Opinion From Taylor Swift to Narendra Modi, what sets apart the leaders of 2023?

This was the year that Taylor Swift, the US based pop singer made headlines globally. At 33, she has been nominated 46 times and won 12 Grammy Awards. In  2023, she went on tour and did 66 live concerts across cities in the US,  which have grossed one billion dollars so far. There was a mini economic  boom in every city the concert was held in. Even the US Federal Reserve  took note of the “Taylor Effect”, as it was called. What led to this mania? There have been many talented musicians — what sets Swift  apart is her ability to tell a story. She both shares details about her life, like who she is dating and her love for cats, and openly talks about the difficult times, like her long struggle with depression. The peek into the person behind the music makes her relatable to her fans.

Joe Biden, President of the United States, was in the news a lot too, although not always for the right reasons. He lost the support of many young Democrats and he lost a lot of popularity over his decision to support the war in Gaza. The lobby for Israel in the US is very strong and able to push its agenda to support the war. But this has been true for years. Would other US presidents have taken a  similar decision? Probably, yes. Let’s for a minute imagine Barack Obama in the same situation. Whether he would or wouldn’t have  supported the war is secondary. His ability to convince his vote bank about his reasons would hold far more weight. He had the power of storytelling. The ability to convince the larger public on his reasons is where Biden fails  miserably.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the creator of Chat GPT was in the news this past year. He was suddenly removed as CEO and then one week later, reinstated. The story goes that he was removed by the board of directors over trust issues and disagreements on the safety of artificial intelligence. Many key employees in the company revolted and quit, which led to him being reinstated. What really happened, we don’t know. One way of seeing this is that the board, which is meant to be an independent body, was made powerless with the reversal of the decision. Yet most of the world sees it as the victimisation of Sam Altman and a right made wrong by the reinstatement. Is this the power of good storytelling?

Looking at India, we had Virat Kohli making headlines. He scored his 50th century in an ODI tournament, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record and was crowned the lead run scorer in the 2023 World Cup, in spite of India losing the tournament. In May 2023, he became the first Indian to reach 250 million followers on Instagram. Globally, only soccer icons Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are ahead of him in terms of Instagram followers. He is the first cricketer to gain popularity worldwide. Is he capable? No doubts there. His cricketing skills are exceptional. Is he more famous than other exceptional sportsmen that have come before him. Yes. Why is that? Let’s look at his storytelling. He has a charismatic personality, a mix of  intensity on the field with confidence off the field that has captivated audiences. To add to the mix, he is married to a Bollywood actress, a great person of public interest, and together they are publicly expressive about their private life. His story is more than just his sport. People know the man beyond the sport, which has led to him being more relatable and therefore a bigger star.

Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was in the news a lot too in 2023 with various state elections, Chandrayaan-3 landing on the moon and the successful hosting of the G20 summit in India. Modi is a master storyteller. When he speaks, we want to listen. I remember once hearing him speak at a Coldplay music concert in Mumbai. He was addressing an audience of young urban English-speaking youth right before a pop-music concert: a difficult place to find connections and hold attention. And yet, he managed to do both! He is a capable leader and a great orator. But his story is more than that. He is the humble chaiwala, a man who has devoted his life to serving the country. It’s these narratives that make him relatable.

In the world of social media, it has become easier for people to become storytellers. Earlier we had to be great orators, get over our fears of public speaking and find avenues to get our story out to large audiences. Today, all one needs is good ideas and a social media account. Add to that, the magic ingredient, vulnerability. And you have a winning mix! Your weak moments make you likeable. Taylor Swift had her struggle with depression; PM Modi, his humble roots and personal sacrifices.

Let’s toast to 2024 being a year of more leaders sharing their stories and more viewers being wiser in deciphering them.

The writer is director at RPG Foundation and Founder of Pehlay Akshar, The Heritage Project