20 Sep Lessons from Queen Elizabeth II
As I sit in my office, watching the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II, I am struck by some life lessons she taught us that business leaders should learn and follow.
Queen Elizabeth never wanted to be Queen, but she rose to the occasion. Her rise to power started when she was only 10 years old and her uncle, the late King Edward VII abdicated the throne to marry an American divorcee. With no children to pass the crown to, Edward’s brother and Elizabeth’s father, King George VI became King. Just 16 short years later at the age of 26, Elizabeth would become HM Queen Elizabeth II.
The new queen could have followed in her uncle’s footsteps and abdicated. She could have used her new found power to dominate. Instead, she saw her role as a life-long call of service. She was a queen, but felt it was her job to serve the people.
As business leaders, we shouldn’t seek roles of leadership for the sake of power but if entrusted to lead we should rise to the occasion and serve those we lead.
In her 70-years of reign, Queen Elizabeth welcomed people from all political spectrums and leaders from all nations. She never discriminated. She also never expressed her personal views publicly. HM Queen Elizabeth knew her role was to unite, not divide.
As business leaders, we should do the same. We should work to invite people from all political spectrums to do business with us. And we do well to keep our personal political views from the public.
Like a lot of Americans, I have always been fascinated with the Royal Family. Like so many around the world, I have never known a day where HM Queen Elizabeth II was not on the throne. But I am thankful for the lessons she has taught us. May God Bless King Charles III, as he starts the difficult task of following in the footsteps of his late mother.
Scott Miller is the CEO of Centerpost Media, host of the Create. Build. Manage. show (seen on BizTV, heard on BizTalkRadio, and available wherever you listen to podcasts,) and a member of the Forbes Agency Council, Entrepreneur Leadership Network, and Dallas Business Journal Leadership Trust. You can find Scott on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via “@scottmillerceo” or on LinkedIn via “@scottmillermedia.” Centerpost Media is a content marketing agency with a vision to help every business they encounter with their media needs by providing outstanding quality, service and value. Centerpost Media is the parent company to BizTV, BizTalkRadio, BizTalkPodcasts and Bizvod.