Strategic Leadership

Abstract

Ursula von der Leyen is the first woman in the office of president of the European Commission. Her nomination was marked by a series of hurdles, not least because she was not a Spitzenkandidat of any party group in the European Parliament (EP). Yet as soon as she was nominated by the European Council, she presented an extremely ambitious and focused agenda and won election in the EP, though by only a slim majority. With a theoretical perspective distinguishing between the institutional setting, the situational context, and the personal qualities of a leader, the chapter offers an assessment of von der Leyen’s leadership during roughly her first year in office. Regarding positional leadership, it questions to what extent her earlier career path and the nomination and election process to the Commission presidency have shaped her incumbency. As for behavioral leadership, the chapter analyses von der Leyen’s agenda-setting, her work in implementing this agenda, and her achievements thus far. In particular, the chapter highlights how von der Leyen, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, strategically tackled the crisis while pushing her agenda and strengthening the position of the European Commission.