What can Jacindamania teach us about leadership in these turbulent times?

Jacinda Ardern is the world's youngest female head of government, having taken office at 37. At her first press conference after her election as leader, she said that the forthcoming election campaign would be one of "relentless positivity”. Immediately following her appointment, the party was inundated with donations by the public, and this phase was referred to as 'Jacinda effect' and ‘Jacindamania’.

Jacindamania reached new heights last month (March 2019) due to her response to New Zealand's worst-ever terror attack, with praise for her compassionate-and-tough leadership style. Funnily enough, her opposition has always maintained that she’s all style but no substance. But this assessment falls short in the aftermath of the terror attack. She has been a picture of poise, resilience and compassion. A day after the attack, she visited a Christchurch refugee centre to meet community leaders, carrying off the hijab and placing her hand on her heart, a traditional Muslim gesture. Her insistence that New Zealand would remain a refuge for people of all faiths from across the world was lauded the world over. In a phone conversation with Trump, Ardern recalled, "He asked what offer of support the United States could provide. My message was: 'Sympathy and love for all Muslim communities.’” 

This inclusivity in the face of clear fascism and the courage it must have taken to stand up to some of her own to protect others who seek refuge within her borders is what sets her apart; elevates her to another league. But that’s not all Ardern does. From attending UN meetings with an infant in tow to refusing to name the terrorist (not even giving him his name) to enforcing anti-gun laws within two weeks of the attack, Jacinda has garnered respect and adulation from the world over. Her political style is authentic and transparent leadership, and she has set a bar that clearly transcends gender. What she’s actually saying is that “leaders can lead without sacrificing who they are”. 

Decisive, strategic, inclusive, transparent and kind - these are some of the words being used to describe this leader of the free world. They are being used to describe a woman. They are being used to describe a daring leader. At this point in time, she is good for the world. That inclusivity is what we need right now. In the face of seemingly irreconcilable conflicts between people of different politics, nationalities, races, or social classes, it can be tempting just to give up and retreat into an isolated community of the like-minded. The problem is that even if we do that, nothing is solved. The conflicts magically arise even among people ‘Just Like Us’. Interdependence in the face of differences is what the world needs right now and that is what Ardern is lobbying for in a fractured world. 

As human beings, no matter our identities and beliefs, what can we take out of Jacinda’s book? 

  1. Respond with calmness and compassion in the face of adversity. Violence doesn’t have to be a vicious cycle, it’s our choices that make it so. The violence stopped at the Christ Church shooting. Ardern’s humane approach in consoling the nation and being the face of stoic resilience with as much calmness as she could muster, has made anti- gun laws a possibility within two weeks of the shooting. Maintaining your calm in the face of adversity brings you clarity like nothing else.

  2. Empathy doesn’t make you soft, in fact being able to be empathetic in the face of opposition and judgement makes you decidedly hardcore. That empathy is the steel that people often look for in all leaders. This empathy has brought on a wave of inclusivity. “They are us”, she said of the wounded and the dead. There is no other. It’s “us” and “we”. Not them.

  3. Walk the talk: When Ardern visited community leaders the day after the attack, she took along people from all political parties. It was necessary to show that in the face of such a vile incident, everybody put aside their differences and stand as one, stand as “us”. While she’s always “talking” about inclusivity, this act made it “real”.

  4. Clear and in time communication: She promised to tighten gun laws, paying for the funerals and providing financial assistance for the wounded and affected. Her communication is clear, direct and concise. She doesn’t mince words and has shown the world that in an era of uncertainty and misguided intentions, it doesn’t help to build higher walls; but it helps to extend a hug to everybody and anybody who seeks refuge. Time and again she has maintained through her communication that New Zealand was chosen because it represents diversity and compassion.

Terrorism exists because people are afraid of the differences between people. In order to minimise that fear and uncertainty, people resort to various means of annihilating them. It’s the same the world over, within organisations and sometimes even within families. What you don’t understand, just make space for - is what Ardern is telling us all. That is real leadership, that is the real steel.

While independence is a necessary step in fully expressing one’s leadership abilities, achieving interdependence requires intentionality and insight, courage and humility. Independence may produce change, but only interdependence can give birth to transformation. Daring Leaders make transformation possible through embracing, cultivating, and deepening the spirit of interdependence.

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