In today’s complicated and ever-changing world, good leadership plays a crucial role in steering nations through tumultuous times. One such leader who has continuously displayed remarkable leadership qualities is Angela Merkel. This analysis digs into Angela Merkel’s leadership style, attributes, and performance during the COVID-19 epidemic to assess her efficacy as a world leader. The article discusses why leadership matters, Merkel’s features, and her leadership method, and eventually evaluates whether Angela Merkel’s leadership merits acknowledgment and gratitude for her contributions to Germany and the globe. Based on her persistent dedication, remarkable performance, and the added value she has delivered to her country, we claim that Angela Merkel deserves recognition for her significant contribution to effective leadership.
Description of Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel, a significant figure in global politics, held the position of Chancellor of Germany for a remarkable duration of 16 years, from 2005 to 2021. She has gained significant recognition for her robust and practical leadership during turmoil, notably the worldwide financial crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Angela Merkel, a prominent figure within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has gained recognition for her composed and deliberate approach to administration, frequently prioritizing decision-making grounded in empirical data (Beilock, 2022). Her scientific background, which includes attaining a doctorate in quantum chemistry, has played a significant role in establishing her esteemed standing for placing high importance on empirical evidence and factual information (Beilock, 2022). Angela Merkel is widely acclaimed for her leadership approach characterized by collaboration and transparency. She is known for actively engaging with experts and maintaining open lines of communication with the general public (Esch, 2020). The world community has widely acclaimed her leadership during the COVID-19 epidemic, specifically for her adept crisis management and guidance of Germany during a period of instability.
Why Leadership Matters
The importance of leadership, particularly female leadership, has been emphasized in Sian Beilock’s 2020 article, “Why Leadership Matters,” which explores the COVID-19 pandemic. Beilock (2020) states that the epidemic has shown the fantastic impact of female leaders despite women only representing roughly 7% of the global population. These women, including Angela Merkel, have demonstrated innovation, decisiveness, teamwork, and transparency that characterize effective leadership. The article highlights the regrettable differences between how men and women are seen regarding these leadership traits. For instance, Beilock (2020) mentions how creativity in women is sometimes underestimated compared to men’s innovation and how decisiveness in women can be mistaken for arrogance. However, these female leaders, like Angela Merkel, have successfully used these crucial traits to steer their countries through difficult times, defying preconceptions and highlighting the necessity for inclusive leadership in today’s society (Beilock, 2020). The post by Beilock is a solid plea to acknowledge the value of women in leadership roles and to push for the abolition of gender biases that still exist.
Merkel’s Leadership Traits
Angela Merkel exhibits leadership qualities marked by transparency, decisiveness, and a propensity for collaboration. She has garnered recognition for her steadfast dedication to delivering articulate and truthful information to the general populace, embodying transparency amidst challenging circumstances, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Her integrity has allowed her to occupy different leadership positions due to the trust that individuals and organizations have in her (Esch, 2020). Merkel’s decisiveness is demonstrated in her capacity to promptly and knowledgeably arrive at resolutions, a crucial attribute in efficiently navigating various problems. Finally, Angela is a highly collaborative person. She pays attention to engaging experts from different fields (Beilock, 2022). This approach demonstrates her receptivity and openness towards expert advice, opinions of others, and willingness to learn. The collaborative approach boosted her effectiveness as Germany’s Chancellor.
Leadership Approach
Angela utilizes a collaborative leadership style. She makes decisions based on fact-based data obtained through systematic approaches while cooperating with other stakeholders to foster the sharing of views through effective communication. According to Brownlee (2020), this approach is practical in fostering the resilience of organizations, considering that the sharing of information and skills allows for the making of sound choices that enhance the stability of entities and the satisfaction of the staff. Her training in the field of science, as well as her knowledge in the doctorate of quantum chemistry, provides her with the best knowledge and scientific approaches to making and implementing evidence-based, fact-grounded, and systemic methods arrived at after close collaboration with other parties (Esch, 2020). Thus, the collaborative leadership style increases confidence by ensuring that the choices made are supported by expert knowledge to foster success.
Assessment of Angela Merkel’s Effectiveness
Angela Merkel’s leadership approach is highly effective and worth reverence. Her practical approach to handling COVID-19 demonstrates her resilience even when faced with pressurizing situations (Brownlee, 2020). Additionally, her decisions are accurate and sound since they are founded on scientific management principles, thanks to her training in the field of science. She made sound and firm decisions during COVID-19, the most notable being travel and socialization restrictions despite the opposition from other quarters. According to Esch (2020), such decisions indicated that Angela protected public welfare and shelved the interests of the few powerful by ensuring that the country was safe for all. Thus, her willingness to work with specialists and provide timely and accurate information is a factor that confirms her effective leadership.
Conclusion
Sian Beilock has demonstrated that the practical approaches utilized by Angela to control the spread of COVID-19 show that she is an effective leader. Her commitment to sound decision-making, collaboration, and honesty has accorded her respect around the globe while also contributing to her success. Her collaborative approach, as well as resilience, willingness, readiness to learn, openness, empathy, and adaptability, are traits consistent with the characteristics of influential leaders. She, therefore, merits praise and recognition for her excellent leadership approaches.
References
Beilock, S. (2022). Coronavirus: A Case Study in Women’s Effective Leadership. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sianbeilock/2020/08/04/coronavirus-a-case-study-in-womens-effective-leadership/?sh=f18d8ba41914
Brownlee, D. (2020). 7 Leadership Traits For The Post COVID-19 Workplace. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danabrownlee/2020/05/07/7-leadership-traits-for-the-post-covid-19-workplace/?sh=18fbffad2d4d
Esch, V. F. (2020). The secret of Angela Merkel’s extraordinary success: her understanding of the distinctive features of German politics. https://theloop.ecpr.eu/the-secret-of-angela-merkels-extraordinary-success-her-understanding-of-german-politics/
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