Winston Churchill: A Popular and Unpopular Leader

Winston Churchill today is famous as a leader who refused to advocate what were popular positions at the time. He was an early advocate of refusing to appease Nazi Germany, even when going to war was feared by the vast majority of the British public. Churchill did not believe that compromising with Hitler was a viable option (“Churchill: Leader and Statesman”). In this, he stands in sharp contrast to some of the leadership approaches advocated in the module, which stress the need for effective collaboration to achieve goals. However, during the war, Churchill did show himself to be capable of collaborating with the Allies to orchestrate victory against Nazi Germany.
One reason Churchill may have excelled, while still holding to strong and forceful leadership positions, however, is that he was primarily focused upon task-based conflicts. In other words, he did not engage in conflicts based upon personality. Rather than attacking people as people, he attacked positions, such as appeasement. But he did show the personality of a leader in regards to his subordinates, and was willing to make sacrifices, modeling the types of values he espoused. “He tirelessly travelled to military positions and installations, conducting inspections, boosting morale, and supporting commanders” (“Churchill: Leader and Statesman”). However, in retrospect he might have benefited from being able to engage in more effective collaboration once the war was over. One reason Churchill may not have been able to stay in power, besides the fact that people wanted a new change of leadership in peacetime, is that a strong and uncompromising position in regards to the issue is less viable when debating peacetime issues such as maintaining future peace in Europe. In those instances, listening to subordinates rather than taking absolutist stances may be necessary, versus when engaged in a total war against an outside enemy.
Works Cited
“Churchill: Leader and Statesman.” The International Churchill Society. Web. 8 November 2020. https://winstonchurchill.org/the-life-of-churchill/life/churchill-leader-and-statesman/