Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)
Friday 9 September 2022
The death of national leaders can provide us with opportunities for deep reflection, not least on the qualities they exhibited which made them successful leaders.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader died on 30 August 2022. Queen Elizabeth II of the UK died on 9 September 2022. As we reflect on their lives what lessons can we take from them about leadership?
While her leadership powers were limited, throughout her 70-year reign she showed as a queen and fellow human being, what leadership is about. Queen Elizabeth II provided an unparalleled example of servant leadership.
Have a compelling vision: On her 21st birthday, she addressed the nation through radio and shared her vision with the world when she said, “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” Queen Elizabeth II lived this vision throughout her reign. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality” (Warren Bennis). It's not about loving your job. It's about loving your people.
Know what you stand for: Queen Elizabeth II had a deep religious faith that guided her throughout her reign. In her 2002 Christmas address to the nation, the Queen spoke of her own year of acute pain and grief during which she had seen the deaths of her sister, Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother. “I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.”
Lead by example: Queen Elizabeth exemplified servant-leadership, often signing her letters ‘Your servant, Elizabeth’. She’s always seen leadership as an act of service – serving the people she led. It’s a leadership type that is selfless and focuses on others and her collective purpose with them. From training as a truck mechanic during World War II to working until her very last days when she appointed Liz Truss as the UK’s new Prime Minister just two days before she died, she lived a life of complete and utter devotion to her duty to serve and unite the nation.
Be curious: Her Prime Ministers through the deades have attested to how knowledgeable Queen Elizabeth II was in their weekly audiences with her. She read all her papers and was well informed on all matters of state. doesn’t shy away from asking questions and has a curious mind. But this knowledge was grounded in her curiosity with everyone she met: she genuinely wanted to learn from everyone she met. This behaviour is evident from her interactions with world leaders and famous celebrities. She not only asks questions but also listens to answer carefully and shows keen interests in understanding the answer because she loves to learn despite being a Queen, a rare quality, especially among leaders.
Be resilient and know how to adapt: In her seventy years as monarch Queen Elizabeth II has lived through war and peace, recessions and times of growth, family scandals and tragedies and one global pandemic. Throughout she has demonstrated an extraordinary level of resilience and adaptability.
“In 1947, on her 21st birthday, she pledged in a broadcast from Cape Town to the Commonwealth, to devote her life, whether it be short or long to the service of her pupils. That was more than a promise. It was a profound, personal commitment which defined her whole life. She made sacrifices for duty. Her dedication and devotion to the sovereign never wavered. Through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration. And through times of sadness and loss. In her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress which, makes us great as nations.
“The perfection, admiration and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign. As every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people. I pay tribute to my mother’s memory, and I honour her life of service.” (King Charles III)
Have a compelling vision: Gorbachev analytically faced reality with honesty and acted with courage. He inspired people with a vision of a world that is different and better than it is at a given moment.
Be willing to collaborate on a common purpose: Gorbachev formed a unique partnership with his country’s bitterest enemy, the USA, in his relationship with Ronald Reagan, the US President. Both recognized that the U.S.-Soviet arms race was futile. They began their collaboration with a shared sense of urgency over the threat of a nuclear war. They met affirming their common humanity. Through differences of vision, they gradually moved toward agreements to reduce the nuclear threat. When Reagan died in 2004, Gorbachev was emotional about the loss of his old partner. He wrote, “I think that the main lesson of those years is the need for dialogue, which must not be broken off whatever the challenges and complications we have to face.”
Be courageous (in IB terms be a risk taker): His decision to act and reach out to the USA was personally costly. When he attempted a comeback in the 1996 presidential election, Gorbachev was overwhelmingly rejected. For some in Russia he was the destroyer of his country as a world superpower and respected empire. To others, he committed the unforgivable crime of weakness by striving for disarmament, withdrawing from Afghanistan, releasing the Soviet grip on Eastern Europe, and appeasing the evil empire, the USA.