Leadership lessons from Queen Elizabeth II

 

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“London Bridge is down.”

 

That was the secret phrase used by the Queen’s private secretary to notify insiders that the monarch—who served for 70 years—had died.

 

With the loss of this world leader, human beings across the planet are grieving—and celebrating a life honourably and gracefully lived.

There are 5 leadership lessons that immediately spring to mind that we can model from her:

 

1. At the tender age of 21, she gave a speech in South Africa where she said: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.”

 

Our leadership lesson: place Cause above ego. And serve those who follow you with a clean heart and a strong mind. Do not stray from this task. Stay true to the mission for a lifetime. She did for 96 years. I pray the same for you Prashant.

 

2. Queen Elizabeth once remarked: “You have to be seen to be believed.” By the time she was near the end, she had attended 21,000 engagements and gone around the globe 42 times.

 

Our leadership lesson: lead by being with the people you serve. Talk to your team. Mentor them daily. Take customers to lunch and actively listen to them (deeply). Go out and study what your industry peers are doing. Travel. Roam. Understand the world. Pay attention.

 

3. Aside from a mere handful of instances, the Queen was on point. She had her finger on the pulse of her people and developed the acuity to sense how they were feeling. This became one of her top leadership powers.

 

Our leadership lesson: To materialize your leadership potential, develop even greater empathy. Regularly ask what it must be like to be in another’s shoes. Seek the meaning behind what your followers are saying. Be a benevolent leader. Care more than all would expect you to. Be a good human.

 

4. The Queen was steady. She dressed the same way, with those wonderful colourful hats and those well-cut coat dresses, ignoring the fashion of the many eras that she lived through. She loved her dogs and rode her horses. In a world where too many good souls change to join the crowd, she was true to herself.

 

Our leadership lesson: Think for yourself, in an age where it’s too easy to become like those you follow. Know and then live your own values. Do the dreams that are honest to you. Handcraft a life that suits who you are. Don’t be a sheep.

 

5. On the passing of Princess Diana from a tragic car crash in a Paris tunnel in 1997 (her last words were “My God, what’s happened?”), Queen Elizabeth gave an address to her subjects “as your queen and as a grandmother.” She moved millions—and celebrated a glorious life.

 

Our leadership lesson: Keep it real. Stay human. Be vulnerable, when it’s appropriate to do so. When we take down our social masks and reveal our hopes, longings, struggles and flaws, others fall in love with us.

 

Rest In Peace Queen Elizabeth. The world is better because you were here.