Publications by Chellie Spiller
Chellie’s books combine practical leadership wisdom with rich insights from her Māori heritage, offering a unique perspective on personal growth and leadership development. Drawing from traditional Māori values, such as whanaungatanga (building strong relationships) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship and stewardship), her works emphasise the importance of community, belonging, and cultural understanding. These principles, alongside practical strategies, empower leaders to foster well-being and success both personally and within their teams, creating a harmonious balance between leadership and cultural integrity.
Māori Economies of Wellbeing
This groundbreaking research project centres whānau as catalysts for resilient, flourishing Indigenous futures. It explores how Māori families navigate work and livelihoods while nurturing a wellbeing-based economy grounded in te ao Māori. Through powerful insights and lived experiences, the study reveals the strength of grassroots, whānau-centred approaches. It shows how reconnecting with traditional values – kaupapa, tikanga, and collective leadership – can drive economic transformation from the inside out. At its heart, this project is a celebration of whānau innovation, self-determination, and the enduring potential of Indigenous knowledge systems to shape economic transformation that is equitable and sustainable.
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The Catalyst’s Way
Chellie’s book The Catalyst’s Way, highlights the transformative power of catalysts in leadership. It defines a catalyst as someone who drives change by dismantling oppressive systems while fostering new, generative ones. Chellie emphasises the blend of ancient wisdom and new knowledge, particularly Indigenous traditions, in shaping collective leadership and sustainability. A catalyst, likened to an alchemist, courageously intervenes to create impactful change, reducing barriers and fostering collaboration.
In The Catalyst’s Way three key leadership principles are highlighted: Activated Hope, which encourages leaders to take purposeful action for positive outcomes; Courage, urging leaders to embrace discomfort to challenge conventional business practices; and Authenticity, emphasizing self-discovery and personal growth by breaking from societal norms. These principles help ethical leaders drive meaningful change and sustainable success.
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Wayfinding Leadership
By Dr Chellie Spiller, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, John Panoho
Published 2015, Huia Publishing, Wellington, New Zealand
Wayfinding Leadership introduces a leadership framework inspired by ancient Polynesian navigation techniques, guiding leaders to venture beyond the familiar and develop deeper self-awareness, adaptability, and observational skills. The book emphasises leading with curiosity, embracing uncertainty, and recognising that leadership is a shared journey, symbolised by the collective effort of being "in the waka together." It offers practical steps and reflective questions to help leaders apply these principles and unlock their potential.
Indigenous Spiritualities at Work
Edited by Dr Chellie Spiller and Dr Rachel Wolfgramm.
Published 2015, Information Age Publishing
Are you intrigued by ancient wisdom traditions? Do you ever wonder if they have any relevance in today’s world? How do Indigenous ways of being and doing balance wealth creation and well-being? How might Indigenous peoples define success? What are Indigenous spiritualities? How is Spiritualities manifested in Indigenous organisations today?
These questions have intrigued us for many years. As a consequence, we invited scholars from around the world to contribute to a ground-breaking book to explore these questions from different worldviews.
Authentic Leadership
Edited by Donna Ladkin and Chellie Spiller
Published 2013, Edward Elgar Press
The majority of authentic leadership literature focuses on the individual leader. However, the authors in this volume expertly focus on the premise that leadership is a relational phenomenon and not something that can be distilled down to the actions of one leader, be they authentic or not.
International scholars and practitioners from the fields of philosophy, sociology, psychology, leadership, business and the arts address provocative questions, often with surprising results, in this cutting-edge update of the theory and practice of authentic leadership. This book updates, critiques and extends the theory of authentic leadership in a way that will prove invaluable for academics and graduate students in leadership studies. Human resource practitioners or individuals who are responsible for leadership development within their organisations will also find plenty of invaluable information in this important book.
