The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, has faded away and with her the traumatic memories of the mass social move- ment that led the UK to a standstill in the 1970s. Her death calls for some introspection, about the UK economy of course, but more importantly about leadership, and more specifically leadership in Europe.
Thatcher broke the perception that a leader needed to be loved. She put to the forefront of leadership the need for vision, courage, and the ability to face consequences and get the job done. She had in mind the need for a complete makeover of the British economy and managed it for better or worse – 40 years later in the current economic climate, this remains evident.
Purpose, vision, resilience, impact, courage, inspiration and results are attributes springing to my mind when I think about leadership. Sadly no name fits that bill when I think about Europe leadership.