"She challenged and did much to overturn the psychology of decline which had become rooted in Britain since the Second World War, pursuing national recovery with striking energy and determination."
The area a lot of leaders don't understand when they attack it, is the underlying pinnings of the psychology behind why things are where they are at.
Those that attack the existing, shaky foundations, will find themselves at the center of a battle - you can count on it.
When Thatcher challenged the "psychology of decline" that had hindered Britain for several decades, she stirred up a hornets nest, but she understood what she was doing and so wasn't caught off guard.
When taking on psychological roots of things that are damaging or holding back a company, it must be addressed in the way Thatcher addressed it: with "energy and determination." We must go on the offensive, nothing else will work.
If we're going on the offensive against things rooted within a people, there is pretty much no way to get around it being messy for some time. It comes with the territory. The idea is to recognize it so you know what to expect and how to go about dealing with it.
How do we recognize psychological underpinnings? Anything that is considered the way things are done in a business as being untouchable, has some type of psychological connection which when challenged will bring a big push back.
We need to make a distinction between things that have been done for a long time and so are a part of the company which may need to be changed, and the vision, purpose and core values of a company which really should never be changed.
If you're trying to change things and get a surprise, strong reaction to the change, take a close look at what is behind the reasoning and emotional outburst. It is there that you'll find why and where the strength of why people are holding on to it so strongly.
From there you can aggressively move against the reasoning so you can make the changes needed to bring the company forward. When something's strongly defended, we always need to look behind the outward displays and find the why of it. We can only do that by pushing against it. Margaret Thatcher wasn't afraid to push, neither should we be.
Margaret Thatcher Resources:
The Best Quotes From Margaret Thatcher's 'Statecraft'
Margaret Thatcher & the Revival of the West
Interview with Margaret Thatcher
Magaret Thatcher's Life in the Shadows
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