On September 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in the history of the United Kingdom. This is quite an accomplishment, considering the monarchy traces its history over 1,200 years.

Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne at age 25. She’s reigned for over 63 years, and at the ripe old age of 89, she’s also the longest-lived British sovereign.

By all accounts, that’s a long time to spend in one job. Sure, her job is essentially her birthright, but she takes her duty extremely seriously. It appears that unless she becomes incapacitated, she’ll still make regular public appearances and continue to review those secret documents in the red case.

Sure, she’s got stamina, great jewels, and lots of hats. But how does she still stay so relevant?

The Queen as a Leader 

Queen Elizabeth once said, “I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.”

The Queen is a keen observer. Give people the power to play to their strengths, listen to them, and encourage collaboration. Add a dash of inspiration, turn on the fun factor, and watch the magic happen.

Rule Change, Don’t Let it Rule You

When the Queen ascended to the throne in 1952, Churchill was the prime minister, Stalin led a country called the USSR, and Harry Truman was president.

Apartheid was alive and well in South Africa, and Thurgood Marshall was preparing to argue Brown v. Board of Education at the Supreme Court. Interracial marriage was illegal in the US, and wouldn’t be legalized until 1967.

The Queen lives in a palace, but she certainly doesn’t live in a bubble. These societal changes impacted her reign, and it’s been interesting to watch her adapt to them. Consider this: 30 years ago it would have been unthinkable for Prince Charles to marry a divorcee. It was also impossible for a direct heir to the throne to marry a commoner. That’s all changed. In fact, it’s even legal for a British monarch to marry – gasp – a Catholic. Female heirs to the throne are also eligible to ascend to the monarchy, instead of watching their younger brothers take the crown.

This is a lot of change for anyone, especially an elderly monarch. Succession is at the heart of the family business. The Queen has rolled with these changes, though, and seems to be happy about the state of her family affairs.

Reign Over Mobile Recruiting

Queen Elizabeth is also the first monarch to:

• Present the annual Christmas speech on live television
• Have a YouTube channel
• Tweet
• Send an email
• Have an online recruiting process

Although the online recruiting process has a robust career page, it’s missing two key components. Sadly, it’s not mobile-friendly, nor does it support texting. On the bright side, HR Virtuoso offers mobile recruiting technology that's easy to implement and use. We can even offer local text numbers for job candidates who live on Buckingham Palace Road.

Queen Elizabeth, don’t worry. Even if you’re new to mobile and have never sent a text, we stand ready to help you hire the best possible employees. Long live the Queen, and long may you reign.