Your Majesty's Management

Maheshika Halbeisen’s thoughtful book about Queen Elizabeth II is styled as a remembrance of the queen’s 70-year reign, although our business readers should see it as a leadership manual masquerading as a biography. The book comprises an excellent list of virtues important to any type of leader — from monarch to middle manager, from politician to CEO.

That a monarch, however beloved, is the vehicle for exploring the virtues of leadership may sound a few dissonant chords. First, some may object to the history of western imperialism in world affairs, led in large part by the British empire. For our purposes, we will table the debate about the morality of conquest and cull our lessons from the reign of Queen Elizabeth II in the context of present-day society. Second, some may argue that the monarchy has outlived its usefulness. Again, we table the topic and draw our lessons from Halbeisen’s narrative.

Lastly, we must translate an inherently un-businesslike institution — monarchy — into lessons applicable to the corporation in a democratic setting.

The book’s title — The Job Well Done — points us in this direction. While we might not think of being a queen as having a “job,” the monarchy itself distinguishes “working” from “nonworking” royals. This was an issue in the status and relationships between Prince Harry and his American wife, Megan, with the ultimate determination that they were “nonworking” royals and did not receive support from the state.

Hard vs. Soft Power

Reading Halbeisen’s book as a lesson on management very quickly collides with the reality that the full complement of leadership functions is not embedded in the British monarch’s role or powers.

We must cleave the functions of leadership into two halves. On one side, we see the exercise of “hard” powers and functions, such as wielding authority, decision-making, organizing, delegating, coordinating staff: i.e., the “doing” of management tasks. We argue that in performing these functions, a leader would embed morality and ethics into the business plan, the decisions and the strategies employed. Managers should be alive to risks of harm to stakeholders — customers, employees, suppliers and society at-large.

In using the queen’s reign as an example, we are faced with the fact that the British monarch does wield these “hard” powers of the executive. The queen did not have the authority of a president or a CEO, nor did she engage in the active tasks of steering the enterprise. She did, however, exemplify and epitomize the “soft” powers of leadership: e.g., setting an example, projecting values, communicating integrity, being present, listening, empathizing — in short, those qualities that create an ethical corporate culture.

Although The Job Well Done does not present itself this way, the book provides us with a view of the queen’s reign as a fascinating lab experiment, where one half of the management array of actions and powers — the soft powers — are isolated to measure their effect on the ethos of the organization.  It demonstrates the importance of the influence and role modeling in leadership.

Throughout the The Job Well Done, many great qualities of Queen Elizabeth II came to light and can be sorted into several major categories: virtues of character, of foundational value of the individual, and foundational value of unity or common good.

Queen Elizabeth and Character

Despite the reality that the queen is, truly and literally, entitled, she presented herself as serving her people with humility. While never needing to “work,” she was the epitome of hard work — even at age 89 she engaged in 341 events in one year, 35 of which were overseas. Her constant projection was one of duty to the nation, composure, resilience and self-control. She would witness the challenges of the day and endure the hardships of the citizens of the realm by proxy. She had stayed in London during the World War II blitz. Because her life and her record stretched from that war, she could rally the populace by recalling the sentiment “we shall meet again” from the war years. Queen Elizabeth always projected humility and compassion:

“I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else: I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: 1957 Christmas Broadcast (p.18)

She demonstrated resilience, composure, self-control, and was slow to anger. She used humor and grace all the while maintaining decorum and dignity. Halbeisen offers several anecdotes about the queen’s skillful handling of awkward moments.

Graceful embrace of change: It is a bit humbling to ponder the amount of technological advancement the world has seen since the queen was coronated. Her reign was long enough to demonstrate a graceful acceptance of these changes, innovation and adoption. Halbeisen tells of the queen’s early adoption of email — a seemingly trivial moment in today’s world, but not as obvious in the context of early days, and by no means an obvious move by an institution grounded in old traditions. It is a moment where a leader’s simple choice to adopt innovation carries the weight of moving the entire culture.

Value of the Individual

The queen was ever inclusive, showing kindness, empathy and compassion. One of the enduring powers of monarchy is the power to bestow awards and recognitions pursuant to many historical orders and royal institutions. By honoring individuals and achievements, providing royal pomp and ritual, the queen’s soft power to influence those virtues and achievements provided a constant reminder and standard of values for the entire nation, thus contributing to what we would deem corporate culture in our parallel universe of business management.

“To be inspirational you don’t have to save lives or win medals. I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, carers, community organizers and good neighbors; unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special.”

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 (p.45)

Setting an example for individual striving — a relentless work ethic. As mentioned above, Queen Elizabeth II maintained a schedule of official events, meetings and ceremonies that kept her calendar full year round. Included among her many ceremonial events were weekly meetings with prime ministers. Halbeisen notes that she was known to be thoroughly prepared for these meetings and to have had a deep understanding of the issues at hand. “The Queen impressed many people she met during her time, demonstrating the attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile to make others feel comfortable.” (p.71)

Value of Unity

“I declare before you all, with my whole life, whether it be long or short, I shall be devoted to your service, and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me as I now invite you to do.”

Princess Elizabeth on her 21st birthday, April 21, 1947. (p.20)

The queen through her conduct and ceremonial presence served as an important symbol and agent of unity, mission and purpose. Whatever one thinks of monarchy, those who are British subjects have the institution of monarchy as a shared sense of identity — one factor in creating a backdrop of identity and belonging that is difficult to pin down. One of the queen’s roles is simply “to be” — be present, be the embodiment of the institution of the state, be the witness of the times.

Keep calm and carry on. While the queen’s role is largely performative and symbolic, it is worth considering how any manager can create and project these values to any organization — and how fundamental such projection is to the creation of an ethical culture. A quick survey of past 25 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign shows many different crises, ranging from the Cold War, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic to scandals within the royal family. Halbeisen writes, “Her steadfast attitude combined with her ability to navigate adversity with grace earned her the love and admiration of her people, serving as an inspiration on how to handle difficulties with poise and composure.” (p.88)

“We are just passing through.  Our purpose here is to observe, to learn to grow, to love, and then we return home.”

Queen Elizabeth II opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, 2011 (. P.88)

Conclusion – Character and Common Good.

As managers and corporate leaders ponder (and perhaps lament) the difficulties inherent in building a corporate culture founded on principle and virtue, The Job Well Done offers the reinforcement of what we already know intuitively: The wider culture begins with the self. In leadership, one must live the values first and then demonstrate these values in communications and conduct. Our work-a-day world tends to monopolize our attention in the “doing” of tasks, while we forget the power of “being.” Balance sheets, income statements and sales reports cannot capture these qualities that do not carry a price. But having no price also means they are priceless.

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In the Lead magazine is a collaboration between the Buccino Leadership Institute and the Stillman School of Business’s Department of Management. This edition reaffirms Seton Hall’s commitment to fostering innovative, ethical and impactful leadership. Stay ahead of the curve — explore the Spring 2026 issue of In the Lead.

Categories: Arts and Culture, Business