Angela Merkel has kept far from the public’s eye after stepping down as Germany’s chancellor. Throughout Merkel’s tenure, she garnered respect for handling the German economy and her response to climate change. Apart from Greece, European nations consider Germany to have greater influence in the European Union (EU). Merkel played a guiding role in the EU, including driving climate change, migration and energy policies, and most recently, being at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic (Werber, 2021).
Merkel’s approach to global issues is evident in her popularity. While some laud Merkel’s pragmatism and modesty, others criticize her for making wrong economic and political decisions. For instance, Merkel made minimal effort to reduce Germany’s reliance on Russian energy and failed to lead the country into the digital era. While Merkel opened German borders to Syrian refugees in 2015, no strategy was in place for long-term immigration (Thurau, 2022). Therefore, there are two sides to Merkel’s public footprint, both positive and negative.
Personality traits reflect a person’s values, behavior, and patterns of thought. Merkel tends to be an outstanding, accurate, and result-focused leader. As an idealist, she is motivated by a strong sense of rationality, principles, and equality, thus, her social competence as a political figure. Merkel led Germany’s conservative party into the present attribute through her sober governance style and high conscientiousness. Nai and Maier (2021) described Merkel as uninspiring and uncharismatic, but calm, disciplined, and reserved with high regard for integrity, dependability, and generosity. In terms of intelligence, she had a Ph.D. in physics and worked in that field for years and soon afterward, started her career in politics with Germany’s unification. Despite her flaws, Angela Merkel shows the characteristics of a true leader by all accounts in Germany and beyond.
References
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2021). Can anyone be objective about Donald Trump? Assessing the personality of political figures. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 31(3), 283-308. Web.
Thurau, J. (2022). Merkel, an ex-chancellor from a different era. DW. Web.
Werber, C. (2021). Only one country in western Europe has a low opinion of Angela Merkel. Quartz. Web.