Margaret Thatcher was the Prim... free essay sample

Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of Britain for three terms. She was a situational leader that combined both authoritarian and autocratic leadership styles. Because of this she was not successful in utilizing the transformational leadership theory which is the most effective theory used in todays work environment and organizational culture for positive change. She had many traits and strengths that led to her success but was weak on others. She needed to improved her capabilities in fostering collaborative relationships, active listening and adaptability. She was a very dynamic leader and brought needed changed to Britain, but also significantly influenced the world.Margaret Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain. Born into a conservative family, she grew up above her familys grocery store. She was brought up with the values of hard work and public service. She attended the University of Oxford graduating in 1947 with a degree in chemistry. She was a scientist but longed to be in politics. She joined the Young Conservatives and went on to study as a barrister at the Inns of Court Law school, becoming a tax attorney in 1954. It was during this time that she improved her leadership skills. She married a wealthy business man and was the mother of twins. She ran for parliament but was defeated due to the existence of male partiality in her conservative party. Her determination to succeed enabled her to became a member of the house of commons in 1959 and she rose up through the ranks in parliament serving until 1992. She was elected three terms as Prime Minister, serving eleven years in power (1979-1990). Margaret Thatcher passed away in 2013 at the age of 87 and is considered one of Britains most influential Prime Minister of the 20th century. Margaret Thatchers leadership style was a combination of autocratic and transactional. Her leadership style coined the term Thatcherism and is still used today to describes her leadership style and principals of the British government.Margaret Thatcher received the moniker Iron Lady because of her authoritarian and autocratic leadership style. Her leadership style was characterized by making the decisions and expecting her followers to follow her instructions. She needed individual control over the decisions she made. She needed to make decisions quickly so that she could accomplish what she set out to do. Margaret Thatcher came to office with one deliberate intent, To change from a dependent to a self-reliant society – from a give-it-to me, to a do-it-yourself nation. A get-up-and-go, instead of a sit-back-and-wait-for-it Britain. She had a clear passion that she believed in and she wasnt going to compromise her principals. She came into power when the economic conditions were poor and the trade unions had shut down public services. Public expenditures were out of control. With her style of leadership, she was able to take on the unions, privatized industries and put Britain back on its feet. Margaret Thatcher also exhibited a transactional style of leadership. This was evident by the hierarchal structure of the British government where she had the power and authority over those beneath her but was still accountable to those in parliament. Transactional leaders are coercive and rely on rewards and punishment as influence. Margaret Thatcher reprimanded her colleagues by making hand written notes and comments in the margins of proposals and policies when they didnt match her views or plans and went so far as to indicate it was a very poor paper and please translate into English. Transactional leadership is centered around the idea of the relationship between the leader and followers where the followers agree to obey the leader and suffer the consequences if they resist. One of Margaret Thatchers ministers was dismissed because they were against her governments economic policy. She was trying to change the status quo, and this included fighting against her ministers and the departments that were behind them. In todays work environment, transformational leadership is the most effective concept in bringing about permanent change to an organization. It is the type of leadership that followers want in an ideal leader. The ability to motivate followers with a vison, mission and values that allows followers to practice what the leader preaches. It is also fosters creativity and innovations and allows the followers to make and implement their decisions. Margaret Thatcher was unsuccessful in using transformational style of leadership due to the environment and culture at that time. Because of the uncertainty, and turmoil the country was in she had to make the choices that were best for the country. She took on a parent like role, and although she didnt motivate her followers and cabinet with it, she began the process of improving the economy and showed a commitment to her followers which led to their loyalty and trust. Had she been more of a transformational leader and listened to her ministers and advisors, there is the possibility that better solutions and maybe a broader set of options would have been available to try and may have helped her strengthen her competencies.Leadership competencies are highly dependent upon the personality and individuality of the leader. Margaret Thatcher had many competencies and skill-sets required to be a successful leader. She exhibited leadership traits such as motivation, self-confidence, ambition, decisiveness, honesty, and integrity. Her self-confidence was a definite strength, but with this self-confidence came an assertive and forceful approach to leadership. This style helped her achieve her political goals of privatization and rec overy of the economy and removing the socialist philosophy of redistribution of national wealth to a free market economy. She gained respect on the world stage and was able to have great influence around the world. But by only focusing on her strengths and not the other competencies, she had a government which only pushed her agenda and led to her inability to evaluate or acknowledge the other critical thinking and problem-solving attributes of her ministers and cabinet. She was unable to foster cohesiveness, confidence and cooperation. By motivating and inspiring others, she may have been able to test out new ideas different from her own and developed a more effective cabinet. She was definitely not a team player which is required these days in a successful organization.Effective leaders have a clear, specific objective in mind at all times. Effective leadership also requires leaders to adapt and function in high-pressure situations. Margaret Thatcher had these specific competencies and are what led her to become the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Margaret Thatcher learned to become an effective leader through her parents who set a good example of hard work, and through mentors during her education and career. Her father instilled his philosophies into his daughter including hard work and individualism and groomed her to attend university from a very young age. She worked in the grocery store from early in the morning until late in the evening including holidays except Sundays when she was required to attend church. She had several role models in her education, including one Miss Kay who inspired her to specialize in chemistry. She studied under a future Nobel winner Dorothy Hodgkin at the university. The skills she learned from her mentors helped her become the president of the Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA). Thatcher became an Education Secretary under Prime Minister Edward Heath but learned what not to do from him. The people of Britain wanted a new leader and Margaret Thatcher became the new leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. Baroness Thatcher became a member of the Lords in 1992 where she became s a spokesperson. She was molded by many throughout her childhood, education and career. When she became the Prime Minister in 1979 during a worldwide economic recession, she had specific objective in mind and was able to use her style of leadership in a high-pressure situation to effectively lead her country out of the recession . The concept of leadership, its theories, competencies and how you apply them, along with bringing about change to the organization are important lessons to learn. Margaret Thatcher was a leader who exemplifies ways to learn these lessons. She was very involved in leading change in Britain. She left a lasting legacy by envisioning a better Britain with future possibilities. She was concerned about those who would inherit it. The changes she brought, through her core values, transformed Britain. She was the first female prime minister in British history breaking the glass ceiling of a male dominated profession. She transformed the unions and education, deregulated the financial markets, increased home ownership, privatized industries, and created jobs. She left the economy in a much better shape than she found it. She was steadfast in her principals of economic freedom, individual liberty, personal responsibility, and free market democracy. She made enormous change to the country and left a lasting legacy on the world. To succeed as a leader in a demanding environment, leaders must think critically about their personal leadership philosophies, their strengths and limitations, and apply them to the situation at hand. Leaders are defined by their strength of character, life-long commitment to core values, and maintaining leadership qualities through continuous improvement, individually and institutionally. She was a tough, opinionated, capable woman who challenged gender roles and embraced her position with grace, dignity, certainty, and led Britain very capably for a lengthy term. There is no debating that Margaret Thatcher was in every sense a leader.