What's different about doing business as Wāhine Māori?

I sat in a business meeting this morning and couldn’t help but notice what was strikingly different about being in a space that is not Wāhine Māori led.

This meeting was very productive, direct, straight to the point, actions focused.

All the things you’d want when you’re a busy CEO, or a bootstrapped start up when time is money and money is king (or queen!).

Not a bad thing either, let me say this from the outset, I definitely don’t knock this way of doing. It’s just different. Different to what I’m used to, having immersed myself in kaupapa Māori business for the past five years.

Different.

So what’s so different, you might be wondering?

Let’s lay it out.

I find if you’re not used to be in a Māori space, you might feel like it’s a whole lot slower.

And yet, I would still say it’s productive, direct, straight to the point, and actions focused.

But the context of these points looks different.

It’s productive in that in a Māori space, the productivity can be measured through whanaungatanga. A meeting is well spent time, if we get to know one another.

Directness can be measured in the way we want to know who you are, where you’re from and how we might be connected or linked in other ways.

It’s straight to the point, in the sense that we know the kaupapa will be covered in due course, just as it needs to be.

And it’s actions focused in that by building a relationship with you, we expect we’ll be doing business together more than once. It’s not a transaction.

As Māori we spend time in whanaugantanga because it is the foundation of any relationship, and when we’re doing business together - we consider it a relationship.

It’s not just about knowing who you are though, it’s about understanding the journey you’ve taken to come to this place today, your intentions, your desired outcomes, and how the relationship will be reciprocal.

What could you learn by spending more time in whanaungatanga?

My parting words of wisdom for you today are this.

What might you gain, by spending more time setting the foundations of a relationship?

And I don’t just mean “gain” as in, what else could you get out of this.

I mean, what insights might there be in understanding someone else’s story?

Are there opportunities to connect with others?

Are there connections that you can draw on for a richer experience together?