Onwards to Victory

Most people remember Sir Winston Churchill for his dynamic leadership as the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II. His bulldog appearance, his famous V for victory, his ever-present cigar, and his defiant speeches were his trademarks. But Churchill is much more than a historical so what. The man who saved the free world from disaster used a simple formula for success that can still transform our organizations and lives today.

Winston Churchill was a resilient man of uncommon optimism, enthusiasm, generosity, compassion, and honor. He was one of the truly great renaissance men of all time. He was a statesman and warrior, an administrator and historian, an orator and artist, as well as a journalist and bricklayer. His demonstrated mastery of these diverse fields gave him a stature equaled by few in the twentieth century. His greatest legacy, however, will not be his considerable intellectual achievements, nor his brilliant military and social innovations, nor his brave deeds. His indelible mark on history will rest on his life-long example as a leader.

Imagine the impact on our organizations if we could master the fundamental principles of leadership. Unfortunately, the subject has been complicated by current writers so that leadership is anything but simple. Look in any bookstore: there are shelves devoted to every facet of leadership. We can learn the leadership secrets of everyone from Attila the Hun to Abraham Lincoln to Captain Kirk of Star Trek. We can find books about leadership that is invented, reinvented, visionary, strategic, servant, maximized, charismatic, innovative, intuitive, breakthrough, or enlightened. We can also have leadership by the numbers: the seven habits, the fourteen points, or the twenty-one irrefutable laws. Isn't there a simpler way?

By carefully studying Sir Winston’s life, we can discern a simple but effective leadership approach. For Churchill, leadership could be broken down into three principal components—vision, courage, and determination. A leader must first know what he or she wants to be, do, or have. Then, a leader needs to have the courage to take that first step. Finally, a leader needs to remain in action until the vision is achieved.

Vision means seeing our goal, seeing it in our mind’s eye. The more detailed a picture we can imagine, the better. A vision should also be compelling enough to inspire us to take action. Thus, creating a vision means dreaming big dreams. The key to developing a powerful vision hinges on using a fertile imagination. Everyone was born with a vivid imagination. Churchill believed, "The stronger your imagination, the more variegated your universe."

While creating a vision can be fun, having the courage to take that first step becomes a roadblock that stops us dead in our tracks. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, and even fear of success may stand in our way. Churchill realistically observed that, "Success cannot be guaranteed. There are no safe battles." Nonetheless, we can condition ourselves to develop courage by regularly stepping outside of our physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual comfort zones. All the thinking about our visions means absolutely nothing if we never have the courage to take that first step. Churchill emphatically said, "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others."

Creating our vision means inventing a compelling future for ourselves. Then we must have the courage to take that first step. Finally, we need to have the determination to remain in action until our vision is achieved. Obstacles, distractions, criticism, and ridicule all steal the hope from our dreams. Churchill’s approach was to forge his will in the furnace of determination. He heroically encouraged us to, "Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never, never--in nothing great or small, large or petty--never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense."

Vision, courage, and determination are not effective independent of each other. The three synergize and create new possibilities for success. Vision without courage and determination leads to hopelessness: we see it, but don't believe we can get it! Courage without vision and determination leads to tilting at windmills, taking on too many tasks and challenges that lead nowhere. Finally, determination without vision and courage makes us rigid, dogmatic, and more likely to place the blame on others for our lack of progress.

Vision, courage, and determination open the door to a richer, fuller, more productive future. Most people look at a towering leader like Winston Churchill and see a life full of extraordinary achievements. Few, however, realize that his road to greatness was neither straight nor smooth. He had to wage a constant battle with defeats, setbacks, obstacles, and even depression. His ability to bounce back from difficulties and problems can be traced to his simple formula for success that he practiced throughout his ninety-year life.

Using vision, courage, and determination, Churchill turned adversity into advantage. With these simple tools, we too can conquer the challenges in our lives. As Churchill astutely noted, "By our courage, our endurance, and our brains, we have made our way in the world to the lasting benefit of mankind. Let us not lose heart. Our future is one of high hope." So what will vision, courage, and determination give us? It can be summed up in one word: VICTORY!