I was absolutely delighted to see Jacinda Ardern win a convincing second term in office with a majority in New Zealand. It is a fabulous country that I had great fun backpacking in many moons ago.
Photo credit: The Guardian
While this is not a political column it got me thinking about her leadership style and her appeal. She has, no doubt, a tough job ahead in terms of economic recovery and keeping Coronavirus at bay.
She has however, demonstrated that a leader can have empathy without being weak, can show emotion without being vulnerable. This is what we need to see from business and political leaders at the moment; not the point scoring and chest beating we regularly see here.
We need to see leaders that truly understand and empathise with what is happening in peoples lives at the moment. I am looking forward to reading the next book on my hit list Simon Sinek’s -‘Leaders Eat Last’. This book investigates leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don't just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, through to the heads of big business and government – who put aside their own interests to protect their teams.
In practice I don’t think we see it often enough in business. Maybe this particularly leadership trait is more attributable to women, like Jacinda Ardern? Maybe kindness and empathy in business at this current time could be seen as a strength and something which will get us through?
Maybe we should have more than just two female CEOs in Northern Ireland’s top 100 companies? This is a topic being explored by an upcoming conference ‘The Voices of Leadership’ being hosted by Women in Business NI on Thursday 5th November.
Funny as I reflect and look back to my own happy childhood, my Dad was the breadwinner but with five children to feed my Mum always (and still does) ate last. I didn’t recognise it at the time but while Dad brought in the finance, Mum was naturally the team leader and recognised as so by Dad.
This is what good leadership and teamwork delivered with empathy and strength really looks like and is something which we could do with seeing more of, in the business world of today.
Komentarze