Exemplary leadership

KARACHI: The Covid-19 pandemic has proved to be the ultimate test of leadership as countries all over the world face an unprecedented crisis. While each leader is dealing with the situation in their own way, the world has witnessed exceptional leadership skills by Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand. She has successfully managed to control the spread of the virus through her prompt response of enforcing a strict lockdown throughout the country.

What makes her different from other world leaders is her clear and consistent communicational approach with citizens, which not only effectively displayed the severity of the issue but also helped her in gaining the confidence of the people. With her informative live addresses, she managed to keep citizens calm under pressure. Unlike other leaders such as Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and Imran Khan who gave mixed messages regarding the seriousness of the virus, her stance remained firm, and her strategies perspicuous. Her speeches clearly conveyed the message that the world is facing a health emergency, and therefore New Zealand cannot afford a delayed response at any cost. As the debate on ‘herd immunity’ gained momentum, with some countries considering it as a strategy to fight the pandemic, Ardern blatantly spoke against it. She stated that implementing the idea of herd immunity would cost thousands of lives in New Zealand and that she would never stand that. This proves how she is willing to put the lives of her citizens above all else.

Through her unprecedented leadership capabilities, she was able to convince her people to act for the collective good. With her strength, empathy and commitment, Arden demonstrated leadership which serves as an example for others to follow as the pandemic continues to threaten lives across the globe.

Nayab Iqbal

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2020.

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