- Theresa May, Britain’s ex-prime minister, says that rather than reaching for social media the second major news breaks, former world leaders would be better off taking a step back and bringing a “measured voice” to the table. For female leaders in particular, she advises: “Don’t react in the way you think other people think you should react.”
“Be a measured voice.” That is the advice former U.K. prime minister Theresa May has for fellow ex-world leaders.
Speaking on stage in Riyadh at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International summit, the British politician—who served as premier from July 2016 to July 2019—said that instead of reacting to live events on social media, her peers should sit back and be more picky about what they comment on.
“It’s important for former world leaders to not feel that they have to constantly be saying something about what is happening,” May stressed. “Be a voice, a measured voice, perhaps in the background. Sometimes you can work with people who are in leadership positions.”
“As a former leader you can, from time to time, raise your voice and make points about things that are happening,” she said. One time she did that was during the pandemic. “I actually wrote about what I thought we should have seen, which was a greater international coming together to deal with this, rather than this retreating behind country borders.”
“So it’s about raising your voice from time to time, not feeling you’re constantly commenting on everything.”
Advice for female leaders
May didn’t name the former leaders who she believes should heed her advice and stop reaching for X. But she said that female leaders in particular could benefit from keeping their cool in the midst of chaos—whether they’re politicians or working in the corporate world.
“Actually, getting through in politics and in business requires a degree of determination,” she said on stage. “It also requires that degree of calmness. That ability to step back when issues hit you and find your way around those issues, rather than feeling you’ve got to react.”
“And don’t react in the way you think other people think you should react; Make sure you are doing what you believe to be the right thing at any point in time.”
The British politician, who served in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, was the country’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher.
Her top piece of advice for female leaders: “Be yourself, don’t feel you have to fit into a stereotype that others have created for whatever, whether you’re in business or in politics.”
Theresa May’s premiership
During her time in Downing Street, she launched the 25-Year Environment Plan, committed the U.K. to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 (making Britain the first major economy to do so, but it’s now being rolled back) and oversaw the largest expansion of mental health services in a generation. She also established the Race Disparity Audit to address inequalities in public services.
Her tenure was dominated by controversial immigration policies and her inability to deliver a Brexit deal that satisfied Parliament or the public. In the end, it led to her resignation after she failed to secure parliamentary approval for her deal.
Since stepping down as Prime Minister in July 2019, May has remained active in public life, focusing on advocacy, charitable work, and the environment. The former Conservative leader now leads the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.