Merkel als makelaar in leiderschap

Ton Nijhuis surveys leadership qualities of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. After the Second World War, Germany was very reluctant in talking about and managing her own national interests. The Federal Republic did not want to play a leading role on the international stage. She developed a 'leadership avoidance complex'. Reunification forced Germany to revise her role in European and international politics. Gerhard Schroder was the first Chancellor who was very pushy in stressing Germany's position on international issues. But he lacked effective leadership. Angela Merkel's strategy is different. Her style can be characterized as a policy of' self-assured modesty'. In not being too bossy, she manages to play the role of an honest broker on the European level. As a European leader, she looks like a shepherd. This does not mean that she lacks persistence or is indul­gent. But, she is not a leader of great words and visions, but sure of prepa­rations and detail. She is the new type of a non-ideological, pragmatic problem solver. And in this role she is quite tough, as is shown by her way of acting during the financial and economic crisis.