The Masterclass In (Women’s) Leadership From Queen Elizabeth II

In 1952, when Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, became Queen Elizabeth II, women’s roles were overwhelmingly domestic, and they were discouraged from working outside the home. This is especially true of married women with children. Most of the women who worked during World War II, keeping the economy going while the men went off to war, surrendered those jobs (voluntarily or not) to the returning men who were the traditional family breadwinners.

Then a 25-year-old, brilliant, beautiful, and elegant new Queen – and working mother and wife – becomes Queen of England. In an instant, she became ruler of a global power of 50,651,280 people across dozens of countries and still psychologically, economically and physically emerging from the horrors, massive destruction and political and cultural chasms of the Second World War.

But she stepped up, and “Queen Elizabeth was the rock upon which modern Britain was built,” as the new U.K. Prime Minister, Liz Truss, said upon the Queen’s passing.

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign is a masterclass in leadership – especially for women

For 70 years as Queen Elizabeth II, she embodied leadership, and showed generations of women – and men – that women could “be” leaders and “do” leadership. “As a woman, she helped define how a woman in leadership operates, how a woman dresses, carries herself, comports herself,” is how historian Amanda Forman aptly described it on CBS News’ breaking news of the Queen’s passing.

Granted the Queen could not be fired from her job like other leaders, but the power and relevance of the monarchy has been challenged many times during her reign and continues to be. The monarchy’s real power is only as strong as their people’s trust and belief in their influence, and Queen Elizabeth II managed, evolved and reigned with aplomb, through family scandals, divorces, and rifts, as well as fires, wars, economic crises and 14 prime ministers (meeting the 15th, Liz Truss, only briefly). There were times the British people felt she had disappointed them, for example during the crisis in Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage, but she learned and evolved from that too.

The fact that she emerged more loved and respected than ever by the time of her passing on September 8, 2022 is a testament to her success.

Here are 7 lessons from that masterclass in leadership from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II:

1. Embrace both tradition and progress: As the new King Charles III said in his first speech as king after her passing, “In her life of service we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which make us great as Nations.” He was echoing his mother’s first Christmas address as queen in 1952, when she said, “Many grave problems and difficulties confront us all, but with a new faith in the old and splendid beliefs given us by our forefathers, and the strength to venture beyond the safeties of the past, I know we shall be worthy of our duty.” She embodied that strength.

2. Marry someone who truly supports you through thick and thin: Elizabeth and Phillip were a genuine love match, and it was he who broke the news of her father’s death and her ascension to the throne to her while they were vacationing in Kenya in 1952. A man of stature in his own right, Prince Phillip accepted his role and became her rock, as she has said. He had his moments of ill choices during their 73 years of marriage, but they steadfastly supported each other and got through it.

3. “See the best in people”: As King Charles III added in that first speech as sovereign, “The affection, admiration and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign. And, 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.” You could see it in her radiant smile and that twinkle in her eyes.

4. Be willing to throw out the protocol and norms when they don’t serve you: Queen Elizabeth saw the birth of television, the telephone, the computer, the airplane, and of course the internet, and embraced them all eventually. She slowly but surely revealed the royal family as people too, sometimes uncomfortably and with resistance, but she did and it serves them to this day.

The most poignant moment, which we commemorate today on the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on 9-11-2001, was when the Queen “broke with centuries-old tradition, directing the Coldstream Guards to play the American national anthem, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace,” as Newsweek described it, on September 13th, 2001 in solidarity. Then-U.S. ambassador to Britain, William Farish attended.

One moment I personally experienced when I coproduced a reception and luncheon for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip at the Los Angeles Music Center many years ago, was when Her Majesty discarded much of the strict protocol we were trained in. We were told not to shake her hand, but she reached out to shake everyone’s hand around her, being present with each person even for a moment. She also eschewed her favorite water we had flown in from the U.K. in favor of champagne.

5. Your style is part of your brand: Her glamourous yet simple and brightly colored suits and hats with matching purses, shoes and pins, became her signature, an important part of her brand.

6. Soft power is very powerful: All the stories we have heard, speak of how she treated all people with dignity, warmth and respect – even those she disagreed with. She used her listening and communications skills, as well as her vast knowledge of global and political dynamics, what diplomats call soft power, to influence decisions she could not control. Women have had to fine-tune influence management skills like these, because throughout history they have not had the authority or power to direct decisions. Now, in the 21^st century, those skills are quite necessary for leaders. Queen Elizabeth II wielded her power with silk gloves.

7. Don’t stop until you leave the stage: The photo of her with that characteristic twinkle in her eye when she shook the hand of the new U.K. Prime Minister – the third woman to hold the post in the Commonwealth’s history – a mere two days before her death, shows how she was determined to serve until the last possible moment she could. So, even as we consider a job or career change, it’s important to keep doing our best in our current roles until we actually leave them.

Rest in peace, Your Majesty, and thank you for nearly a century of service to the world, not just to the United Kingdom, and for being a remarkable, inspiring and illustrative model of (female) leadership.