Margaret Thatcher
The Iron Lady
Intro
Margaret Thatcher was the Conservative Party leader from 1975 to 1990, and the United Kingdom’s first female prime minister from 1979 to 1990.1 Not only was she the first woman to hold office, but also the longest-serving prime minister with three terms, since 1827. Known as the “Iron Lady”, Thatcher was uncompromising in her politics and leadership style, especially when it came to communism in the Soviet Union. Her convictions, decisions, and overall leadership style have become known as Thatcherism; a realignment toward neolobiral policies in the United Kingdom.
Thatcher’s philosophies and policies emphasized financial deregulation, reducing the power afforded to trade unions, and the privatization of state-owned enterprises.2 She led the country to its 1982 victory in the Falklands War and revived its economy which had been declining since WWII. Beyond the specifics of her political achievements, Thatcherism included fierce nationalism, a combative approach to achieving political goals, and a fervent regard for individual interests. Thatcher’s political career was perhaps one of the most controversial during modern times: she passed away in 2013 but her legacy today remains one of the most influential and debated of contemporary political leaders.
I shall never stop fighting. I mean this country to survive, to prosper and to be free… I haven’t fought the destructive forces of socialism for more than twenty years in order to stop now, when the critical phase of the struggle is upon us.
- Margaret Thatcher in her speech to Federation of Conservative Students Conference (March 1975)
About the Authors
Dan Pilat
Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.
Dr. Sekoul Krastev
Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.
