Winston Churchill and Leadership Essay

Winston Churchill: Leadership and Management

Winston Churchill was both a leader and a manager. Leaders are those who have willing followers, while managers are those who have control over others. During his life, Churchill had both of those things. His first bit of fame was gained as a war correspondent, and he later wrote books about the campaigns with which he was involved (Blake, 1997). That was not where Churchill's main leadership came into play, however. That came from spending 50 years right at the forefront of the political arena (Charmley, 1993). He held a number of political and cabinet positions, including Home Secretary and President of the Board of Trade (Blake & Louis, 1992). While he was good at managing people while he was in these positions, he was primarily elected and appointed to them because he was a good leader. People followed him willingly, and as they did that he was able to guide them in the direction he felt was best for them and for the country as a whole. Doing that helped him continue to develop his leadership skills, as well, so he could be better prepared for future positions.

That was important, because his future positions took him into the heart of wartime, and being a good leader and manager during wartime can make or break how successful an entire country is during conflict. Most of what Churchill did was well-received and provided him with at least some measure of success (Blake,1997). The Gallipolli Campaign was a disaster, though, and caused Churchill to leave government for a time (Charmley, 1993). Once the dust from that had settled, Churchill went back to government roles, albeit slowly, and eventually began working as a battalion commander (Charmley, 1993).While what he did was not perfect and he did have some issues he struggled with throughout his leadership, he was clearly dedicated to the causes he believed in. He was also charismatic enough for people to want to follow him, making him an important leader during his time.

There were many leadership roles and functions fulfilled by Churchill. This is important to note, because being a leader is far different than simply managing people. Because Churchill was a true leader in that people wanted to follow him, he was able to move his country forward and work in politics and military operations in various ways in order to make sure he was making the best use of his time (Blake, 1997). By providing the best use of his time to his country, Churchill showed his value as a leader and his focus on making his country better than it was in the past. The roles he encountered and involved himself with were similar to one another in most cases, but they are also very different from one another. Most of the leadership roles in which he worked were governmental, but he also had military roles of which he was a part on occasion (Blake & Louis, 1992). They are both important leadership requirements, but governmental leadership is not the same as military leadership. Churchill was talented as a leader in both arenas.

Of course, his most significant role was as Prime Minister, as he was instrumental in helping Britain….....