Jacinda Ardern’s resignation: gender and the toll of strong, compassionate leadership

Thu, 2 Feb 2023 03:29:59 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/jacinda-arderns-resignation-gender-and-the-toll-of-strong-compassionate-leadership-198152>

"“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”, wrote Shakespeare, way back in the
1500s. It’s not a new idea that top-level leadership jobs are intensely
stressful and pose a heavy toll. Extended periods of stress are known to put
people at risk of burnout.

Yet probably few of us can ever grasp just how unrelentingly demanding and
difficult leading a country actually is. Especially in times of crisis and with
our modern media and online environment, every statement and every move a
leader makes is subject to extensive scrutiny and commentary.

Increasingly, a troubling feature of the commentary about New Zealand Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern has been its abusive, violent, sexist and misogynistic
tenor.

While she has not focused on this as a reason for her decision to resign
yesterday, being targeted in this way, and knowing her partner and even her
child were also targeted, must surely have made an already difficult job so
much more challenging."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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