For the third in my series of 'leadership lessons' posts I am going to look at a rare beast, a politician who for at least a while was universally loved. Jacinda Ardern was Prime Minister of New Zealand between 2017 and 2023, and during that time I think it is safe to say that citizens of many other countries wished she was their leader too. But why was she popular and what made her a good leader in the eyes of millions?
To answer that I am going to take each of the key characteristics that I described in my Christmas Eve post as being those that make someone a 'cultivational leader'. For a more detailed definition of this type of leader please go back to the blog post in question.
1. Empathy
Arden's immediate response to shootings in a mosque in Christchurch in 2019 clearly demonstrated the level of empathy she had for all citizens of New Zealand. Not only did she offer immediate financial support to the families that were affected, she also wore a traditional Muslim headscarf whilst visiting the site of the tragedy.
This empathy was evident throughout her life, from volunteering in soup kitchens as a student to the work she did to improve life for families and tackle child poverty during her time as Prime Minister. Even at the age of eight, in the appropriately titled book 'Jacinda Ardern - Leading with Empathy' by Supriya Vani and Carl A. Harte, the authors describe an eight-year-old Jacinda writing in her journal that she wanted to be a clown when she grew up as she wanted to make people happy. The book also quotes her directly, spelling out that empathy is one of her key tenets as a leader when she says "It takes courage to be an empathetic leader. And I think if anything the world needs empathetic leadership now, perhaps more than ever."
2. Trust
It is clear that the public had great trust in Ardern, with her popularity being reflected in the polls. She did take a bit of a bashing post covid, due to her government's hard line during the pandemic, and the relentless trolling she received from anti-vaxxers, but she resigned on her own terms. The fact that she followed through with her promises after the Christchurch mosque tragedy would have reinforced the public's trust in her as someone who follows through and does what they say that they are going to do.
Her honesty was also a hugely important factor in the high levels of trust that people had for her as a leader. This was evident throughout her time as prime minister, and even shone through in her resignation speech when she admitted feeling burnt out after such a long time leading the country.
3. Realism
If we look at Ardern's targets as Prime Minister in the way that we would at those of a business leader, then we do not get an accurate picture of the realism which she applied to her leadership. It must be stated that being the leader of a country through a pandemic undoubtedly impacted on her being able to achieve what she wanted to achieve politically.
So, rather than define her realism in these terms, lets instead look at the level of realism that was evident in her world-view, and her willingness to at least try to address the most challenging 'realities' of life. She fought for same-sex marriage in New Zealand and was the first Prime Minister to join a Pride march. She helped push through the Abortion Legislation Act 2020. Outside of her country, she challenged other world leaders to do more for climate control and for the rights of women. I could go on, but with just the issues I have listed here we have to agree that her leadership style was very much based in realism.
4. Determination
As a woman leading her country, Ardern faced a huge amount of sexism from those around her. From being asked if she dyed her hair in an interview to being referred to as 'Cindy', she must have had to show incredible determination not to be ground down by this abuse. Psychologists describe the attitudes she faced as being down to 'role incongruity theory' where groups in society cannot reconcile the stereotypical traits they perceive as women having with the traits they believe necessary for success in the position they hold.
Ardern's determination also shone through in her response to the covid-19 pandemic, where decisive and strong decisions meant that New Zealand was one of the few countries to deal effectively with the virus. Sadly, the vitriol directed towards her by anti-vaxxers, including threats to her life, continued post-pandemic, and must have tested her determination to an extreme level.
5. Relational
Ardern has shown throughout her life and career that she fully understands the importance of relationships. During the pandemic she new that her determination alone would not succeed in achieving her aims for her country so she knew that her relationship with all the citizens was key. In describing New Zealand as a 'team of five million' she reinforced the bond between her and the population.
There are of course other ways in which she demonstrated a 'relational' approach, including her description of the Australian Premier, Anthony Albanese as 'a friend' at the time of her resignation. She had built up a relationship with him which served to usher in a much improved working relationship between the two countries.
I think it is safe to say that I am a fan of Jacinda Ardern, and I hope that has come through in this post. I can't think of a better way to finish it other than to quote from her resignation speech. The speech in its entirety sums her up as a leader, but it is distilled in the following statement:
"I hope in return I leave behind a belief that you can be kind, but strong. Empathetic, but decisive. Optimistic, but focused."
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