Easter was a deliberate quiet patch for the leaders of the two major parties.
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It wouldn't have been surprising to see the minority parties and independent candidates take advantage of some open air in the media to ramp up their communications. However, they also seemed to keep a low profile.
Sadly, our world was a little less quiet during this time, with the news of nearly 300 people killed in Sri Lanka. It's too early to comment Sri Lankan leadership during a time of such crisis, although early indications are that the country's intelligence agency had prior-warning and was inadequate in its response.
But it does affirm the importance of strong political leadership, particularly during a crisis.
Last week Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris suffered a significant fire. Recognising the significance of this constructed heritage, the French President was immediate in his response, promising to rebuild the Cathedral within five years. There was some criticism about whether the money could be better spent, but being a leader in politics is about making choices.
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In March, New Zealand endured the horrific Mosque attacks in Christchurch. Since then, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has won praise for her leadership style.
Furthermore, her government was quick to pass new gun-control laws - a clear sign of her resolve to learn from this event and to move forward with a lesser likelihood of a recurrence.
While her leadership over the past month reflected a genuine, heartfelt response, it's hit the mark with voters, with Ardern now at her highest ever approval rating. The voting public loves an authentic, compassionate and strong leader. Sadly, they don't come along too often.
It harks back to 1996 when Tasmanians reeled from the massacre at Port Arthur. John Howard's approach was lauded as being strong, determined and practical. Howard faced strong resistance from within his own government, from certain states, and was even the subject of death threats. But he stood his ground and did what he felt was the right thing to do. I happen to like the fact that he immediately flew to Tasmania to be on the ground at the site and took both Labor and the Democrats leaders with him.
In doing so, politics dropped to the background in favour of leadership. Leaders coming together to achieve the best outcome.
There are many other examples of great leadership during a crisis around the world and within our own country. But the question is, what leadership attributes did these moments entail?
The list would be long, with some obvious elements, surrounded by a sea of more subtle behaviours:
- High levels of communication - these leaders communicate widely, openly and frequently;
- Immediate on-the-ground engagement - this includes connecting with those directly involved and those affected by or working in the aftermath. Underpinning this is a foundation of compassion and understanding;
- A strong response - these leaders took decisive action with an unshakable resolve to implement that decision; and
- Humility - at no stage in any of these examples did the leader make it about themselves. Great leaders practice this humility consistently. Lesser leaders often let ego get the better of them.
Major unexpected events are amongst the defining 'moments that matter' for a leader. In these times, the true strength, character and capability of the leader comes to the fore. Politics becomes irrelevant.
For May's federal election, voters have been given the potential budgets and policy platforms on which to make a decision.
But what if we do face an unexpected crisis? Who would you like to see at the helm? It's an interesting thought - politics aside, when it comes to the crunch, is it Mr Shorten or Mr Morrison?
- Tony Chapman is a Launceston-based director of SRA Corporate Change. SRA Corporate Change focuses on unlocking the potential of organisations and their leaders to cultivate high performance through strategy, leadership and culture.