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What’s Your Leadership Philosophy? Inspiration From Margaret Thatcher

By Lisa Woods (802 words)
Posted in Leadership & Teambuilding on April 8, 2013

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Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher passed away this morning.  For those of you that are not familiar with this great lady, she served 11 years from 1979 to 1990 as the first and only female Prime Minister.  She won three General Elections, the longest anyone has held this post.  Last week I happened to watch the movie depicting her life, “Iron Lady,” and was inspired by her thoughts, leadership and vision for Britain during the cold war.

 

There was one inspiring moment in particular that resonated with me.  As Americans we often take so much of our culture for granted, mostly because we are so close to it that we don’t see the difference between our cultural philosophy and that of others around the world.  In an interview depicted in the movie, Margaret Thatcher described this cultural difference as part of her own leadership philosophy:

 

“We in Great Britain and in Europe are formed mainly by our history. They (Americans) on the other hand are formed by their philosophy. Not by what has been, but by what can be. Oh, we have a great deal that we can learn from them, yes. Oh yes!” Margaret Thatcher

 

America was created by philosophy.

 

…A philosophy looking toward the future guides us by what we can be, not by what we have done or must do.

 

When you think about your own vision & leadership approach, what philosophy guides you?

 

Are you limited by your past or driven by what you & your business can become?

 

Think about it, write down what drives you and use it to guide your actions.  Sometimes we stray from our own philosophy because we get caught up in the day-to-day.  By writing it down you can keep yourself inspired, make daily decisions in line with your philosophy and honor the beliefs that will drive you and others to success.

  

Here are 4 foundational philosophies that drive my leadership style. I hope they are useful to you as you contemplate your own.

 

1. Develop a well-rounded, cross-functional & practical approach to everything you do, in your actions, reactions & decisions to move forward.

 

2. Create, communicate & have confidence in the path you set for yourself and others, success is based on your ability to see opportunity & seamlessly adjust the path.

 

3. Always take the high road and maintain a practical approach to getting things done.  Only you can hold yourself accountable for your actions, the way you are perceived, and the results you influence.

 

4. Anyone can learn a job skill and be great at what they do, but the one thing that sets them apart and opens doors for growth is their ability to communicate…do your part to facilitate communication habits in others.

 

Margaret Thatcher was and always will be an inspiration to leaders around the world…never to be forgotten.

 

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Written by Lisa WoodsPresident & CEO ManagingAmericans.com

Lisa is a successful entrepreneur, world-class marketing strategist, dynamic business leader & author with more than 20 years experience leading, managing and driving growth in the corporate world. Today she provides Management Tools, Do-It-Yourself Training, and Business Assessments for small to mid size companies, Lisa utilizes her experience with integration techniques, organizational and cultural overhauls, financial turnarounds and strategic revitalization to help other companies succeed.  Closing the gap between strategy and hierarchy through the use of effective communication skills, Lisa's techniques successfully develop employees into exceptional leaders, results driven managers and passionate team contributors that collectively exceed objectives.

 

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Comments (2)

Md Hannan posted on: April 8, 2013

Nice article. She was a great and successful leader.

Ensuela Hysnelaj posted on: April 8, 2013

This is an interesting question. In the crisis situation we are undergoing, I believe the only solution is to look ahead and to focus energy and attention on what our business could become as soon as crisis is over (I hope this is going to be very soon). I am an optimist and always try to leave past behind and move on intrigued by what will bring my future. Entrepreneurs are generally optimistic and that's why they find courage to progress ahead. Manager on the other side are structure oriented and try to be more in touch with past as they need to analyse everything of what happened.

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