Stepping down from a leadership position is hard and scary, especially for someone in the public eye such as New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Arden. Knowing the right time and being brave enough to step onto the stage and openly share that the job is hard, requires a “full tank” and most importantly is a privilege to hold.
Public service all her life
Jacinda entered public service at the age of 17 and worked her way towards leadership for 20 years when she took over as the country’s labor party leader and then later as prime minister from 2017-23. Five years doesn’t seem like a long time in one position, given the tenure of front-row politicians like Nancy Pelosi. However, during her early political career, Jacinda faced numerous election losses starting in 2008. She showed her values, campaigning for Maori language education in schools and speaking out about the importance of climate change. She stands by those same values, years later.
In 2017 the stars aligned when Arden got the lucky break she needed taking on the labor party leader when Annette King resigned. It’s fair to say that leaders across all industries achieve privileged positions through a combination of hard work, resilience and lucky breaks. Timing is everything. Arden displayed an open, honest, down-to-earth nature and at a time when her country – heck the world – was ready for a young, modern approach. She focused on her country’s foundational needs such as education, poverty and also more controversial issues including immigration and the decriminalization of abortion.
It wasn’t an easy five years
As the youngest ever prime minister of her country, she faced the toughest of headwinds. The COVID pandemic, a mass shooting, implementing strict gun laws, handling a deadly volcanic eruption, while becoming a mother for the first time. Arden’s recent stepping back has been criticized by many who want to lay blame or point to failure, while others fondly reminisce her accomplishments. Arden herself says it best “I am human… politicians give all that we can for as long as we can, and then it’s time.”
Turning New Chapters and Looking ahead
Taking the brain-space to introspect and figure out one’s next chapter seems like a luxury but is so worthwhile. Arden shared her excitement about spending time with family and loved ones and actually seeing her daughter head to school each day. Change for most is scary; an unknown future causes stress and often unnatural acts. I applaud any leader, regardless of public or private sector, that makes wise decisions, plans for the long-term and displays bravery in being accountable and a part of the bigger issue. Openly sharing that there’s no gas in the tank or the former way no longer works is sadly not commonplace. Instead we see leaders hold onto positions for longer periods, continue to take bonus payouts and sit tight to weather a storm.
Our current economic turmoil and fear of recession has caused a ton of change across all industries in a condensed time frame. Tech in particular has been shaken with deep layoffs at the biggest of the big. When significant change takes place that requires a course correction or a different strategy, it organically permeates throughout the entire org. Twitter’s 75% headcount cut post Elon Musk’s takeover affected everyone’s job at the company. Sometimes it takes cycles or time to settle into the new norm. Course correction is often good but it inevitably affects the core operation especially when it’s a ~75% level impact across all teams.
New Zealand will carry on
Of course New Zealand’s labor party will regroup, work with their new leader and carry the torch forward. Although Arden’s time in the seat wasn’t as long as expected, her legacy and imprint was felt. She demonstrated empathy, integrity and compassion. She showed her human-ness while in-seat and even when departing. She made tough decisions that she was criticized for, yet she held her ground, oriented by her values. My hope is that leaders in all sectors and industries can take a lesson from Arden. Stay human. Consider your position of privilege and deeply understand the downstream effects of your decisions.
P.S I created this image of Jacinda overlooking her country in admiration and love using the new (very cool) MidJourney app. Let me know what you think.