- Serve to lead
“Serve to lead” is actually the motto of the military academy Sandhurst and sums up the Queen’s leadership style quite effectively.
Neil Jurd (OBE), author of The Leadership Book and founder of skills platform LeaderConnect wrote about the Queen: “At the heart of this ethos is the idea that leadership is an act of service – serving the people you lead and serving the purpose that you are collectively working towards. In this leadership style the focus is outwards, on others and on the objective.”
The Queen has dedicated her life to serving others and even continued to work many years (30) after the national retirement age.
To serve, in business means you should be focused on the needs of your followers, team and customers. Leaders should be willing to put their own needs aside and focus on what will benefit those they are leading.
It was first introduced by John Maxwell in his book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.” He believed that the best way for leaders to lead was to serve those they are leading. This means that the leader should not take more than their share, but instead give more than what is expected.
2. Why collaboration is key to a great leader
The Queen often made it look like she managed everything alone, but such an undertaking has a lot going on behind the scenes and for the Queen it surely was a team effort.
“The Queen surrounds herself with advisers,” says Terry Blackburn, entrepreneur and author of Be A Lion. “She doesn’t carry out her role alone – she collaborates with those around her, makes decisions with her team and shares responsibilities among the rest of her family.”
A leader must always have a positive mindset and be able to communicate well with others. To get great things accomplished, make the most of your team’s experience and work collaboratively.
Collaboration is more than just a buzzword in the business world, it’s a necessity. The more people you can get on board with your ideas, the more successful they will be. It’s not enough to just have a great idea, you need to be able to sell it and ensure that others are invested in the project too.
A great leader knows how to motivate their team and understand their strengths and weaknesses. They know that collaboration is key when it comes to making sure everyone has an equal voice and contributing their ideas to the discussion.
3. Strong leaders Demonstrate Passion And Resiliency here is how
“In her approach to work, the late Queen Elizabeth embodied passion and resiliency with a clear sense of duty,” Lisa DeFrank-Cole, a director and professor of West Virginia University’s leadership studies program, said.
Despite ever changing circumstances including war, family troubles or changes to the monarchy itself, she managed to keep moving forward and stay relevant. She listened to those around her, and this helped her get past various challenges.
A great leader has passion for the company and resiliency in order to overcome any obstacles that come up in the business world. It is important for leaders to have this passion because it helps them stay focused on the goals of the company, even during tough times. Resiliency also helps leaders get through challenging times, which means they can make decisions that will benefit the company, not just themselves.
4. Why as a business leader you should always provide a Sense Of Values
I think that one of the key lessons we can draw from her is that great leaders give meaning, a vision and a true sense of the values you hold.
During her long reign there were a huge amount of major changes in the world and in the UK. Despite all this turmoil and uncertainty, Britain stayed united. The Leaders at the time, as well as the British people always seemed to uphold their sense of values in terms of who they were and what they stood far. A lot of this could be attributed to the Queen.
Values are the essence of a company. They define what is important to the company and its employees.
When values are communicated and lived they provide a sense of direction, purpose and meaning. Values also help build trust and personality, which is essential for any organization to succeed in today’s competitive world.
5. Listening – The value of listening as a leader and why it is so important
It’s important to remember that one of the qualities the Queen is well-known for as a leader is her willingness to listen.
Many of the people she worked with, who considered her to be open-minded and forward-thinking, reportedly said that they never felt like she would shut them down if they shared differing opinions or presented a different perspective on a subject.
It seems like she changed her mind about televising the coronation. At first she was hesitant about changing traditions as Winston Churchill was also against televising it, but she was then convinced by her husband to broadcast it on TV : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II
As any good leader should do, the Queen always sought sound advice from her trusted advisers. Probably because of this reason, her Majesty has one of the highest approval ratings (75%) of any British monarch that has ever lived.
Listening is an essential skill for any leader. The ability to listen is a sign of humility and respect, an acknowledgment that others have something to teach you. In addition, listening helps keep you updated on what’s happening within your company and in the world around you. The better informed you are, the more confident and responsive your decisions will be.
6. Wise leaders exercise restraint
We are all aware that it is not wise to exercise restraint in one area of life and not in others. For example, it is not wise to exercise restraint when it comes to eating and then go on a shopping spree. Wise leaders know that there is a balance between all areas of life, including the way you spend money.
When campaigning over the Scottish Independence referendum, David Cameron sought the Queen’s approval to help the public make a decision. The Queen was well aware of how important Scotland is to her and she saw it as a very difficult decision.
Of course, the prime minister knew it would have not be appropriate for Her Majesty to openly argue in favour of an opinion, or a particular course of action on this issue, but he suggested that perhaps she could make a very subtle gesture according to her own deeply held beliefs about the subject. Needless to say, she did not agree to his request.
Leaders are often faced with situations where they must show restraint. It is a difficult skill to master, but it is necessary for the sake of the company and its future.
There are many different ways that we can show leadership without taking control. We can encourage others to take on tasks or take on more responsibility themselves, delegate tasks, provide feedback, or just listen.
the Queen has dedicated her life to serving others, ever since she trained as a truck mechanic during World War Two
7. How Hard work and humility can earn you respect as a leader
The Queen pledged her commitment to duty as early as her 21st birthday before she even became queen: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.”
Consider this commitment for a moment. Wow, such a big statement for such a young woman. It was clear from this statement, that Her Majesty would only focus on one single purpose in her life, which she identified and devoted herself to as a young woman.
It’s interesting to note that the word she used here was “service”, not leading or reigning but service. She is saying, ‘you are my subjects’ but I am here to ‘serve’ you and not the other way around.
She has done her duty and earned the respect of her people. The Queen did her best to live up to the trust and expectations that were given to her and she was indeed devoted to serving her subjects.
The way you work and lead your team will have a great impact on how people see you as a leader. People respect hard work and humility. So, focus on these two traits and try to become an example of what you want others to be like in your organization.
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