Margaret Thatcher

It’s not possible to have a leadership blog and not comment on Margaret Thatcher who died yesterday.

This is a difficult blog to write, because opinion is so divided on Margaret Thatcher, she is at the same time one of the most loved and hated politicians in modern British history.

As the son of trade union members, and coming from a family with a strong coal mining background it would be fair to say that neither myself nor my parents were fans of the Iron Lady, or her policies.

But taking an objective view, it’s hard to deny that she was one of the most influential leaders of the 20th Century. She shaped much of modern Britain, and was instrumental in putting Britain back on the world stage.

Whilst I disagreed with many of the actions that she took, I fully appreciated her approach to leadership, her leadership style,  her commitment, her drive and her energy.

She was an uncompromising woman, who delivered significant transformational changes.

I would say she was a great leader, but not that she did great things.