There is no doubt, though, that the Premier's direct and simple language has hit the mark amidst the uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis.

Once the Liberal attack dog, the man who was only elevated to the premiership in January has had a baptism of fire.

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But Gutwein's staff are well familiar with a saying he likes to utter around the office: "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, he has logged between 12 and 20 hours a day.

Nonetheless, the ex-footballer - and qualified black belt instructor in Tae Kwon Do - still sticks to a disciplined exercise regimen.

"I exercise every morning by walking and doing a set routine," he says. "It's a habit I've been in for nearly the last 10 years and hardly ever miss it."

"This routine, and the reality checks my wife Amanda, son Finn and the very opinionated [daughter] Millie, dish up to me daily, keep me centred and sane."

Gutwein's former media adviser of 10 years and deputy chief of staff Brad Nowland says his old boss didn't develop his communication skills "by accident".

"He's been working hard on them the whole time I've known him," Nowland, who is now a part owner of Font PR, says.

"When the Liberals were in Opposition, Peter was one of the key spokespeople who could be relied on to not just deliver a message but actually communicate the Liberals' policies and plans.

"He worked hard on his communication skills then and it's paying off now. He's always understood that being able to communicate clearly through the media is a critical skill for any leader."

Gutwein says: "I grew up in a big family of six kids and my parents taught us to speak our minds and to stand up for what we believed."

He has referred to his late father, brother and sister in saying he has "no mortgage on grief" and has been upset by the four deaths that have occurred in Tasmania as a result of the virus so far.

The newly minted Premier recently broke down in parliament talking about the thousands of Tasmanians who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic.

University of Tasmania head of marketing Professor Steven D'Alessandro believes Gutwein is doing " a great job as a communicator in this crisis".

"He comes across as authentic, caring and professional," Professor D'Alessandro says.

"His messages are clear, and his tone is always measured. His moves to isolate Tasmania were also proactive and have been followed by other states."

In contrast, Professor D'Alessandro is of the view that Prime Minister Scott Morrison does not appear sincere and that his messages have been mixed.

"If you want to compare Morrison and Gutwein's abilities, I think it also has a lot to do with backgrounds," he says.

"Gutwein, I understand in the past was a publican and businessman and is probably used to being calm in a crisis.

"Morrison's experience as a marketer and member of the Horizon Church is very preachy."

Professor D'Alessandro has used an analysis tool developed by psychologists LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count) to look at the respective leadership styles of Gutwein and Morrison, examining two media conferences from earlier this month.

"Gutwein is more measured (less words per sentence) and direct," he says.

"He addressed the audience as 'you' more than the PM.

"His press conference shows more reasoning and provides greater insight."

The analysis also shows Gutwein spent more time on the importance of social distancing than Morrison did.

"This may reflect different leadership styles of wanting to calm the population (Morrison) versus having to deal with the issue at the coalface (Gutwein)," Professor D'Alessandro says.

According to his analysis, both Gutwein and Morrison came across as authentic - in terms of believing their own words.

Gutwein, he says, was more "negative" but he believes that was to get the seriousness of his message across to Tasmanians.

Like Professor D'Alessandro, political analyst Richard Herr says he has been impressed by Gutwein's ability to adopt a more down-to-earth and conciliatory approach when addressing the public, after years of playing the role of government enforcer.

But he says the Premier hasn't completely eschewed his hard man persona.

"He's been more aggressive, in some ways, than some of his interstate colleagues in protecting the state," Professor Herr says.

"Certainly for the present, the Premier seems to enjoy very good support and very good public recognition for making the tough calls."

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However, it's not guaranteed that Gutwein's current popularity will translate to sustained electoral success.

"It may well cement his place in the public mind and make him the sort of electoral asset that he and his party would like him to be," Professor Herr says.

"[But] remember, Winston Churchill lost the first election he stood for after [World War II].

"That's always a risk - you make tough decisions in times of crisis and after the crisis has passed, people don't necessarily feel that they want a crisis manager [anymore]."

"It's ... like the conquering general in Roman times who always had the slave behind him, reminding him that even the mighty fall."

The last time a Tasmanian premier had to grapple with a crisis similar in magnitude to the one now facing Gutwein was when Tony Rundle dealt with the fallout of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

Like Gutwein, he'd been in the job for little more than a month when calamity befell the state.

"The Tasmanian population, generally, was traumatized by what had happened," Rundle says.

"When these events occur, I think you just have to get on with it; there's not much time to think.

"Issues that need to be addressed become pretty clear and it's not all that difficult to actually get on and do what has to be done."

Speaker of the House of Assembly Sue Hickey - who was a thorn in the side of former premier Will Hodgman - is of the mind that Gutwein is, indeed, doing what has to be done.

"I believe the Premier has courageously stepped up to the plate and not been afraid to make tough decisions, some of which clearly impact him personally," Ms Hickey says.

"Most importantly, he has gained the respect of all the members of parliament by working collaboratively with the leaders of both Labor and the Greens.

"It is a rare talent to be able to cut out the politics when the public requires unity and assurance in times of crisis."

While he's received approval from most quarters, Gutwein does have his detractors.

One of them is prominent barrister Greg Barns.

"I don't think he's done a great job because he's not communicating with homeless people, or prisoners or asylum seekers or international students and those at highest risk of COVID-19," Barns says.

"He's a mainstream politician who likes to pretend we're in all this together but he's not talking about the homeless or prisoners."

Meanwhile, a Labor source is pragmatic when assessing Gutwein's performance.

"He is doing a good job but this is his job, though, and he's just doing it," the source says.

"He constantly politically exploited the [Global Financial Crisis] and should be thankful that Labor and the Greens are so supportive of him during this crisis."

No leader can please everyone and it remains to be seen whether Gutwein's popular support will last.

With just two years left until the next state election, the Premier is endearing himself to Tasmanians, some of whom may not have even known who he was at the beginning of the year.

But there's a lot left still to play out in this crisis.

And two years is an eternity in politics.

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