01-01 Political Leadership

We all remember Prime Minister Winston Churchill of war-time Britain, who used his rousing oratory to carry his country through the worst days of the London blitz. He was a crisis leader who rose to the occasion.
Of all of his memorable quotes the one I remember is, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
During 40 years of my life, I have been in positions of leadership and have had a professional relationship with four Prime Ministers and over twenty Premiers. And they all have something in common. They were all good at both policy and politics. I call it the two “Ps”.
During the years I was the President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, we always had what was called a daily “P & P” meeting, where our legislative and communications people could digest the current issues of the day and decide how to deal with them working with senior officials (policy) and senior cabinet ministers (politics).
And what is so important, and something few understand is that when you get your head around the policy issues, and they are all complex, your politics change.
Complexity makes you a political moderate, not political philosophy.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s leadership was of special interest. He not only had great political instincts, but served in three major portfolios before becoming Prime Minister. So he knew his stuff.
And like all political leaders, he had his crisis. Something that would change everything. It was the 1996 Quebec Referendum on separating from Canada. It was a narrow victory, but it put Chretien into the history books.
Chretien’s policy advisor came to work for me when the Liberal government under Pierre Elliot Trudeau was defeated in May, 1979. And, something I learned from him about effective political leaders. They are always surrounded by good people. And they always consider their advice. If not, top advisers will not hang around.
So in total, great political leaders are not only policy and political animals, but good managers.
Two transformational events are rocking the world and testing our political leaders. It is Climate Change and the Coronavirus. It is like WW1, the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression and WW2. Great global events that changed the world.
The leadership of the recently appointed Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, is of special interest. She is the youngest political leader on record at age 34. And in the photo she is second to the right with three other young female cabinet ministers.
The global crisis associated with the long-term threat of Climate Change will naturally have a greater impact on the younger generation. So it should be no surprise that climate issues brought Sanna into politics. This phenomenon is happening around the world.
And it would be my take that younger women in politics will lead to better politics. Less show business. I could never see a young woman as a political leader fronting for the fossil fuel industry. Women politicians do not have to be good actors to be widely believable.
Ronald Reagan of the US and Pierre Elliott Trudeau of Canada are considered exceptional political leaders. And they were both superb actors. They could be union leaders or bankers, depending on the audience.
And on another issue, and now I am speaking with the experience of 65 years of marriage. Women are better collaborators than men. It’s in their DNA. And we need more of that today.