When diplomats become leaders: conceptualising diplomatic leadership in crisis from a psychological angle

Challenging assumptions about diplomacy as a self-effacing practice of collective governance, this article searches for leadership in a system that conventionally leaves no room for it. Drawing on interviews and a Leadership Trait Analysis (lta), it advances an original conceptual framework for identifying and analysing diplomatic leadership in crisis. The cases of Ukraine's current Ambassador to Germany and his predecessor illustrate the empirical application. The study finds that, under conditions of disrupted routine and increasing public visibility, not only political figures, but also diplomats posted abroad are able to practice a type of leadership. It concludes that eventually personality traits decide whether or not leadership is exercised. Expanding the sparse knowledge about psychological variables in diplomacy, my work finally calls for a more thorough exploration of the synthesis between research on leadership and diplomacy.