It takes courage and strength to be empathetic, and I’m very proudly an empathetic and compassionate leader. I am trying to chart a different path

Jacinda Ardern
It takes courage and strength to be empathetic, and I’m very proudly an empathetic and compassionate leader. I am trying to chart a different path
Like

Share this post

Choose a social network to share with, or copy the URL to share elsewhere

This is a representation of how your post may appear on social media. The actual post will vary between social networks

When asked about the leaders that inspire them in our Scholar Spotlights, the answer that comes up most prevalently is Jacinda Ardern. Ardern is most well known as the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand. At the core of her leadership, she champions empathy and compassion, distinguishing her from other world leaders. 

This week, we reflect on Arden's perspective on the importance of empathetic leadership, in a landscape often dominated by hypermasculine values: 

Jacinda Ardern: "It takes courage and strength to be empathetic, and I’m very proudly an empathetic and compassionate leader. I am trying to chart a different path, and that will attract criticism but I can only be true to myself and the form of leadership I believe in."
Photo credit: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of New ZealandCC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ardern as a Leader: Abroad vs. Home  

Ardern is internationally known as a compassionate and progressive leader during her time as the Prime Minister of New Zealand. She is a role model and inspiration to many women and girls, notably as the world's youngest female head of government and youngest prime minister for over 150 years, at 37. Her overwhelming popularity in the media has been named "Jacindamania." In 2018, Ardern became the second world leader, following Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, to give birth while governing office. 


As many know, Ardern is regarded highly for her actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which New Zealand was locked down for 29 months. As a result of Ardern's actions, New Zealand had one of the world's most successful COVID outcomes: its of 5 million people has catalogued under 2,500 COVID-related deaths. She is also famous for her response to the Christchurch Massacre, in which a white supremacist shot and killed 51 worshippers at two mosques. In the space of weeks, she passed laws banning semi-automatic weapons, running a scheme to destroy over 50,000 guns. With her quick action during a succession of difficult times and decisions to make, she was admired by many. 


However, the question remains. Why is Ardern so loved around the world, but disliked by many in New Zealand? In December 2020, during COVID-19, Labour polled 53%, an extremely unusual outcome. However, since then, the Labour Party and Ardern's popularity began to slip, leading to her resignation in 2023. Despite Ardern's remarkable achievements on a larger scale, many New Zealanders were disappointed at Ardern and the Labour Party's failure to deal with domestic issues.

Despite her declaration that fixing the housing crisis was "a key focus of [her] government", housing costs remained high, contributing to the rising cost of living. Whilst she strived to solve New Zealand's problem of child poverty, the number of children residing in emergency motel accommodation arrived at an all-time peak in 2021. It is important to note that many of these issues were systemic and ongoing, requiring long-term solutions. However, while Ardern made ambitious promises on housing and child poverty, the pressures of governing during crises like COVID-19 overshadowed other prevalent domestic issues. 

Leadership Grounded in Empathy and Compassion

This discrepancy between attitudes towards Ardern abroad and in New Zealand reminds us that there are no flawless leaders and it's important to note their limitations. It is also important to see both sides of the story: what we see in the media is not always the full picture. Our perspectives surrounding leaders often differ based on our varying life experiences. 

However, Ardern remains a worthy role model and a teacher of many important leadership lessons. At the core of her leadership philosophy stands kindness, compassion and humanity, things that are lacking in the perspectives of many world leaders.  She showed her humanity as a leader through different avenues, notably through social media as a way of connecting with the people she served. 

Her leadership underlines the Laidlaw value of being #Extraordinary and the Oxford Character Project Leadership Virtue of #Humanity. Being extraordinary means breaking barriers and exploring methods of leadership that haven't been greatly explored. Having humanity means connecting with the people you serve on a personal level.

A Call to Reflect

As students and future leaders, how can we balance empathy and ambition while navigating the challenges of leadership?


Sources 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/jacinda-ardern-resigns-new-zealand-prime-minister-mother-icon-rcna66485

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/05/support-for-jacinda-ardern-and-nz-labour-sinks-to-lowest-since-2017-poll-shows

https://www.labour.org.nz/news-jacindaardern-leadership

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-promised-to-fix-the-housing-crisis-and-our-readers-had-a-lot-to-say-about-it/GKMYH2Z2OLONQZ5VTHMKJNW5V4/

Please sign in

If you are a registered user on Laidlaw Scholars Network, please sign in