Leader Profiling - Leadership - Golda Meir

Golda Meir’s Determination, loyalty, integrity and conscientiousness were major leadership traits that will always be respected in the Jewish community. She was described as the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics years before the term became associated with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Former prime minister David Ben-Gurion used to call Meir "the best man in the government"; * Determination: the desire to get the job done (Northouse, p.25) Golda Meir was determined to overachieve and protect Israel’s interests throughout her life, even throughout her childhood she organized a fund raisers to pay for her classmates’ books. Another display of determination was entering politics, a male dominated field, and being praised by her subordinates for her decisions. She was determined to lead a change and always sought after leadership positions. “Although she was born in Russia and educated in the United States, where she trained as a teacher, she arrived in Palestine when she was in her twenties and lived on a kibbutz. She immediately became active in the newly-formed Histadrut trade union movement” (Butt, 1998) * Loyalty – Golda Meir’s loyalty to Israel cannot be questioned. With her family fleeing Russia where she was born in 1898, to begin a new life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There she developed a passionate commitment to form a Jewish state. She worked tirelessly by raising money and used her gifts of charm and oratory to promote the cause of an independent Jewish state. * Integrity – the quality of honesty and trustworthiness. (Northouse, p.25) Golda Meir saw integrity as the currency of Israel’s survival (Burkett, 2008). The way Golda spoke with her followers and involved them in decision making built a high level of trust and honesty within the Israeli government. Meir led by example; she practiced the same morals and beliefs that she preached. * Conscientiousness - the tendency to be thorough, organized, controlled, dependable, and