By Linky van der Merwe

Early in 2021 there was a political leader who received a standing ovation when retiring at the age of 67 years old after leading the Christian Democratic Union for 18 years. This leader was born in July 1954 and grew up in East Germany. The first political leader with a doctorate in quantum chemistry who worked as a research scientist. Then she became the first female chancellor of Germany. She is a Protestant Christian who stated that she keeps religion as her constant companion and that Christians should not be afraid of standing up for their beliefs.

The person described here is Angela Merkel, known to be called “Iron Chancellor”, in comparison to the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, often called the “Iron Lady”.

This article will summarise the top leadership lessons that we can learn from the political career and achievements of Angela Merkel during her reign as the Leader of Europe’s biggest economy since 2005.

Leadership Lessons

What follows is an overview of her leadership qualities, the traits that distinguished her as a successful leader, her style as a leader from a strengths and weaknesses point of view and a powerful quote.

She can be well described using the letters of her country G-E-R-M-A-N-Y.

G – goodness, generosity

E – epitome of purpose-based leadership and she’s a master of leading from behind, which means viewing leadership as a collective activity. Explained by professor Linda Hill in her 2015 book: Collective Leadership, ”what makes people willing to do the hard tasks of innovation together and work through the inevitable conflict and tension.”

R – ruthless, took bold stands, rational thinker.

M – methodical, likes to work patiently through a problem, splitting it into its various parts, weighing up pros and cons, and crafting a solution step by step, bit by bit; known to be the best-prepared person in the room, always on top of her briefing material.

A – assertive, independent as part of her self-expression

N – named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in Dec. 2015, and she topped Forbes magazine’s list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, as well as multiple other awards.

Y – youngest German Chancellor since the Second World War; first woman to be elected German Chancellor; the first to have grown up in the former East Germany, and the first born after 1945. She was also the first female leader of a German political party, and the first German Chancellor with a background in natural sciences.

Longest-serving leader

As a four-term Chancellor of Germany she was the longest-serving leader in the European Union. The leadership traits that distinguished her as a successful leader are:

• High self-regard and self-actualization
• Emotional self-awareness
• Assertive, independent as part of her self-expression
• Interpersonal strengths – empathy, social responsibility
• Thinking – problem solving, impulse control
• Stress management – flexibility, stress tolerance, optimism
• Believes in gender equality

Leadership style

Her leadership style is described as both pragmatic and methodical; a person who stayed away from risky decisions and who sought the middle ground. She played her plans close to her chest and was not afraid to take bold stands. Her values – humanity, generosity, tolerance – helped her to provide steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply.

Perhaps her most admired qualities can be summarised as her determination, giving her extraordinary drive and staying power, an incredible inner strength that allowed her to stay at the table and push the negotiations over the line. This is evident in how she dealt with the Euro sovereign debt crisis. Also, her sense of duty, because she dealt with Europe as a “matter of the heart”, believing in a prosperous and peaceful Europe that is committed to diversity, freedom and tolerance.

Like most people, she has weaknesses which are described as her strategy, the fact that she’s so rational and that she tends to think only about Germany, with her low point being the ongoing refugee crisis.

Above all, much inspiration, wisdom and good learnings can be taken from the life and leadership style of a woman who earned the trust and respect of her colleagues, her country and the neighbouring countries through her tenacity, principles and purposeful leading from behind.

Angela Merkel has embodied this spirit of courage and leadership that opened up the possibilities of a better future for all. In her own words:

“Let us not ask what is wrong or what has always been. Let us first ask what is possible and look for something that has never been done before.”

Sources

The Leadership Qualities That Made Angela Merkel ‘Time’ Magazine’s Person of the Year | Inc.com

Angela Merkel—Striking the Right Note on Leadership (imf.org) By Christine Lagarde; HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, August 31, 2019

Angela Merkel Leadership traits (slideshare.net) by Western Kentucky University