Opinion | What makes New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern an authentic leader

Coolness under pressure, self-discipline and the decisiveness of her government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has earned international praise

‘Authentic leaders are guided by sound moral convictions and act in concordance with their deeply held values, even under pressure,’ one expert said

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New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern discusses her government’s efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:00am, 28 May 2020Updated: 1:34pm, 28 May 2020

The qualities that have made Jacinda Ardern the most popular prime minister of New Zealand in a century were on display this week as she took an earthquake in her stride during a live television interview.

“We’re fine,” she declared cheerfully as the 5.9-magnitude quake shook New Zealand’s parliament house in Wellington for 15 seconds. “I’m not under any hanging lights.”

Her coolness under pressure, self-discipline and the decisiveness of her government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has led some to call Ardern the most effective national leader in the world.

But the key ingredient to her popularity and effectiveness is her authenticity.

In the words of Helen Clark, New Zealand’s prime minister from 1999 to 2008, Ardern is a natural and empathetic communicator who does not preach at people, but instead signals that she is “standing with them”

“They may even think: ‘Well, I don’t quite understand why the government did that, but I know she’s got our back’. There’s a high level of trust and confidence in her because of that empathy,” Clark said.

These insights are confirmed by my own research into authentic leadership.