“You can be anxious, kind, sensitive and wear your heart on your sleeve….. but you can lead just like me” – wise words from Jacinda Ardern.
I first met Dame Jacinda when she came to the newsroom for an interview quite a few years ago. And I covered news of the unprecedented attacks on New Zealand during her time in office.
I’ve always admired her courage and candour to be an empathetic and compassionate leader, while juggling motherhood and her prime ministerial role.
In fact, during the private dialogue presented by the Bank of Singapore, Asia’s Global Private Bank and education partner, SMU, she said, “probably the best thing I did while in office was to have a baby!” That really hit home because I was also pregnant while presenting the news full time, and it can be challenging.
So it was an absolute privilege to have a rare photo taken with her, and to have her share her wisdom, mirth and insights with an 800 strong crowd.
3 messages really resonated with me:
✅ You dont need to fit into a template to lead.
✅ Empathy and humility can make one another better leaders.
✅ We, the people need to keep the urgency on #sustainability in order to make a dent in climate change.
What an awesome role model in remarkable leadership — thank you BOS for bringing such a great global thought leader to us!