to engage others with the work and built different governance responsibilities and structures where all the organisations worked cohesively together.

This experience expanded his understanding of leadership beyond organisational boundaries. While challenging, it was a deeply rewarding role.

Leading change as Government Chief Digital Officer

With experience in multiple chief executive roles, Paul still engages different leadership skills in his system role as Government Chief Digital Officer.

He believes it’s essential to work with and through departments if you want to change how the public service operates. While he has some controls and levers, much of his leadership depends on how he influences.

“One of the key things in system leadership is that you can’t simply and easily get the system to do what you want it to do. You need to work with agencies to understand their needs and build a shared picture with them of system needs. Be resolute about why you are acting and the need for change, but at the same time responsive to agency concerns and understand the pressures others may be under. You need to show how it will be better for them, as well as the system.”

He believes system change can falter when one agency is deciding what the system needs and it doesn’t match what other agencies think the system needs.

“It’s really important to build buy-in to what you’re trying to do and then play your role in delivering that for the system.”

System leadership in action

When expanding the mandate of GCDO last year, Paul knew he needed to engage with others.

“I needed to get their advice and feedback, but also their commitment to the direction.  I wanted to build a coalition of the accountable.”

He established a range of groups to ensure connections and consistency across accountable deputy chief executives, chief information officers and his chief executive peers. Chief executive sessions endorsed by the Public Service Commissioner ensured they were really able to talk through the work. He also encouraged members of the other groups to engage with peers in their own agency and talk about the digital shift required across the public service.

He knows his requests might feel like an extra so he’s passionate about showing others how it’s essential.

“It’s quite a different skillset to line delivery. You don’t operate within the confines of the organisation so, in my approach, I’m very mindful of what else people are juggling. To have an impact on the system, you need to involve others and get their support to the clear picture you are trying to achieve. How do I approach them to get the buy in and show them we need to work differently around digital?”

A relational approach

Paul views his relationships as one of his most valuable assets. He remains in regular contact with colleagues he has worked with who share great advice, insights and wisdom. This includes his first manager in the Public Service and even the senior analyst who welcomed him on his first day of his very first job in the Public Service [who was Andrew Bridgman, recently chief executive at Oranga Tamariki].

Reaching out for advice comes naturally to Paul, and he does so deliberately and often. When he took his first chief executive role at Ministry for Culture and Heritage, he also leaned into this approach. He intentionally sought out three different senior leaders and met with one of them every week during his first three months of the role.

Throughout his career, Paul has been grounded in people, purpose, and a commitment to serve others. His advice to other leaders reflects this. Rather than focusing on titles or career steps, he encourages people to think deeply about what motivates them, where their skills add value, and which roles feel both rewarding and impactful.

“If you focus on contribution and impact, your career will largely take care of itself.”

This interview featured in our February issue of our LDC newsletter. Previous interviews with senior public sector leaders include Carolyn Tremain,  Sir Brian Roche and Gráinne Moss. Sent every two months, the LDC newsletter includes leadership development opportunities, resources and interviews with inspiring leaders. You can subscribe here. 

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