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LDR 610
Margaret Thatcher instinctively understood the value of great preparation and knowledge
as key to acquiring expert power (Mossholder, Bennett, Kemery, & Wesolowski, 1998).
However, it was her knowledge and a tenacious desire to be affable that won her first
opportunity to serve the people of England. Thatcher’s newly won parliamentary position
provided the legitimate power she needed to affect change (Mossholder, Bennett, Kemery, &
Wesolowski, 1998). Thatcher’s well-researched and spirited delivery of her first speech set the
stage for the referent power she would enjoy in the early days of her career (Mossholder,
However, Thatcher stood stoically in the midst of what soon became personal even
physical attacks upon her, gaining further notice from her colleagues, albeit, some still not so
favorable of Thatcher as a woman in Parliament (Getty, 2006). Nonetheless, it was her stalwart
Bennett, Kemery, & Wesolowski, 1998). In addition, she was a master tactician, often using
silence to coerce her colleagues toward her goals (Mossholder, Bennett, Kemery, & Wesolowski,
1998). It is interesting to note that when she spoke one could not help but note her influence
Early in Margaret’s life her and her father where an alliance and the more her father
pushed her the more she responded; Margaret’s temperament and ambitions coincided with her
fathers.
Margaret could be charming and gracious one minute and then become engage in
uncompromising conflict the next gaining her influence with conservative members of
parliament. With this influence Margaret’s career took off quickly in October of 1959, she was
Over the next several years, Margaret was moved into many different position gaining
more and more knowledge and influence with each different position she took. What was taking
place was that Margaret was gaining influence with each different position she was assigned, as
she excelled in each position by working long hours and researching each positions issues with
passion and determination to correct and better each area she was asked to work in.
“Margaret has the patience and the stamina to realize her visions and bring them down to
earth, a fine balance between hard work and realism, and a positive, hopeful spirit. Margaret
Thatcher grows through following systems and plans, and taking one-step at a time. Her patient,
well-balanced approach gives Margaret Thatcher credibility with many different types of people,
and she is apt to gain an excellent reputation for being able to do big things without overreaching
and does away with superfluous activities and interests. Others find her approach too severe and
are unwilling to go along with Margaret Thatcher under the difficult circumstances that she is
willing to tolerate. Her determination and capacity for self-denial often help Thatcher get through
the rough spots and achieve the goal she is aiming for (Top Synergy in Relationships Group,
2003)”.
“Margaret Thatcher is apt to receive much publicity and popularity through her
professional pursuits, for she has a way of winning the hearts and trust of many people. Margaret
has an instinct for what the masses of people will respond to emotionally, and this feeling-sense
of what other people want enables her to succeed in sales, promotion, and so on. Her career
could also involve protecting and caring for people, and nurturing them in some capacity (Top
Margaret Thatcher lived a very spirited life for a woman in those times. She eventually
became the Prime Minster of the United Kingdom of Great Brian and Northern Ireland in 1979
as a result of an early dedication to education and her father holding an elected official position,
she committed her adulthood to being a political activist. In her youth, her father invested in her
education and the potential for her future successes when she was very young. Her father
provided a “dead serious” home environment and planned very early for her climb to success.
Thatcher, regretfully, experienced the luxury or fun of bike riding or hot baths. As Thatcher
continued her educational endeavors and popular and not-so popular political career
advancements, she was later known as the “ditch the bitch” because of an unpopular decisions to
raise the prices on school meals and discontinue milk to needy children and families.
Thatcher’s personal agenda created a divided opinion regarding her initial personal
objectives to be a political setting. She studied and labor regularly, sometimes only on 4 hours of
sleep. Once she was asked to go home because she fell ill at a local library preparing for another
speech. Thatcher introduced a positive way for women to begin their mark in political history;
however, she sacrificed her personal life for professional gain. She learned that in all power there
are sacrifices and setbacks and unfortunately may not receive positive support from every
position of power where you may want to progress. Undoubtedly, Thatcher was always well
prepared for any political debate; more so, her charm with local residents and her knowledge of
previous history – made her an undeniable asset. Could the conservative party continue to allow
Thatcher to be a part of the conservative arena? To be effective, Thatcher had the style of a
Thatcher’s greatest strengths emanate from her commitment to understand the issues and
defend her position on those issues, regardless of cynics. Her commitment to rigorous study,
undeterred by the traditional gender roles, often matching toe-to-toe with her male colleagues,
made her likeable (Getty, 2006). Thatcher seems a master strategist; grasping the intricacies of
shadow negotiations of other, Parliamentarians, typically bringing the argument back to the
To her weakness, she was a staunch proponent of her own ideals; often leaving a wake of
damaged alliances behind her as she championed her own concerns. A further weakness was her
lack of being a part of the noble coalition in a country that sees blue bloods as benefactors of the
people (Zaleznik, 1970). One could argue other weaknesses existed in her application of power,
Likelihood of Use of Social Power Bases. Ann Arbor: ProQuest Information and
Learning Company.
Kolb, D. M., & Williams, J. (2001, April). Shadow Negotiation. Executive Excellence, 9.
Mossholder, K. W., Bennett, N., Kemery, E. R., & Wesolowski, M. A. (1998). Relationships
Between Bases of Power and Work Reactions: The Mediational Role of Procedural
President and Fellows of Harvard College, (1998, May 13, 1998). Margaret Thatcher. (Available
Top Synergy in Relationships Group (2003). Margaret Thatcher drive and ambition. Retrieved
relationships.topsynergy.com/Margaret_Thatcher/Drive.asp
Zaleznik, A. (1970, May-June). Power and Politics in Organizational Life. Harvard Business
Review, 47-60.