Handling A Crisis: Lessons From Winston Churchill

My husband and I are such huge fans of Winston Churchill that we named our dog after him. Both Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher have had tremendous impacts on both me and my husband with regards to our leadership styles. While it is not always the most popular way to lead, it certainly ensures you are surrounded by the right people, as well as accomplishing your goals. This article is all about how Winston Churchill handled a crisis during the darkest hours.

In May of 1940, the Nazi war machine was pouring into the Low Countries and France. Within weeks, those nations would be overrun, and Britain would stand alone against Hitler. Winston Churchill became Prime Minister as catastrophe loomed. Churchill’s darkest hour provides a clear playbook for how to effectively manage a crisis. In dire circumstances, he communicated with remarkable openness and honesty, winning the respect of his cabinet and the trust of his people. 

When Churchill took over, he faced both a military crisis and a domestic crisis in confidence. Many had questioned his appointment. A growing number of politicians were demanding peace with Germany. They reasoned if France was defeated, Britain’s only hope was to beg for Hitler’s mercy. Churchill knew that such capitulation would mean the end of Britain. Understanding that only a united Britain could triumph over the Nazis, he first aimed to rally his dispirited and divided nation.

Churchill could have minimized the Allied defeats or rashly promised an immediate turnaround. However, as the Nazis relentlessly advanced, such claims would have destroyed his credibility. Instead, he leveled with his audience: “we have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.” However, these hardships were worth the price, for “without victory, there is no survival.” In this mid-May address to Parliament, Churchill fully pledged himself to the great task ahead, declaring, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” By taking up this burden alongside his countrymen, Churchill lent them strength during a rapidly deteriorating military situation. 

When Churchill next spoke to Parliament in early June, the French defenses had been shattered and the British army had been evacuated from the Continent. Rather than ignoring these setbacks, Churchill directly addressed British fears, explaining what had gone wrong and why. His thoughtful assessment of the situation showed his coolness under pressure and his competence as a leader.

Churchill then turned to the miraculous rescue at Dunkirk. While he celebrated the operation’s tremendous importance, he offered the bitter truth that “wars are not won by evacuations.” Again, he steeled his audience for the challenges ahead. Doubling-down on his absolute commitment, he promised “we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

This information comes from a wonderful article I recently read in Forbes.