Former leader Jacinda Ardern: Doubt can also strengthen leadership

Having self-doubt, showing sensitivity, or acknowledging that you don’t have all the answers is not synonymous with weakness; Jacinda Ardern says these can be leadership strengths.

According to the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, “Those who don’t see themselves in leadership are the ones we need the most. We need sensitive people, those who question themselves, those who are empathetic, and those who are brave.”

For Jacinda Ardern, doubt, far from hindering leadership, can lead to listening, preparing, consulting experts, and consensus building before making decisions.

She herself admits to experiencing self-doubt while governing New Zealand.

Ardern delivered a keynote speech at the Santa Fe campus as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City.

Doubt can also be a strength

According to Jacinda Ardern, doubt can strengthen leadership:

“I’m talking about what it feels like to lead, to run a country when you doubt yourself, and I’m talking about imposter syndrome because I’ve had it for as long as I can remember.”

For the former prime minister, imposter syndrome can be explained as a confidence gap: achieving something and thinking it was just a coincidence, fearing you won’t be able to replicate your success, or receiving an opportunity and believing you lack the ability to handle it.

However, she also believes that such doubts can change the way a person handles responsibility.

“If self-doubt causes you to prepare, listen to others, and seek expertise while you develop a plan and build consensus around a solution, how could that possibly be a weakness?

“In fact, as long as it doesn’t prevent you from taking on new challenges or roles, imposter syndrome can actually be a strength.”

Does sensitivity make you less capable of leadership?

Ardern addressed another characteristic she had long considered incompatible with leadership: sensitivity.

“Perhaps it is not doubt but sensitivity that holds you back, a trait you have been taught to hide, especially in leadership, for fear of being seen as weak.”

Before entering politics, the former leader worried that her sensitivity was a trait that made her ill-suited for leadership.

“I feel things deeply, and although I’m not too bad at suppressing uncontrolled anger (a useful skill in politics), I can’t say the same for overwhelming sadness.”

That sensitivity was put to the test on March 15, 2019, when 51 members of the Muslim community were killed in a terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“I learned that empathy is misunderstood. It wasn’t a lack of resilience, but a sign of relentless determination.” – Jacinda Ardern

In the wake of that tragedy, the then-prime minister even worried whether publicly showing her grief might cause others to question her ability to govern.

However, the experience ultimately redefined her understanding of empathy and the role it can play in leadership.

“I learned that empathy is misunderstood. It wasn’t a lack of resilience, but a sign of relentless determination.”

For the former leader, empathy should not be viewed as a passive trait, either. “Empathy is nothing without action.”

Following the attack, her government banned military-style semi-automatic weapons, launched a buyback program to destroy them, and succeeded in passing the legislation in just 10 days.

Acknowledging that you don’t know everything

After discussing her own doubts, Ardern suggested that admitting she didn’t know everything could also be part of the decision-making process.

“I think leaders are afraid to say, ‘I don’t know’ because they believe that, in order to demonstrate confidence, they need to have absolute knowledge.”

She emphasized that people don’t expect leaders to know everything, but rather to be willing to learn constantly and change their mind when presented with new information.

“It’s okay to say, ‘I don’t know.’ What is not okay is saying, ‘I don’t have a plan.’”

The former leader recognized that willingness to ask questions and keep learning in former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

She recalled that she was just 37 years old when she took office, making her not only a young woman in politics, but one who came from a small country. So, she said it was easy to think that her opinion, or New Zealand’s, carried very little weight.

“When I met Angela Merkel, she was the first leader to ask me a question.”

That encounter helped her to identify a key trait in the leaders she admired most: “They never lost their curiosity; they never stopped wanting to learn about and understand every corner of the world around them, and that is a value I truly consider important in leadership.”

Humanism in the Digital Age

According to the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, sensitivity, empathy, and self-doubt are qualities that take on special importance in an era defined by mistrust, grievances, and the demands of the digital age.

“We need your sensitivity, because it’s also your kindness and your empathy. We need the power of your doubts, because that curiosity and humility are the keys to solutions that no single person, nor artificial intelligence, can come to on their own.”

According to the former leader, in this digital age there is one quality that technology must never displace from leadership: humanity.

“And perhaps most of all, in a digital age, we need your humanity and your decency. We need a different kind of power and leadership.”

“We need the power of doubt, because that curiosity and humility are the keys to solutions that no single person, nor AI, can come to on their own.” — Jacinda Ardern

She also spoke about staying true to yourself and retaining your humanity in leadership. Ardern shared that, throughout her time leading New Zealand, she made sure to show that she was still a woman balancing personal responsibilities and that she never acted alone to get things done.

She was the second woman in the world to give birth while head of government, with her husband taking on the role of primary care giver for their daughter.

“I felt a responsibility to make sure people knew I wasn’t Wonder Woman. So, I tried to show what it looks like to be human.”

She also spoke about the importance of self-belief, saying that people often don’t know what they’re capable of until they’re faced with a challenge.

“You don’t know what you’re capable of until you do it. Don’t get in your own way. Trust the people who see something in you that you might not see yet.”

Jacinda Ardern at Tec de Monterrey

Jacinda Ardern’s keynote speech took place at the Borregos Arena on Santa Fe campus as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Tec de Monterrey in Mexico City.

According to Paulina Campos Villaseñor, Vice Rector for the Mexico City campuses, the Tec’s anniversary serves as an opportunity to reflect on the leadership required to navigate change, unite people, and build a better future.

“This is the time to celebrate what we’ve built, but also to look ahead with hope and to envision what comes next.

“It’s also an opportunity to reflect on leadership, the kind of leadership we require to navigate change, unite people, and build a better future.”

Jacinda Ardern made history as the world’s youngest female head of government and for championing a leadership style based on empathy, firmness, and approachability.

YOU’LL ALSO WANT TO READ: