Leadership is about service, Princess Angelika tells Pacific women [1]
Friday, August 8, 2014 - 16:55
Tonga’s Ambassador to Australia, Princess Angelika Tukuaho, delivered a keynote address to the Australian Professional Pacific Women Symposium in Sydney, Australia last night August 7.
The occasion was a two day “Think Big Start Small” symposium organised by Australian Professional Pacific Women. Its objective is “bring together professional women of Pacific Island backgrounds living in Australia” and “…to give a platform for the women to dialogue along their area of expertise.”
Princess Angelika stated in her address “Being a leader is not about having a title or a position, it’s a choice. We cannot just dream of a better world, we need to forge ourselves into one. We have the power to choose and the power to change. Leadership does not materialize because you gain a specific position, a pay grade or a level of seniority or popularity. Instead, leadership is about the choice you make to influence and the freedom to accept personal responsibilities.”
“Leadership is an observable, learnable set of practices and an ongoing process of development and learning. Leaders are made when they understand their purpose, their strengths and have a deep passion to make a difference. Being a leader has its challenges but so far, it has been a humbling learning experience about service…serving others and being of service to the Nation. As an Ambassador, my primary role is to develop and maintain relationships. They call it in diplomacy as “deepening of relations” between States and relations within the international community. As I see it, leadership is also about relationships and the ability to strike a balance within relations. Thus on a personal level, leadership is not about my journey as person who wears many hats, but journeying together with those around me. As the old adage remains: If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”