Queen Elizabeth II: The Power Behind the Hats and Pearls

Queen Elizabeth II appears in hat, suit, pearls and diamond brooch were

Posted: July 07, 2010 

Queen Elizabeth II seemed disconnected from the turbulent present and fixed in the misty past when she spoke before the United Nations on Tuesday. She appeared to be cast as the best-known matron in the world. Her hat, suit, pearls and diamond brooch were visual throwbacks to empires of dust, wars won and lost, and countless speeches delivered by the famous and the infamous.

She was news, but not huge news like President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel playing nice at the White House. She seemed not relevant to the BP oil disaster, unrelated to the distressing unemployment numbers and removed from the sour global economy. It didn't help her headline appeal that her message was apolitical and didn't carry a drop of salacious fare. Boring.

In actuality, what Queen Elizabeth said had everything to do with the top news of the day. Critics yell rabidly about a crisis of leadership in America, but the queen didn't blather -- she shared. Expert leaders do that. They slip wisdom into your mind before you know it. When you later face a problem, that spark of truth they shared reveals itself.

I pulled several mind-and-heart lessons from the queen's speech. I've read versions of these life truths before in business books and heard them from motivational speakers. But no one can beat Queen Elizabeth's street cred (or should that be global cred?) to deliver a message. She has 58 years of experience. Monarchy or not, she's no lightweight. The 84-year-old queen has faced down scorching criticism from her own countrymen, palace scandals, betrayals, unflattering movies, and tabloids. She's had her share of mistakes, and, I would guess, fears. More criticism is sure to come with Britain facing budget cuts, but the queen endures. Below are five things I learned from Elizabeth II this week.

Lesson One: Recognize that leadership can emerge from the bottom up.

"I have also witnessed great change, much of it for the better, particularly in science and technology, and in social attitudes. Remarkably, many of these sweeping advances have come about not because of governments, committee resolutions, or central directives -- although all these have played a part -- but instead because millions of people around the world have wanted them."

Lesson Two: Leaders respect other leaders.

"I have much admiration for those who have the talent to lead, particularly in public service and in diplomatic life -- and I congratulate you, your colleagues and your predecessors on your many achievements."

Lesson Three: Seeking peace and pursuing it takes guts.

"It has perhaps always been the case that the waging of peace is the hardest form of leadership of all."

Lesson Four: Leaders don't act like they know it all. They collaborate. More than one way can successfully get a job done.

"I know of no single formula for success, but over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal, and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration, to work together."

Lesson Five: Leaders don't lead from the past, even if their wardrobes may make them look like they do.

"When people 53 years from now look back on us, they will doubtless view many of our practices as old-fashioned. But it is my hope that, when judged by future generations, our sincerity, our willingness to take a lead, and our determination to do the right thing, will stand the test of time."

More nuggets were in her speech, and we shouldn't pass up any of them as the harmless hand-patting of a queen in the twilight of her reign. Through every vetted word in her U.N. speech, Queen Elizabeth gently reintroduced the idea of leading astutely and sharing leadership with others. She called for us to remember our better selves.

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