Churchill on Leadership: Executive Success in the Face of Adversity Steven F. Hayward Forum (Prima Publishing), Rocklin, CA (1997) It is unusual to find executive success demonstrated by a political leader.  Churchill is an exception, and this book shows how he did it. Book Review © Dr. Terry J. van der Werff, CMC

I confess to a deep and abiding admiration for Winston Spencer Churchill, the preeminent leader of the 20th Century.  In the present book Steven Hayward looks at Churchill's leadership not from the usual political or biographical angle, but rather from the perspective of the executive suite.

Leadership books abound.  Hayward's is different.  Instead of the usual "how to's" of leadership, he draws out the lessons of leadership from the study of a single individual's long and rich experiences of leadership in many varied roles under markedly different circumstances.

 Churchill held his first executive post in the British Government in 1905 and resigned his last in 1955.  In those 50 years, he held eleven executive positions: one sub-Cabinet post, seven Cabinet posts (one twice), and the Prime Ministership twice.  While in office, Churchill pursued 29 major initiatives, ranging from prison reform to waging war, any one of which would cap the career of an ordinary mortal. By Hayward's count, Churchill had 17 successes, 7 failures, 4 mixed results, and one indeterminate outcome.

Hayward rightly contends that "much of the task of leadership depends on the old-fashioned virtue or character of the individual who would lead."  He further notes the four essential aspects of Churchill's character impacting his leadership were:

 

	candor and plain speaking, rooted in his confidence in himself
	decisiveness coupled with taking full responsibility
	balancing attention to details with a view of the wider scene
	historical imagination that informed his judgment

To Hayward's list, I might add the following from my own long study of his life:

 

	immense energy
	disciplined work habits
	lack of personal vindictiveness

Churchill exhibited three traits in nearly every position he held that have their direct analog in business success:

1. He set out "not only to learn how the new office operated but also define the job in broad new ways."
2. He strove "to conceive and implement new initiatives without which no purposeful organization can maintain its momentum."
3. He confronted his failures and learned from his mistakes.

Hayward goes on to detail these lucidly in terms of Churchill's administrative practices, personnel selection procedures, decision making processes, communications abilities (surely the only political leader of any stature who wrote all his own speeches!), innovative ideas, and absolute focus on a small set of priorities at any given time.

As a final service to his readers, Hayward appends a succinct 25 page biographical sketch of Churchill, which also includes the best description I have ever seen of the difference between the British and American forms of national government.

This is a splendid book!

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