Standing Tall, Sharing Courage

We Shall Not Fail: The Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill
by Celia Sandys, Jonathan Littman

(Page 4 of 5)

Standing Tall

Following your passion and telling it like it is seldom make for an easy road to travel. Praised for "conspicuous gallantry" Churchill had his hopes for a decoration dashed by his equally daring journalism. He had upset Lord Roberts, the commander in chief, by his criticism of British military ineptitude in South Africa. His book The River War had also questioned Lord Kitchener's inhuman treatment of the enemy after the battle of Omdurman, and Kitchener was now the chief of staff in South Africa. Nevertheless, in spirit Churchill seemed to wear the medal he should have won. Courage under fire became part of his moral and political character. Like Senator John McCain, who bravely endured torture and imprisonment in Vietnam, Churchill emerged from his travails confident and ready for new challenges.

Elected to Parliament on the heels of his Boer War fame, Churchill plunged into politics as he had leaped into battle. He quickly made a name for himself in politics by speaking his mind, even if he was out of step with his own party. It was part of a logical progression. Churchill had been testing his voice since the age of twenty when he had covered the fight for independence in Cuba as a journalist. By his midtwenties he had become a prolific journalist and confident speaker and had written five books, including a novel, of which he wrote enthusiastically, "All my philosophy is put into the mouth of the hero."

Colleagues advised Churchill to go slowly in Parliament, to find his way before taking unnecessary chances, but caution was foreign to his character. In his maiden speech in Parliament, Churchill vigorously attacked the government's role in the Boer War. Though only twenty-six, the former officer had the audacity to argue, successfully, for economy in army spending, writing, "A better army does not necessarily mean a bigger army. There ought to be ways of reforming a business, other than by merely putting more money into it. There are more ways of skinning a cat." So, too, did he take a tremendous chance when opposing his party's central policies, arguing for free trade and the end of protectionist tariffs.

The fight over free trade would ultimately lead Churchill to switch parties, a subject we'll discuss in the following chapter, Challenge Convention. The path of courage and candor is seldom easy. When Churchill joined the Liberal Party, the doors of two prestigious London clubs were closed to him. He was blackballed by the Hurlingham Club and he felt he should resign from the Carlton Club. Principled stands became his signature. He fought for the rights of Jews when many of his fellow members of Parliament were unabashed anti-Semites. He proclaimed Chinese indentured labor "an evil inheritance." Later, as Home Secretary, he sought to bring order and fairness to the criminal justice system.

He was finding his voice and demonstrating his integrity. In the field of justice, he was not only reforming a system that disproportionately targeted the young and poor, imprisoning many for being unable to pay minor bills. He was also drawing the injustice to the attention of those in power, reminding Parliament that the "treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilization of any country" and that "there is a treasure, if you can only find it, in the heart of every man-these are the symbols which in the treatment of crime and criminals mark and measure the stored-up strength of a nation."

Churchill's courage became the wild card with which he turned the tables, sometimes changing the opinion of Parliament as he did over the Amritsar incident of 1919. Brigadier General Reginald Dyer had ruthlessly ordered the massacre of unarmed Punjabis who had been protesting against public whippings and an order that they crawl through a street where an Englishwoman had been molested. Nearly four hundred protesters were mowed down by machine gunners. Dyer was forced into retirement, which made him a martyr to the British establishment and gave rise to a debate in Parliament.

Churchill was not prepared to endorse the methods of dictators. Britain could not condone the Amritsar incident any more than it could the "bloody and devastating terrorism" of Bolshevism. "I do not think that it is in the interests of the British Empire or of the British Army for us to take a load of that sort for all time upon our backs. We have to make it absolutely clear, some way or another, that this is not the British way of doing business." To drive home his point he noted that the number of Indian victims was nearly identical to the number of members of Parliament listening to his speech. The motion, which had seemed certain to approve the general's murderous actions, was defeated in Parliament by nearly two to one.

Sharing Courage

Churchill's immense courage in World War II played such a large and varied role in his leadership that we will touch on it only briefly here. But it's clear that when Britain had to stand alone Churchill epitomized Britain's courage and resilience. His inspiring words, his energy, his trademark V sign and ever-present cigar all combined to communicate his tremendous courage.

More than a few politicians were ambivalent about working with the often gruff, always controversial Churchill. He had been locked out of government during the long years of appeasement of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Some wondered whether he was right for the job of wartime Prime Minister. Business leaders face similar crises of confidence when they take over a troubled company or a failing division. Displaying confidence in the face of uncertainty and making hard choices steel your will and reinforce your leadership.

Upon becoming Prime Minister, Churchill gathered his twenty-five ministers together and revealed that he had reflected "whether it was part of my duty to consider entering into negotiations with That Man." He ran through the awful consequences of such a devil's bargain-right down to becoming a Nazi slave state. His words left no doubt about his conviction. "I am convinced that every man of you would rise up and tear me down from my place if I were for one moment to contemplate parley or surrender. If this long island story of ours is to end at last, let it end only when each one of us lies choking in his own blood upon the ground."

That blood-and-guts declaration of resolve won Churchill cheers and enthusiastic claps on the back. Churchill knew that there were members of his Cabinet who still believed appeasement with Hitler was possible, but his warrior's cry consolidated his position, steeling his ministers with his iron will. As he later recounted, "I am sure that every minister was ready to be killed quite soon, and have all his family and possessions destroyed, rather than give in."

Courage is infectious. When air-raid sirens wailed over London, Churchill often clambered up to the roof to watch the fireworks, rather than scurrying down to the shelter. Notwithstanding his age and sometimes precarious health, he dashed around the world through hostile skies and across dangerous waters to meet Stalin and Roosevelt and to visit the various front lines. More than once Churchill tried the patience of his generals by his delight at being close to the action, even when under shellfire. But Churchill felt the need to discover personally how things were going and to share the hazards and adventure of war. He took chances because he knew his actions were inspirational.

By never sidestepping a problem you can engender courage in others. You must calmly face workers that must be let go or a division about to be cut back. You must handle the crisis head-on. You must share the pain. As Churchill explained in his war memoirs, "A man who has to play an effective part in taking, with the highest responsibility, grave and terrible decisions of war may need the refreshment of adventure. He may also need the comfort that when sending so many others to their death he may share in a small way their risks."

Copyright © 2004 Celia Sandys. All rights reserved. This excerpt, or any parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.

About the Author

Celia Sandys is the granddaughter of Winston Churchill. She is the author of The Young Churchill, Churchill: Wanted Dead or Alive, and Chasing Churchill. She is founder and chairman of Churchill Leadership.

Jonathan Littman is the author of several books, including The Fugitive Game.