Creator: Felix Zahn | Credit: Photothek via Getty ImagesCopyright: 2020 Photothek

The popularity of a recent LinkedIn post on Angela Merkel, the first female Chancellor of Germany, made us realise just how revered she was within our community. When she stepped down as Chancellor in 2021, she would also have been the second-longest-serving leader in its modern history. 

People who engaged with the LinkedIn post often used the words “A true leader” to describe her. Rightly, she was considered one of the world’s most respected leaders and one of the most powerful women in the world. 

She was proudly female, and there is and never has been any question about her authenticity, integrity and effectiveness as a leader. A calming influence and a voice of reason in recent turbulent times, we could only marvel at her wisdom and resilience. 

So naturally, we decided to find out more about her and her leadership style. 

Like most people in leadership and public office, Angela is not without her critics, but her track record speaks for itself. 

She has been Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and was the leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2000 until 2021. She has had a remarkable political life and served in several positions before serving as German Chancellor. 

Before becoming a politician, she had a doctorate in quantum chemistry and worked as a research scientist. Her leadership style was defined by her formative years in communist East Germany, where like most East Germans, she lived in constant fear until Germany’s reunification opened the doors to a whole new world of opportunity. 

A female research scientist turned politician is exceptionally unusual, which is also a testament to her unique gifts.

Unlike other world leaders, she continued to live in her modest accommodation and means despite running the world’s third-largest economy. 

She seemed unchanged by the trappings of her position and the power she had acquired. She led Germany for eighteen years with such competence and grace that those of us looking on from the outside could only watch and be inspired. How did she become the woman and leader she is today? 

We have curated ten of our favourite quotes from her speeches, interviews, articles, etc. 

1. Always be more than you appear and never appear to be more than you are. (Click to Tweet)
2. I might bend, but I will NEVER break because it’s in my nature as a strong woman. (Click to Tweet)
3. I never underestimated myself. And I never saw anything wrong with ambition. (Click to Tweet)
4. Anything that seems to be set in stone or inalterable can, indeed, change. In matters both large and small, it holds true that every change begins in the mind. (Click to Tweet)
5. Am I doing something because it is right, or simply because it’s possible? (Click to Tweet)
6. Don’t forget that freedom is never something that can be taken for granted. (Click to Tweet)
7. Surprise yourself with what is possible. (Click to Tweet)
8. Remember that openness always involves risks. (Click to Tweet)
9. Letting go of the old is part of the new beginning. (Click to Tweet)
10. Nothing can be taken for granted. Everything is possible. (Click to Tweet)

Which leaders inspire you, and why?

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References:

1. http://www.bogorlab.com/uncategorized/germany-bid-farewell-to-merkel-with-six-minutes-of-warm-applause/
2. https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/angela-merkel-harvard-commencement-speech-transcript-2019
3. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/05/those-who-have-known-angela-merkel-describe-her-rise-to-prominence/