Sep 25, 2008

Trans Tasman On Clark's Leadership Style

Today's Trans Tasman is a ripper. You should be subscribing. We will highlight three stories. The first is on the PM's leadership style


Helen Clark is firmly in the active-negative mould. Such types tend to run highly activist Govts but they don’t do uplift. They tend to “pour energy into the political system, but it is an energy distorted from within.” They tend to possess an embattled attitude and a tendency to see any disagreement as disloyalty or worse. These types don’t just have opponents, they have enemies. And they tend to take a grim satisfaction in beating those enemies.

Such leaders tend to cling rigidly to a course of action even when it is clear it is hurting them: to admit wrong is to admit weakness. US presidents in this mould have been Nixon, Johnson, Hover and Wilson.

Her die-in-a-ditch stance over Winston Peters only makes sense when viewed as an activenegative leader in decline.

One last lesson about active-negative leaders – they tend to end badly – and they tend to leave their parties in a mess.