On Remembrance Sunday, I shared a post about Queen Elizabeth II being the only living Commander in Chief who served in World War II. As a young woman she served in a way that women were welcomed in uniform in those days.
What amazed me is the number of people who gave my post a like or "love" in a short period of time. At one point, the post got a positive click about every minute, which is much higher than my usual posts. Of course, the group was composed of people of British origin. Still, the question may be asked why is she so popular? And, is there anything leaders may learn from such high levels of public support?
Oh, by the way, Queen Elizabeth II and her family are of great interest to many Americans as well so, it's not just the British.
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| Princess Elizabeth WW II service |
The Queen's popularity ratings run above 80% in various surveys. That's high for a national leader. Most leaders won't be kings or queens or even presidents or prime ministers so, what seems to work?
I have written a few posts about leadership. A recent one provides a list of what people respect in a leader. In this post, I'm going to look at Queen Elizabeth II and possible reasons for her enduring popularity.
1. Military Service. Military service in itself probably accounts for a meaningful percentage of her popularity in the UK and in many of the Commonwealth countries. She "did her bit" as the British say. There are a lot of veterans, so there must be more to her appeal than military service.
2. Identity. The Queen represents the UK. She's not just a symbol like a mammal or bird on a coin or an official seal. It's far easier to identify with a person, if the person has qualities you respect. A head of state can make people feel proud or ashamed of their country. This feeling can be personally experienced when a number of people within and outside your nation respect or disrespect your head of state. I think this is true for corporations having respectable figure heads. Identity is an argument for keeping some people on a board even when the day-to-day business is run by lesser known officials. Companies and organizations with good reputations tied to a respected leader may wish to think how they manage retirement and leadership transitions.
3. Appearance. Leaders are expected to appear a certain way in any given culture. The Queen appears as a dignified and kindly grandmother. At times, she wears a crown, which adds to the value of her appearance. However, not all cultures respect older citizens. So, the elegant grandparent only goes so far. Age is only one factor. People have expectations of the way their leaders should dress and behave. Appearance matters despite its superficiality. But appearance is relevant to one's group. The expected appearance of music stars, tech industry leaders, and religious leaders can be quite different.
3. Wealth. People in many cultures respect wealthy people. The Queen's jewels, palaces, and castles represent wealth. She has a decent income from her investments. She's not wealthy like an American billionaire but she does very well. And she has an acceptable attitude--she doesn't draw attention to the wealth. People used to think wealthy people were blessed by God or gods. Perhaps they still do.
4. Confidence. She's met a lot of world leaders over the years. And she's met a lot of children and people from many cultures. We expect leaders to show confidence. Confidence can be learned through experience in meeting people and giving talks to various audiences.
5. Commitment. We respect leaders who are committed to their country or organization and to their assigned tasks. Queen Elizabeth II certainly meets these expectations. You don't have to be a royal to demonstrate commitment.
6. Authentic faith. From what we can see, Queen Elizabeth's faith is genuine. Of course she would be expected to appear a Christian as head of the Church of England, but we all know people who don't seem very sincere. Regardless of religiosity, I think people can respect leaders whose faith doesn't appear put on for a show or worse, a way of garnering votes, power, or wealth. I think it better to be an honest atheist or agnostic than put on a sham show of faith.
7. Caring. People respect leaders who care for others and support charitable causes. The tearful photo above is a popular one on social media. I suspect it's popular because it shows a quiet empathy. We want to believe leaders are caring people. I think leaders in businesses and organizations must be aware that people are quick to identify hypocrisy. Only some leaders can fool some people with fake caring.
8. Culture Factor. British humor can be biting and sarcastic. And some Brits resent the money spent on the monarchy. Yet, there are long cultural traditions of showing respect to the Queen by bowing to her and in the singing of the national anthem, "God Save the Queen." But culture can be undone by monarchs behaving badly, so there must be more to her support than just culture. And, as already noted, the data support high levels of popularity in the US--not just the UK or the Commonwealth. The bottom line for corporations and organizations is to create a culture of respect for all people.
9. Longevity. Longevity of a leader or leaders can represent stability in a nation or corporation. Nations with presidents like the US change leaders every 4 or 8 years. That's not a bad idea. But it can lead to major changes in policy and some ugly politics between warring parties. Of course, the same happens in the UK, but in a different way. The Queen does not have the power of the prime minister and parliament where the political fights take place. However, the Queen does offer a psychological sense of stability as one who cares about the nation and remains "above" politics.
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I realize Queen Elizabeth II has an advantage over many leaders. Many in western cultures read exciting stories about kings and queens and princes and princesses as children. Children's movies portray dazzling castles and a fantastic lifestyle. Royalty has a mystique. But as I wrote above, some monarchs behave despicably and don't get much respect.There's probably more reasons for her popularity. If you have a positive contribution, please comment.
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What do people respect in a leader?
Psychology of Respect
Connections
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