Margaret Thatcher
Thatcherism– It’s all about Leadership Margaret Thatcher-Style
She led from the heart and embodied an ideological world view that shaped every decision she made. Her “Thatcherism” was rooted in her belief about the kind of leadership needed to save her country from economic collapse and preserve the freedoms she saw as fundamental to the British people. During years of immense challenge, she served as both captain and rudder, steering and steadying the ship of state on the course she saw as vital to the good of the whole. She saw through the smoke of internal conflict to what she believed to be the essential greatness of Great Britain: “There is no such thing as society,” she famously said. “There are individual men and women, and there are families.”
Certainly, her “lead from the heart” approach created fast friends and fierce foes. About as many people loved her as hated her for her decisions and policies. Still, she had the courage not to be liked, but rather to be respected in what she thought was right. Her “Iron Lady” persona nonetheless had a gracious side that left an indelible impression on those who experienced it.
Thatcher listened intently to others. She respected and recorded insights from people across the spectrum, which helped define her own philosophy and thinking some she would agree with others vehemently not. Welcoming then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to London, she extended a hand and said, “To make sure there is no misunderstanding between us – I hate Communism.” Still she would use her shrewd insights to guide nations. Colin Powell has observed that Thatcher’s measure of Gorbachev gave the U.S. encouragement about the prospects of dealing with the Kremlin.“I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together,” Thatcher said.
While she could indeed be rigid in her thinking, she never lost her love of learning, a love built through the scholarships she earned from high school all the way to Oxford University. She was not haughty about
She led from the heart and embodied an ideological world view that shaped every decision she made. Her “Thatcherism” was rooted in her belief about the kind of leadership needed to save her country from economic collapse and preserve the freedoms she saw as fundamental to the British people. During years of immense challenge, she served as both captain and rudder, steering and steadying the ship of state on the course she saw as vital to the good of the whole. She saw through the smoke of internal conflict to what she believed to be the essential greatness of Great Britain: “There is no such thing as society,” she famously said. “There are individual men and women, and there are families.”
Certainly, her “lead from the heart” approach created fast friends and fierce foes. About as many people loved her as hated her for her decisions and policies. Still, she had the courage not to be liked, but rather to be respected in what she thought was right. Her “Iron Lady” persona nonetheless had a gracious side that left an indelible impression on those who experienced it.
Thatcher listened intently to others. She respected and recorded insights from people across the spectrum, which helped define her own philosophy and thinking some she would agree with others vehemently not. Welcoming then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to London, she extended a hand and said, “To make sure there is no misunderstanding between us – I hate Communism.” Still she would use her shrewd insights to guide nations. Colin Powell has observed that Thatcher’s measure of Gorbachev gave the U.S. encouragement about the prospects of dealing with the Kremlin.“I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together,” Thatcher said.
While she could indeed be rigid in her thinking, she never lost her love of learning, a love built through the scholarships she earned from high school all the way to Oxford University. She was not haughty about