Think tank: Our Queen - the best role model - Telegraph The royal It's a Knockout may come and go but the Queen holds steady, eschewing stunts and fads. This leads to the occasional, and very public, misjudgment, as in the royal response to Diana, Princess of Wales's death but, overall, this steadiness has built trust and enduring esteem. This doesn't mean the Queen's aloof. Tony Blair described her as "streetwise"; David Cameron spoke of her remarkable insight on what people on the front line are thinking. Almost everyone who has met the Queen finds the experience elevating and yet remarkably natural. She is legendary for putting people at ease. In an era where the private lives of public figures are anything but, the Queen has managed to maintain her boundaries. Whilst we know a little about her hobbies (primarily racing) and her pets (the corgis, of course), she is, in her way, an enigma. Former Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan described his relationship as "friend-liness not friendship," which is not a bad motto for corporate chieftains keen to engage their people while maintaining their respect. Despite six decades in the public eye, remarkably, the Queen can't be accused of being over-exposed. The Queen is Britain's networker in chief. She gets the UK access to places that we could never otherwise reach. She is our greatest national salesperson without ever trying to sell. Perhaps most impressive of all, she hosted the most globally watched non-sporting event ever - her grandson's wedding. And she is possibly set to beat the record with the Diamond Jubilee pageant. Despite the footmen and silver services, the Queen not only recognizes that we're in austere times but acts like it. The carpets in Buckingham Palace are threadbare, the wallpaper hasn't been changed since long before Lord Irvine asked the taxpayer to stump up £59,000 for his wallpaper and the last re-wiring was in 1948. The Olympics may be costing us a fortune but the Jubilee certainly isn't. The BBC is paying for the concert, the river procession is entirely privately funded and the total outlay by the palace for the whole shebang is a relatively modest £1m. The cost of the Royal Household has been more than halved in the past couple of decades so that it now costs the same as transmitting Channel 4 in Welsh for six months. There's even a move towards performance-related pay. From next year the Civil List will be replaced by a proportion of the profits from the Crown Estate. But it's not just about cuts. Her Majesty has a strategy for growth too. Hospitality given by the Royal Household is up 50pc in the past five years. And there's no plan even for a late retirement. While corporate chiefs tend to head to the golf links after a mere decade at the top, our Queen still has 450 official events a year and homework (that comes in a red box) every day except Christmas. All this at 86 years old. Costs down and activity up is a good result for any firm but the enduring popularity of the head of the royal family (support for the monarchy is pretty constant at about 75pc) has a more fundamental explanation. The Queen isn't in it for herself, or to get richer. Her over-riding motivation is duty to her country and her citizens. When aspiring business bosses are looking for role models, they could do far worse than learn from the longest reigning leader of the last century. Duty first, never grumble, do more with less, maintain your boundaries, make people feel at ease, network like crazy (but let your salespeople do the selling), play the long game and stay true to who you are, even during the anni horribili. They don't teach this at business school. Perhaps they should. Octavius Black is CEO of Mind Gym (www.themindgym.com). You can follow him on Twitter @octaviusblack