Leader Analysis: Winston Churchill
UNiversity of Maryland EMBA program
Required by EMBA 656: Leadership and Human Capital
Doctor Joyce Russell
Leader Analysis: Winston churchill by
Alicia Lynch
21 February 2011
Leader Analysis: Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was arguably one of the most significant political leaders in the last century. A soldier, athlete, author, reporter, British politician, and international statesman, Churchill is best known as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945. He organized and guided British resistance against Nazi Germany’s effort to subdue the European Continent and heavily influenced the subsequent and much larger allied war effort that was eventually victorious over the axis powers. This paper will briefly outline Churchill’s life; discuss attributes of his leadership style; discuss why I selected him, what I hoped to learn in conducting this research, and discuss personal “take-aways”; and, finally, I will identify lessons for managers.
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on November 30, 1874 into the prominent family of Lord Randolph Churchill. He was related to the First Duke of Marlborough-the foremost general in modern British history and the hero of the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. He had a distant relationship with his father and closer, but not close, relationship with his mother. After his father’s death in 1894, he became closer with his mother. He was largely raised by nannies and boarding schools, where he was unruly and a generally poor student. It took a number of tries to be admitted to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst where he graduated in 1894. He actually excelled and graduated with honors - 8th of 150 cadets –as a cavalry officer. In 1896, Churchill experienced his first military deployment to the British Colony of India where he honed his military skills and excelled as a polo player on the regimental team, ultimately leading his regiment to victory in the coveted inter-regimental polo tournament.
Required by EMBA 656: Leadership and Human Capital
Doctor Joyce Russell
Leader Analysis: Winston churchill by
Alicia Lynch
21 February 2011
Leader Analysis: Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was arguably one of the most significant political leaders in the last century. A soldier, athlete, author, reporter, British politician, and international statesman, Churchill is best known as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945. He organized and guided British resistance against Nazi Germany’s effort to subdue the European Continent and heavily influenced the subsequent and much larger allied war effort that was eventually victorious over the axis powers. This paper will briefly outline Churchill’s life; discuss attributes of his leadership style; discuss why I selected him, what I hoped to learn in conducting this research, and discuss personal “take-aways”; and, finally, I will identify lessons for managers.
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on November 30, 1874 into the prominent family of Lord Randolph Churchill. He was related to the First Duke of Marlborough-the foremost general in modern British history and the hero of the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. He had a distant relationship with his father and closer, but not close, relationship with his mother. After his father’s death in 1894, he became closer with his mother. He was largely raised by nannies and boarding schools, where he was unruly and a generally poor student. It took a number of tries to be admitted to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst where he graduated in 1894. He actually excelled and graduated with honors - 8th of 150 cadets –as a cavalry officer. In 1896, Churchill experienced his first military deployment to the British Colony of India where he honed his military skills and excelled as a polo player on the regimental team, ultimately leading his regiment to victory in the coveted inter-regimental polo tournament.
References: Addison, Paul. (August 1980). Churchill. History Today, 30(8), 7-13. Best, Geoffrey. (2001). Churchill: A Study in Greatness. New York: Hambledon Continuum. Churchill, Winston. (2003). Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches, New York: Random House. D’Este, Carlo. (2008). Warlord: A Life of Winston Churchill at War, 1874-1945. New York: Harper Collins. Foot, M.R.D Hayward, Steven. (1997). Churchill on Leadership. New York: Three Rivers Press. Murray, Williamson Russell, Joyce. (2011). Class Slides: Critical Skills for Transformational Leaders. EMBA 656: Leadership & Human Capital, University of Maryland. Sandys, Celia Tincey, John. (2004). Blenheim 1704: The Duke of Marlborough’s Masterpiece. Oxford: Osprey. --------------------------------------------