My feed is usually a political free zone, it’s not something you’ll often find me getting drawn into but I felt compelled to write about this weeks leaders debate in NZ. Not from a political viewpoint but more from a leadership view point.
In the analysis that’s followed various media reports have suggested that Jacinda Ardern didn’t win, that Judith Collins combative style is what we should expect for people to ‘win’ in the debate arena. I’m not actually sure what win in the debate area means these days and if it’s the same as win votes by becoming the leader the majority of the country supports.
Now I’ve always thought that these debates were an opportunity for each party to tell us what they’re all about and why we should vote for them right? I know it makes better TV viewing if there’s some conflict and drama but this isn’t reality TV, this is real life. It’s not for entertainment, it’s to decide who runs our country and helps it recover from Covid-19.
I’ve always been a firm believer that in politics you’re best off focusing on yourself, why should I vote for you, what policies do you have and why would you make a great leader of our country? These are the questions I want answering to decide my vote. Sadly around the world most political arenas have dissolved into who can throw the most insults at the other, who can find scandal and discredit the opposition. Blood sport seems to be the norm and I think a leader who refuses to get drawn into this deserves respect.
Let’s face it, the job you’re in now probably had an application process and an interview at which people then voted on your performance (and what you’d bring to the role) to offer you the job. Did you spend your time during interview discrediting the other candidates? No, you focused on the skills you had and why you’d be good for the job – shouldn’t this be the same?
Whilst it might be common in politics, I believe a leader who spends their time heckling, shouting over others and eye rolling is not one I’d want to work for. It’s certainly not one I’d trust leading my company or looking after the ‘staff’ within that company (that’s us by the way in this analogy with leading the country)!
We can all have fancy policies, adverts and social media campaigns, a great script, the right clothes and make up. But you can tell a lot from a leader by the behaviours they exhibit, how they respond to challenge and how they treat others.
I’m aware that these figures of authority who we call leaders attract a lot of attention in the media. These are our roles models for future leaders and our kids. Our vote is also a vote for the kind of leadership we want to emulate - the behaviours they exhibit, the way they respond to challenge, the things they condone, the characteristics they epitomise. What do we want our kids emulating?