Tiffany Prill
Challenges of Leadership
Leadership Book Analysis
Modern World Leaders- Angela Merkel
The person chosen for this leadership report is Angela Merkel. I read “Modern World Leaders-Angela Merkel” written by Clifford W. Mills. Being born in Berlin, with my pride in being German, as well as being a female with my own leadership ambitions, I felt Angela Merkel was a perfect fit for me. Gaining knowledge on the leadership style from one of the most powerful and influential women in the world, while also learning the values and beliefs my country is grounded on, I find Angela Merkel to be extremely interesting leader to study. Angela Merkel (born Angela Dorothea Kasner), was born in Hamburg, Germany on July 17, 1954. Angela was raised in East Germany where she later received Associates degree in 1973. Shortly after, she enrolled to the Karl Marx University where she later met and married Ulrich Merkel.She graduates with a bachelor and continues onto her PhD in Science at the Central institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin. By 1986 she received her PhD which is also the same year she goes back to West Germany for the first time since she was baby. It was the many years in West Germany, full of communism and hardships, that taught Merkel how strong and powerful government could be. Merkel was determined to use power to serve the people not use it to control them. Rather than telling them what they wanted hear, she told them what to do to solve the political problem. A scholarly physicist with little to no interest in politics rose to the top of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) known as a conservative, male oriented, traditional political party. I believe the keys to her success include things such as her upbringing along with her passion and ambition. Raised by a minister in communist East Germany, Merkel had an upbringing like no other. A place where the economy was shattered- where resources and goods where lacking. Merkel and her family were always being watched upon by the Statsi. The Statsi was a security intelligence network that consisted of 100,000 full time employees with 300,000 informants recruited to spy on the citizens who might be subversive. Within this environment Merkel learned to keep her real thoughts to herself and keep her private and political world separate in fear of the Statsi. Ambition is an understatement. The fall of the Berlin Wall was the biggest eye opener and life changing event in Merkels life; going from someone who took no particular interest in politics to fighting for freedom and rights, almost over night. The day after Merkel was sworn in as chancellor Merkel wasted no time and made trips around the world meeting up with leaders in hopes to form alliances. Her first stop was Paris where she met with President Jacques Chirac where her goal was to emphasize the importance of their relationship. Next she met with security general Jaap de Hoop of the NATO. The NATO was a alliance between 26 countries where the attack on one country leads to the attack on all countries. Merkel knew how important this alliance was to Germany. Merkel returned home to meet the President of Pohomba of Namibia only to leave soon after to the United States to meet President Bush. Merkel was admired her never ending, ambitious, networking. “She put her loyalty to truth ahead of loyalty to the party”- Merkel’s put honesty and truth on the top of her values. When German chancellor Helmut Kohl admitted his guilt to receiving illegal claim contributions, Merkel was not scared to condemn Kohl in a public newsletter. Her mentor, the man who started Merkel in politics- in her eyes was now the man who betrayed a trust and should no longer be leader. Her honesty is the way Merkel got people to follow her as a leader. Although some felt she had stabbed Kohl in the back, many Germans praised her honesty. She had proven to the people that truth matters and that she stands behind it. Another time that Merkel wasn’t scared to stand her ground and simply standing up for what’s ethically right was back in high school. In Germany teachers quiet strict and at one point she had a teacher that would punish the entire class if a presentation differed even slightly from what the teacher told them to do. Deep down inside Merkel knew that the students put in extreme effort into the presentations and that this matter was so serious that the students could all be expelled from school. After explaining the situation to her parents, Merkel wrote a petition which she also presented to some GDR officials. Merkels class was saved; the teacher was later disciplined. I characterize her leadership style as one that is based on ethics and morals while also being very direct. She is both task oriented as well as relationship oriented. Merkel focuses on the business task at hand while putting great emphasis relationships and networking… “I don’t think it make sense to go round and round in circles arguing about this crisis. We have to manage it instead. But that’s something we can only do together with our neighbors, our partners, the big ones and the small ones. I think Germany is destined, partly as a result of its geographic position, to be a mediator and balancing factor.”
From this statement I feel as though Merkel is very direct and to the point- there is no point in arguing, let’s do something about it. At the same time Merkel puts emphasis on leader-member relations. Previous chancellor Schroeder was known for his extravagant sleigh rides with Russian President Putin along with an unwillingness to push Putin on difficult issues. Merkel wasn’t taking sleigh rides; she was making a dissimilar statement Based on her position Merkel has legitimate power and usually uses rational persuasion. She has the ability to influence others using something of value giving her reward power. Merkels degree in science gives her expert power and over the years has gained connection power through never ending networking and reciprocity. “I am, I think, courageous at the decisive moment. But I need a good deal of start-up time, and I try to take as much as possible into consideration beforehand.” Merkel puts a great deal of time studying an issue and pays close attention to detail when making a decision. When looking at a political issue, she looks at all sides and tries to understand it logically. Merkel does not go by “hunches” but finds out what others think (especially exerts). She studies an issue very carefully and does not make “right off the back” decisions. While some might of looked at it as inexperienced, Merkels courage stood out at the 2006 G8- Summit. The G8 Summit includes leaders from France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States, that year taking place in Russia. One thing that was not “appropriate” during the G8 Summit was to criticize the host. Not only did Merkel question Russia on their electoral system claiming its shortcomings, she also vocalized that she did not want the natural gas from Russia to get disrupted again; she needed energy security for Europe to be assured and secured. Merkel had made headlines and made her mark. Merkel has not groomed a successor but is the successor of Gerhard Schroder. Schroeder was more of a Democrat while Merkel is a Republican. She is an anticommunist that wants there to be a bigger role for private business and less role of the government. Schroeder believed that the government had to be a regulator in businesses and that small changes to policy would bring Germanys level of competiveness up. Compared to her predecessor, Merkel felt government needed to get out of the way of business and that taxes should be simplified possibly with a flat rate. In order to decrease Germanys booming deficit, Schroeder cut social security payments an unemployment benefits. Merkel on the other hand found that increasing the VAT (value added tax) from 16%-18% was more successful.
Another major difference between the two was their views on the war. While Schroeder was against the war, he allied himself with France and criticized the Bush administration. Merkel found the war to be dignified and correct- growing up in a country without freedom she knew exactly how precious it was. She explained Germany needed to stop bashing America and that her administration will have friendlier relations with America.
A portrait of German princess born Sophie Augusta Fredrika, (later known as Russian empress Catherine the Great) hangs on the wall in Merkels office. Sophie married the 17-year-old grandson of Peter the Great and was crowned Catherine II. Catherine was the longest ruling and most renowned female leader of Russia. The Catherinian Era was sometimes referred to as the Golden Era as she extended Russian territory and reorganized law administration. Catherine led Russia into full participation in the cultural and political life of Europe.
In September 2006 Merkel topped the “World’s Most Powerful Woman” list by Forbes Magazine. Analysts claim her strength was her “unassuming and tireless networking”. Leaders around the world such as Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair, and Vladimir Putin were all impressed by Merkel winning the admiration of people worldwide. Other awards received by Merkel include: * Vision for Europe award 2006 * Recognition of “Dama de Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italian” by Italian president 2006 * Honorary doctorate from Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2007 * Chalemagne Prize 2008 * Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 2008 * Honorary doctorate from University of Technology in Wrolaw (Poland) 2008 * “ “ from University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania) * Jawaharlal Nehra Award (India) 2009 * Forbes most powerful women 5 years in a row
This assignment has enabled me to see leadership traits and values from the perspective of one of the most powerful and successful women in the World. A political record breaker, who has marked her spot in history by moving Germany out of the recession. I was aware that Angela Merkel was the Chancellor of Germany but I didn’t know what motivated her and the type of person she is and how she leads her country. Her motivation and drives comes from the democratic and controlled life she lived in East Germany giving her the determination of providing German citizens a less controlled, free, and happy life. She grounds her decisions on principal and logic and leads in a direct, assertive manner. Although Merkel dominates German politics I view her more as a leader than a politician. Leaders care about the people they serve while politicians usually care about themselves and their party.

APA Style Citations

Angela Merkel: The Most Powerful Woman In The World - People - Stylist Magazine. (n.d.). Stylist.co.uk homepage - Stylist Magazine. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/angela-merkel#image-rotator-1
Mills, C. (2008). Angela Merkel. New York: Chelsea House
Reddy, V. (n.d.). German Legend Angela Merkel's Success story - Posdcorb. Posdcorb. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://www.vamsinathmba.com/2012/08/german-lezand-angela-merkels-success.html
Smitha, F. E. (n.d.). Catherine the Great, Russian Empress. MacroHistory : World History. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h31-gr6c.htm