Dame Jacinda Ardern,former Prime minister of New Zealand,recently shared insights on leadership and navigating polarized times during a Q&A session. Addressing concerns about the current political climate, notably in the U.S.,Dame jacinda emphasized the importance of fostering respectful dialog and consensus-building.

“I think when you’re in public service, you decide that you’re going to put all of yourself out ther,” she told the audience, highlighting a need for greater transparency and vulnerability in leadership. She noted that leaders frequently enough don’t show “all of it,” including “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Ardern’s leadership style, characterized by empathy and openness, is highlighted in the documentary prime Minister, which offers glimpses into her personal life, such as moments with her daughter and handling official paperwork. The film also touches on challenging moments,including the 2022 Wellington protest,during which anti-mandate demonstrators occupied Parliament grounds. her willingness to display emotions during such events, according to those who worked with her, demonstrated that acknowledging vulnerability is a key aspect of strong leadership.

Leading with Humanity

“I’d never seen somebody lead unapologetically with kindness and humanity just exactly as she was.”

Even after leaving her post as prime minister, Dame Jacinda continues to advocate for these principles. At the Eccles Theater, she shared her viewpoint on overcoming societal divisions.

“For me, the question isn’t so much one purely about politics, but it’s about how we engage with one another, how we debate when we have different views, how we build respect and consensus when we need it,” she explained.”And that is what we also have to keep fighting for.We have to look for ways to foster that again because all of those big challenges that we have in the world,we will not overcome unless we build consensus with one another rather then a war with one another.”

Dame Jacinda remains optimistic about the future. “This situation and time is not unique to one contry,” she stated. “For some reason,we have managed to silo ourselves more deeply,in a more entrenched way than we ever have before. But I absolutely believe that we will find our way out of it again.And I believe it as I saw the most horrific times, the most dark and arduous times, and through it, those were the times when I saw beautiful lights of humanity as well. It is there, we just have to make sure we amplify it, we give it space, we foster it, and we have the courage to grow, as well.”