In a time when organizations are pushing to increase the number of female leaders in top management positions, we have lost one of the greatest leaders of our time and it happened to be a woman.
Driven by her purpose and passion to serve and her faith in her God, Queen Elisabeth II was a role model many of us should look to when it comes to leadership. Here are just some of the lessons:
She was clear in her purpose
On her 21st birthday whilst on tour in South Africa with her parents and sister, she declared her purpose to the world
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
But she was also clear in other parts of her speech that day, about what part of this meant. She had a clear purpose for the commonwealth and called to the youth of her day to help her:
“If we all go forward together with an unwavering faith, a high courage, and a quiet heart, we shall be able to make of this ancient commonwealth, which we all love so dearly, an even grander thing – freer, more prosperous, happier and a more powerful influence for good in the world – than it has been in the greatest days of our forefathers.”
She was ready to learn
When she first came to the throne she had a lot to learn and she set out to do so. She developed a special relationship with her first Prime Minister – Winston Churchill who became her tutor and mentor on the constitutional monarchy, politics, and the law. They famously had a friendship that enabled her to learn quickly not only about those things but also a different way of seeing the world.
At the conclusion of her six-month 1954 Australasia Commonwealth tour, The Queen sailed up the Thames to London with Churchill. “One saw this dirty commercial river as one came up,” said The Queen later, “and he was describing it as the silver thread which runs through the history of Britain. He saw things in a very romantic and glittering way; perhaps one was looking at it in a rather too mundane way.”
When he retired, she wrote a letter that said:
No other Prime Minister would “ever for me be able to hold the place of my first prime minister, to whom both my husband and I owe so much and for whose wise guidance during the early years of my reign I shall always be so profoundly grateful”.
She made mistakes, learned from them, and took action
Like any leader, Queen Elisabeth made mistakes and as someone in the public eye, these were very visible.
For example, she was heavily criticized for how she handled the death of Princess Diana initially. But she was quick to see that the strength of feeling of her people needed to be acknowledged and treated differently.
She championed diversity
From her speech at age 21 to her numerous visits to Commonwealth countries ensuring she visited and signed treaties of peace and friendship with the indigenous people of her lands – for example in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. She changed the laws regarding male preference primogeniture with absolute primogeniture meaning that the eldest child regardless of gender will be the heir.
She found a way to serve and have her passions
Queen Elisabeth II was passionate about horses, horse racing, her dogs, and her family amongst other things, and she found a way to both have those things in her life AND serve her country. As Camilla, now the Queen Consort has said in her tribute:
“She made a rule that she had her private time and her private passions and then her public role and I think that is very important that you know, the diary is planned out so you know when you’re on duty and when you’ve got to do things. Then when she went up to Scotland in August, you know that was the moment where it was her enjoyment,” Camila continues. “Although she was probably working, you know with her red boxes throughout, she could have her family to stay, she could do the things she loved.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury in the sermon at her state funeral, in front of world leaders and monarchs, said of the Queen:
“People of loving service are rare in any walk of life.
“Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten.”
An example of servant leadership.
It’s difficult to compare the life of a Queen to any other. It’s a life of great privilege undoubtedly. But it’s also a life that she dedicated to the service of others. She was successful in leading without power, in influencing without real power and she is remembered for her smile, her compassion, her sense of fun, and her sense of duty to her people and to her God.
Thank you, Queen Elisabeth II
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Speak soon,
Sonia xx
