A Duty to Tap Out

by Erin Loos Cutraro

I’m in the business of encouraging women to step into public leadership roles; and, perhaps surprisingly, that’s why I think New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s resignation is worth celebrating.?

Too often, the public narrative for women’s leadership leaves out the part about timing and term. We lift up campaign announcements and “firsts” in elected roles. Yet, with every rise to public leadership, there is inevitably someone extraordinary, or more likely, multiple extraordinary women, who chose to sit this one out. For those who do serve, it comes at a cost–especially for the highest profile of roles–and that cost, as a matter of course, has an end date.?

Current headlines miss an opportunity by only telling one part of the story: “New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced she would step down, saying she ‘no longer had enough in the tank' to do the job….” or “New Zealand PM quits citing burnout.” While her reasoning is both valuable and honorable, the most important messages of her resignation speech were ignored by most.

She went on in her remarks to tell her daughter that she looked forward to being there when she started school, and to tell her partner it was finally time that they get married. She demonstrated one of the most essential characteristics of a strong leader when she referenced the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead. The bravery she demonstrated is matched only by her track record of firsts throughout her time in office.

Prime Minister Ardern became the world’s youngest female head of government when she was elected prime minister in 2017. She also became the world's second elected head of government to give birth while holding office when she welcomed her daughter less than one year into her term. She governed through a global pandemic, a national terrorist attack, natural disasters, and an economic crisis.?

She has spoken publicly about how her leadership was motivated by a sense of duty in the recent Netflix documentary “Live to Lead.” And, in her own resignation speech yesterday Prime Minister Ardern said, “For my part, I want to finish with a simple thank you to New Zealanders for giving me this opportunity to serve, and to take on what has and will always be the greatest role in my life. I hope in return I leave behind a belief that you can be kind, but strong. Empathetic, but decisive. Optimistic, but focused. That you can be your own kind of leader–one that knows when it’s time to go.”

She chose her timing and made the reasoning public. In doing so, she normalized part of the public leadership journey that is natural and healthy. She demonstrated for girls and women everywhere that part of being a strong leader is knowing when to quit.

Maybe her end date will have another start date. Maybe it won’t. The point is that it’s okay to choose to tap out. The hope is that there are other extraordinary women ready to tap in.

Erin Loos Cutraro is the Founder and CEO of She Should Run, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit?working to drastically increase the number of women from all walks of life considering elected office. She is a respected voice on gender equality in elected leadership, a sought-after public speaker, and has served as a featured presenter and facilitator nationwide.?