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.
Written by Lisa Woods, President & 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.
Did you find this story informative? We would like the opportunity to keep you up to date on all of our training articles. Please register for our newsletter so we can do just that.
Here are some additional training articles you may be interested in:
4 Essential Skills for Leaders, Managers & High Potentials
Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: How to Develop Yourself & Your Team
Lessons Learned Templates & Guide: A Managers Toolkit for Continuous Improvement
Work Efficiency Equation For Managers And High Performers
Overcoming Disconnect Between Middle & Upper Management
At ManagingAmericans.com we encourage members to go in and out of our communities to learn about different areas of business; how to work together, solve problems and improve skills. Each community details expectations, challenges, success tips, training programs and useful resources. Growing your knowledge base and learning about all areas of business can help you navigate towards success in your career.