Focus Leadership Blog

Name: Angela Merkel

Occupation: Chancellor of Germany; chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU); Chairwoman of the CDU-CSU (Christian Social Union)/

Career Highlights: As a student, Merkel was a member of the Socialist-led youth movement Free German Youth, and was active during her time at the Academy of Sciences. She describes her youth movement years as "cultural work," which must sound completely insane to American readers who would be pilloried if they ever ran for anything with that on their resume. She also helped reconstruct Moritz Bastei while studying at the University of Leipzig, a student-initiated project that took some coaxing for the university to allow. She studied physics, and got a doctorate for her thesis on quantum chemistry. Merkel got into politics in a typically convoluted European way that we are not even going to attempt explaining, but suffice it to say that she is a big wheel in German politics who gets compared to Margaret Thatcher a lot and has a reputation for being somewhat rock-fisted. But she was lauded for being the first female German chancellor, and the youngest since World War II.

Dominant Pattern(s): Driver, typical of a politician. As a female politician, it's doubly true for Merkel, who knows how to set and achieve goals for herself. She chaired the G8, for crying out loud. She is also a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, which mobilizes high-level female leaders  for collective action on women's issues. If you ever need a pitchfork jabbed in your butt at some point in your life, Angela Merkel is who you ask.

Recommendation(s) for Improvement: Collaborator, specifically interpersonal communication. She ran for Chancellor on a platform of economic know-how, yet mixed up gross and net income in a televised debate; her initial meetings with President Obama were awkward because, according to Der Spiegel, "the rather more reserved chancellor couldn't really keep up with [his]...charm offensive"; the list goes on and on. Merkel is not someone who can booze and schmooze, which has a lot to do with the chilly reception she's gotten from the German public at times, even from within her own political party. She needs a few rounds of Lying-Down Blahs every morning to regulate her breathing and release all that nervous tension, and if she doesn't listen to big band music already, she needs to start. Hell, der Palast Orchester are local to her - hire them for a reception or something. Maybe if she's dancing and engaging with people in an activity, she'll lose some of that "Iron Lady" self-restraint and communicate easier.