"We must just Keep Buggering On”

This book is based upon a lecture Churchill’s biographer Martin Gilbert seems to have given at the time that a bust of the Greatest Briton was presented to the White House (and that Barack Obama had later returned). It contains material taken from Gilbert’s book Churchill: a Life, and focuses on key elements of Churchill’s leadership. In the introduction, the author claims that the modern era requires other skills than Churchill’s age. Certainly the book does not reach the level of abstraction of Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

As Churchill remarked:

The problem is not winning the war, but persuading other people to let you win it.

Central to Churchill’s approach was his expertise, built up during a prolonged political career, which consisted among others of negotiating successfully with both parliament and whoever was the other side. When he was made prime minister, he created a defence ministry with a direct link to him as prime minister. Churchill held (often) daily meetings with his chiefs of staff, and ascertained joint planning and intelligence. But if the chiefs of staff opposed, any initiative was abandoned.

Churchill was notorious for his “unpunctionality”. He could also be indecisive in minor issues. All his instructions were in writing and produced by a devoted staff. A lot of his time consisted of methodically reading all reports he had received on a day, but he accepted no disturbance when asleep (except for a direct invasion of England). Churchill also read 9 newspapers daily to get outside information on the effect of his policies. Given that a war leader is as strong as the information given him, he made lots of use of intelligence.

Churchill lacked any sense of defeat. In May 1940 he used the nation's determination to root out any activity that could lead to defeatism. He juxtaposed the military fighting against any hesitation that could have been felt by civilian leaders (page 26), and always maintained his belief in Britain’s democratic institutions. Churchill had no veto in the War Cabinet. In his search for national unity he included giving responsibility to previous adversaries.

Churchill had a strong belief in himself and in his destiny. This allowed him to project confidence at all times, and to hide his doubts and fears from the public. Realism and vision were the basis of his famous speeches. He expressed clarity of the purpose of war: it was a war against evil, and the British were the "defenders of civilisation and freedom" (it is this rhetoric George W. Bush must have liked). He did not pull attention to British self-interest in the fact that neither France nor Germany should dominate the continent and thus endanger British power at sea. Rather he spent a lot of time on his “special relationship with the US”. Churchill spent more time on it than on any other endeavour. It was key to keep Britain afloat.

As a prime minister, Churchill tried to be very visible. Although he was certainly a believer in the power of the written word, he made many trips to bombed-out cities to boost morale, and set a personal example through hard work. He showed great interest in the details of his policies. Still he was a master of the art of delegation, and did not hesitate to give praise when merited. Churchill often used face-to-face meetings and the power of personal intervention. It was key to find, encourage and sustain individuals who can make a significant contribution.

Churchill would act with decision and ruthlesness. He insisted on attack wherever possible, because "Wars are won by superior will power". On his 80th birthday Churcill claimed that

It was a nation and a race dwelling all around the globe that had the lion’s heart. I had the luck to be called upon it to give the roar. I also hope that I sometimes suggested to the lions the right places to use his claws ( )