Mutti : The twenty first century leader
Angela Merkel or Mutti as she is fondly called by the Germans is named the TIME Magazine Person of the year 2015. She has been elected the chancellor of Germany thrice and is called the de facto leader of the European Union.Such appreciation of leadership in a time where we see failure in political establishments around the globe arouses curiosity on the attributes that make a leader successful.
‘Merkel has provided steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply.’ — Nancy Gibbs (Editor : TIME Magazine)
In my opinion an apt category to classify Angela Merkel is adaptive leadership. She is technical, inquisitive and value oriented in her approach of which there have been repeated examples. Just in the past two years she has steered Europe though multiple crises. She has played a crucial role in managing Europe’s debt crises; led the West’s response to Vladimir Putin’s creeping theft of Ukraine; challenged the principle of open borders with the ongoing refugee crisis. Angela Merkel has dealt with these crises in a versatile manner identifying the needs of the situation. These diverse and adaptive values are easily visible by observing her policies. Each time Merkel stepped in. Germany would bail Greece out, on her strict terms. It would welcome refugees as casualties of radical Islamist savagery, not carriers of it. And it would deploy troops abroad in the fight against ISIS.
Her achievements of the past two years epitomize features of adaptive work wherein she used the goals ability to make its people face the tough realities and conflicts. This can be seen in the current refugee crises where European nations have slammed their doors after attacks on their soil which essentially is the national leaders shying away from the tough realities.
Angela Merkel with her leadership has not only elevated the standard of her followers, she has also managed to pull off the feat of undoing the toxic nationalist, militarist, genocidal past. Merkel brandished a different set of values — humanity, generosity, tolerance — to demonstrate how Germany’s great strength could be used to save, rather than destroy.
“Looking back to the time leading up to 1914, one thing in particular stands out: the lack of communication among the political elites of European states and the complete failure of diplomacy. In 2014, in contrast, we in Europe are striving to engage in dialogue and find peaceful solutions — no matter how difficult the negotiations may be.” — Angela Merkel
I believe she is the leader of the twenty-first century; meticulous in her work, fluid in both — her approach and values towards a problem and most importantly ensures at least an incremental progress in activities she pursues.
References:
[1] http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2015-angela-merkel/
[2] http://www.macleans.ca/politics/angela-merkel-the-real-leader-of-the-free-world/
[3] http://www.hrzone.com/lead/strategy/unpicking-angela-merkels-connected-leadership-style
