Analysis of Winston Churchill and his leadership.

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Ashley Toups
Analysis of Famous Leader
3 October 2015
Winston Churchill
There are many definitions of the term “leadership.” A common definition is the ability to
encourage and influence people to take action to accomplish a common goal (Gibson & Weber,
2015). Important characteristics and behaviors of great leaders are as follows: communication
skills, the ability to make decisions and take risks, the desire to improve himself or herself and
others, and being able to inspire and lead (Gibson & Weber, 2015). Leaders have certain
personality traits, behaviors, strengths, weaknesses, achievements, and communicative and
leadership techniques that identify and make them famous as a leader. Winston Churchill is an
example of a well-known leader.
Winston Churchill had many accomplishments before and during his position as the Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom (The Churchill Centre, 2007). Churchill attended a school
named Harrow school near London from 1888 to 1892 (The Churchill Centre, 2007). He won a
school prize for demonstrating his remarkable memory in a competition (The Churchill Centre,
2007). He recited 1,200 lines from Macaulay’s poem, “Lays of Ancient Rome”, from memory
(The Churchill Centre, 2007). Now, Churchill’s speeches are very well known (The Churchill
Centre, 2015). One of his most famous speeches is his “Iron Curtain” speech (The Churchill
Centre, 2015). However, Churchill also had failures and weaknesses along with his strengths and
accomplishments just like everyone else. When Churchill was trying to be accepted into the
Royal Military College Sandhurst, he failed the entrance examination twice, but he finally passed
the examination on his third try and was accepted (The Churchill Centre, 2007). Churchill once

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said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm,” and he did just that
(Gibson & Weber, 2015).
Churchill was very optimistic about technological advancements (The Churchill Centre,
2007). He promoted the development of the tank, development and use of radar, and cracking
German encryptions with the Enigma code (The Churchill Centre, 2007). Churchill even escaped
prison when enemy Boer soldiers apprehended him (The Churchill Centre, 2007). He served in
Great Britain’s Parliament for fifty-five years and was appointed as a Knight of the Garter by
Queen Elizabeth II (The Churchill Centre, 2007).
One failure Churchill was accredited with was the failed effort to capture the Dardanelles
and the Gallipoli Peninsula during World War I while he was First Lord of the Admiralty, which
would have prevented many casualties in Western Europe (The Churchill Centre, 2007). During
World War II he brought the Labour, Liberal, and Conservative parties together, and he created
the “Grand Alliance” with Russia and the United States of America while he was Prime Minister
(The Churchill Centre, 2007). Churchill became a symbol for victory and an advocate for peace
(The Churchill Centre, 2007). He was also a famed writer who wrote forty-three books and
received “The Nobel Prize for Literature” in 1953 (The Churchill Centre, 2007). Along with his
many other titles and achievements, he was also a painter, journalist, war correspondent,
Minister of Munitions, and Chancellor of the Exchequer (The Churchill Centre, 2015).
Winston Churchill was widely known for his leadership and the way he communicated with
the people. Churchill helped encourage the citizens of Great Britain to have courage and rise up
against Adolf Hitler and the German Nazi regime (The Churchill Centre, 2007). Churchill’s
ability to motivate people, his strategic perceptiveness, his unwavering passion, and his
levelheaded temperament are what made him an effective leader (The Churchill Centre, 2015).

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Churchill always showed his enthusiasm, determination, and confidence in public (The Churchill
Centre, 2015). Churchill would sometimes show his humble side and charming wit, which made
him even more likeable to the public (The Churchill Centre, 2015).
Many politicians were afraid to take risks in fear of hurting their political career (Gibson &
Weber, 2015). Taking risks is one of the reasons why Churchill stood out from the crowd of
politicians (Gibson & Weber, 2015). He said that taking risks is needed to achieve greatness and
learn from mistakes (Gibson & Weber, 2015). He learned from his mistake in the Dardanelles
disaster, as discussed earlier, and this helped him make key decisions during World War II
(Gibson & Weber, 2015). Churchill was not afraid to make decisions even if they did not have
good consequences (Gibson & Weber, 2015). He did not dwell on the mistakes and failures, but
rather how one learns from his or her mistakes and how one manages to move on from his or her
failures (Gibson & Weber, 2015).
Despite his speech impediment, Churchill still had powerful speeches (Gibson & Weber,
2015). There were four communication principles that Churchill used in his speeches (Gibson &
Weber, 2015). First, he chose his words very carefully and avoided jargon (Gibson & Weber,
2015). Second, is rhythm; he spoke in short and simple words because he believed it to be more
appropriate for his speeches and in communicating to the public (Gibson & Weber, 2015). Third,
he used many facts to build his argument (Gibson & Weber, 2015). Lastly, he used analogies in
order to help the public gain a better understanding of a complex topic they were unfamiliar
with, such as war tactics (Gibson & Weber, 2015). His use of analogies helped him communicate
with people from different kinds of educational backgrounds and intelligence levels (Gibson &
Weber, 2015). There is a megaphone in the Churchill: The Power of Words exhibit at the

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Morgan Library in New York City to commemorate his amazing speechmaking (npr books,
2012).
Churchill had a commitment to self-improvement (Gibson & Weber, 2015). He would
always ask his subordinates for constant feedback and constructive criticism (Gibson & Weber,
2015). During meetings he would always encourage people to speak their minds (Gibson &
Weber, 2015). He always wanted to hear from other people’s ideas and opinions, and would not
reprimand someone for having an idea in opposition to his own, which made an open-minded
environment to have deep discussion (Gibson & Weber, 2015).
I have noticed some of Winston Churchill’s roles, his participative leadership technique, his
leadership traits and skills, and his power and influence tactics in my research. According to
Mintzberg’s 10 managerial roles in the textbook, managers in the disseminator and spokesperson
roles pass information down to his or her subordinates or to outsiders (Yukl, 2014, p. 30). I
believe Churchill was a disseminator and a spokesperson since I have learned that he was very
outspoken about his ideas and opinions with his subordinates and the public. Managers in the
entrepreneur role seek opportunities for improvement, and managers in the negotiator role have
the authority to sign contracts and to negotiate with others (Yukl, 2014, p. 30-31). Churchill was
an entrepreneur because he always sought opportunities for self-improvement and promoted
technological advancements. He was also a negotiator because he was one of the heads of the
United Kingdom’s government as the Prime Minister. Managers in the leader role always
encourage people, and managers in the liaison role establish relationships with others (Yukl,
2014, p. 29). Churchill always encouraged and motivated people through his speeches and he
also knew the importance in establishing relationships with others.

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There are varieties of participation techniques but I believe the “consultation” method best
describes Winston Churchill. Managers who use the consultation method of participation ask
subordinates for their ideas and opinions, the manager considers those ideas and opinions, and
then makes the final decision by himself or herself (Yukl, 2014, p. 80). Churchill made the final
decisions as Prime Minister but he would always ask his subordinates and others for their
feedback and ideas on a situation.
Winston Churchill was a very powerful and influential leader. His personality traits,
leadership skills, and his communication techniques are some of the most notable characteristics
about him. He was truly a memorable inspiration during World War II. Many even believe that if
it were not for his enthusiasm and encouragement, especially in his speeches, Hitler would not
have been defeated.

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References:
Gibson, M & Weber, R. J. (2015). Applying Leadership Qualities of Great People to Your
Department: Sir Winston Churchill. Hospital Pharmacy, 50, 78-82. doi:
10.1310/hpj5001-078
NPR. (2012).Winston Churchill's Way With Words. Retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/14/156720829/winston-churchills-way-with-words
The Churchill Centre. (2015). Churchill: Leader and Statesman. Retrieved from
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/the-life-of-churchill/life/churchill-leader-and-statesman
The Churchill Centre. (2015). His Speeches: How Churchill Did It. Retrieved from
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/speeches-about-winston-
churchill/his-speeches-how-churchill-did-it
The Churchill Centre. (2007). The Life of Winston Churchill: Soldier, Correspondent, Statesman,
Orator, Author, Inspirational Leader. Retrieved from
https://www.winstonchurchill.org/images/pdfs/for_educators/churchillbooklet.pdf
Yukl, G. (2014). Leadership in Organizations (8th ed.). India: Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt.
Ltd.