What does it mean to collaborate across party lines, ideological differences, and cultures? How do we effectively bridge gaps in beliefs, communication, and policies?
Former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern explored these questions with students, faculty, and community members during the fall 2023 semester. Ardern joined the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) as a Hauser Leader and Harvard Kennedy School as an Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow just eight months after resigning as prime minister.
From forums, to workshops, to meetings with students, Ardern facilitated conversations about entering positions of leadership, making decisions during times of crisis, and navigating difficult conversations. Ardern’s passion and what she describes as an “empathetic approach” to leadership was a throughline across several conversations she conducted on campus.
“I got into politics in the first place because I cared about things like child poverty,” Ardern explained. Seeing politics as an opportunity to advocate for issues she cared deeply about, Ardern focused her time as prime minister on policies addressing poverty, climate change, and recognizing indigenous culture. “Stay connected to the people who you are making decisions about,” she encouraged during a meeting with students.
When asked by a student what accomplishments she is particularly proud of during her time as prime minister, Ardern cited two policies: requiring schools in New Zealand to teach the country’s history, and instituting Matariki, a Māori celebration, as a public holiday in New Zealand.
“There are things that might not seem hugely significant at the time, but I think might leave lasting change. And they won’t necessarily be associated with you as an individual or with your party or your office, but they leave a mark,” Ardern said.
Building bridges
In addition to policy accomplishments, Ardern’s tenure was marked by her ability to build bridges across differences. During her two terms in office, the country experienced multiple crises, including the Christchurch Mosque shooting, the COVID-19 pandemic, and an economically devastating cattle disease outbreak, M. bovis. Ardern emphasized the importance of bringing in data, engaging experts, and working collaboratively to make decisions.
During a forum discussion, CPL Co-Director Hannah Riley Bowles prompted Ardern to elaborate on her process of building bridges across party lines and ideological divides by exploring Ardern’s response to the M. bovis outbreak. During the crux of this issue, Ardern brought in agricultural leaders, and they went through the crisis response and decision-making process together. As a result of this collaborative process, they landed on a joint decision to attempt to eradicate the disease, and the country is now successfully halfway through a ten-year plan.
During each step of the process in managing each of these crises, Ardern prioritized finding common ground through compassion and humanity.
“I was constantly trying to ask, ‘how do we remember the human experience in all of this?’”
Driven by her values, Ardern’s priority was not only to be a good prime minister, but also to be a good human. She did not want to compromise her humanity for power, so she leaned on empathy during the decision-making and policymaking process.
Describing Ardern as a “global icon of strength and kindness,” Riley Bowles expressed that Ardern’s image “has transformed what it means to be a leader on the global stage.”
Empathetic approach to leadership
Ardern’s empathy has also given way to her ability to be vulnerable. She has been open about her struggle with imposter syndrome during her time as prime minister. The lesson she learned through experiencing imposter syndrome offers hope: you never know what you’re capable of until you try. Ardern’s transparency exemplifies her humanistic, hopeful approach to leadership and ability to use vulnerability to increase collaboration and communication.
During her time with CPL Fellows, Ardern challenged them to allow themselves to sit with discomfort and feel things deeply, too. Embracing emotion can be an effective way to work with people with varying opinions, beliefs, and experiences, Ardern explained. Although doing so can make leadership harder at times, Ardern offered the perspective that embracing emotion can make leaders more well-rounded problem solvers.
“Solutions will so often come down to simple human behavior,” said Ardern.
Despite the immense challenges Ardern faced as prime minister, she still sees the silver lining in leadership. During a time when fear, insecurity, and division are major driving factors in politics, Ardern encouraged the Harvard community to be okay with discomfort and to focus on showing up – for themselves and for their communities. Even during crises and moments of division, there are opportunities to show care and to bridge divides.
“I still am an optimist. In the darkest of times, I will be.”
By Annie Christman