Whether it's the Prime Minister's performance during a pandemic, a CEO under fire from a hostile board, or a manager's handling of a sensitive staffing issue, our leaders are heavily scrutinised these days.
After a career in university governance and the public service, holding managerial positions, Dr Rosemary (Rose) Williamson* embarked on an academic career at UNE. In 2015-16, during a fellowship with the Museum of Australian Democracy, she analysed leadership at the highest levels of government.
Here, Rose gives some insights into the challenges and opportunities of modern-day leadership.
Leadership under scrutiny
Leaders have always been scrutinised, but the 24/7 news cycle now means they are constantly in the spotlight. Today's technology also means that we, as the public, have so much more access to information. We are privy to the personal lives of our leaders; they all have their own Facebook pages and Twitter feeds and we're used to them talking about their kids and dogs. Their presence on social media is very much about connecting with people and promoting their image.
Our political leaders are always out there on the factory floor wearing hi-vis vests and hard hats. Think Kevin Rudd, everybody's mate, slapping people on the back.
There's a very deliberate attempt by leaders to show that they are of the people, that they understand.
But in a western, democratic society, leadership at all levels is heavily critiqued. People care about leadership and we have the capacity, as voters or individuals, to make our views known; there are endless opportunities to engage. Journalists constantly looking for news to feed the hungry 24/7 news cycle are also more likely to pick up on small things and for them to suddenly go viral. Remember Tony Abbott eating a raw onion?
At the political level, we can voice our views indirectly through voting. In corporate Australia and wider society, we can share our thoughts directly through social media or as shareholders, or vote with our feet by not buying a particular product or engaging a certain service provider. Every company and organisation relies on its reputation and on consumer trust, and that's largely a product of leadership.
Dr Rose Williamson.
With any kind of leadership, there are enormous challenges, but also opportunities. If our leaders get it right, as Jacinda Adern did wearing a headscarf and consoling grieving families after the Christchurch mass shooting, there can be hugely positive consequences. That behaviour earned Adern international praise; it was a gesture interpreted as an authentically sensitive statement of solidarity. But if leaders get it wrong, like Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision to remain on holiday in Hawaii during the bushfire crisis, then the opposite is true. The scrutiny can be intense, as in the wake of the 2016 Dreamworld disaster, which put chief executive Deborah Thomas in the news.
So what do I look for in a leader? There’s been plenty written by experts about the qualities of good leadership, so I’ll speak from a personal perspective. I look for someone who takes ownership of things, including problems, and in that sense truly connects with people. Someone who shows that they are in there for the long haul.
We quite rightly value what I think of as the "new broom leader" who comes in and challenges, disrupts and changes, but I think we can under-value the importance of a leader who takes longer-term responsibility, who not only identifies the problems and puts strategies in place to address them, but sees them through. I want a leader who convinces me they are committed to the organisation, or that part of the organisation they lead, and who knows and understands and can empathise with the people who comprise it.
* Dr Rosemary Williamson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Creative Arts and Communication in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New England.
She analyses the persuasive dimensions of language, and has written specifically about the performance of Australian Prime Ministers during natural disasters, as portrayed in Parliament and by the media.
