The process of globalisation and increasing levels of competition mean that leading and managing a business is becoming more challenging than ever. Directors and managers now have to make critical choices that will determine their ultimate success and survival. With these challenges, there are lessons to be learnt from great war leaders who have had to make similar strategic choices under intense pressure and with enormous consequences. While Winston Churchill’s grand strategy of the Second World War has attracted enormous academic and political attention there are many lessons for the management and leadership of all firms.
1. Courageous and heroic. Churchill’s leadership style was courageous and heroic. He is acknowledged as a truly awe-inspiring character. Churchill demonstrated this by being highly visible, memorable and wanting to be at the centre of action. For example, he had to be prevented from taking part in the D-Day landings. This is MBWA – management by walking about. This courageous and visible leadership style builds loyalty far beyond what is rational and is the necessary approach in certain situations rather than a consensual, managerial approach. So in certain circumstances strong visionary leadership should be accommodated and encouraged despite the often high risks involved. Risk taking can produce success if a leader is strongly supported by a highly competent team who are equally dedicated to the same goals.
2. Knowledgeable with good communication skills. Churchill had both verbal dexterity and a good strategic grasp based on a deep knowledge of political history and war. Almost uniquely for a politician Churchill was deeply interested in and understood military matters after over 30 years of experience prior to the Second World War. This started at the end of 19th century when he was as a journalist reporting on the Boer Wars in South Africa and was followed by time in the Admiralty. As a result “the sweeping character of Churchill’s personal authority was almost unprecedented in modern democracy”. Being a skilled communicator is a necessary skill for all leaders but not enough on its own. However, when allied with good strategic judgement based on experience it is a powerful combination.
3. Overcome early barriers. While Churchill enjoyed social privilege he had an emotionally deprived childhood and poor school achievements to overcome. Successful leaders are often very driven and ambitious people. Much of the motivation for this is linked to early disappointments in their lives or wanting to prove themselves in a way others don’t. So leadership traits can be strengthened by relative early failure and delayed intellectual growth. Early struggle is often a prime motivator of an entrepreneur.
4. Dominant character. Churchill quickly matured and developed into a dominant character – both charming and rude as circumstances dictated. However, his powerful personality often became a draw back. There were time consuming wrangles over grand strategy in which Churchill appeared to have overruled the right of the military in a bid to impose a new initiative or scheme without the necessary preparation or proper consultation. Therefore gifted leaders have to be skilfully managed by an effective peer-group which can be a formidable undertaking. Re-structuring of the top management teams and decision making processes can go someway to deal with this. However, dominant leaders can be difficult to work with.
5. Action orientated. High achievers tend to be action orientated - one of Churchill’s motto’s was “action this day” – and are hugely beneficial to firms. The ability to deal with urgent and important tasks and leave less important issues is a key skill in time management.
6. Strategic sense. There is much debate about Churchill’s strategic decisions. He managed to get more things right (e.g. the spectre of iron curtain falling across Europe) than wrong (e.g. Gallipoli and the Dardanelles campaign). His strategic shortcomings undoubtedly diminished his influence at critical times when his influence should have mattered more. For example his influence waned in the face of slow American decision-making and Stalin’s strident agenda. No leader is able to get every decision right but the trick is to get the majority right and learn from the ones you get wrong.
7. Creative Tensions. By becoming an expert in a tightly centralised hierarchy that he had devised, Churchill was able to be hugely effective. As well as being Prime Minister, Churchill made himself Minister of Defence and the one civilian member of the four-man chiefs of staff committee. Churchill therefore produced a creative tension of both a positive and negative kind which is necessary for to consistently good leadership. Strong leadership will create both positive and negative tensions at all levels in an organisation. As in the case of Churchill, for an organisation to be successful the positive must outweigh the negative.
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