We Shall Not Fail

Book excerpt: An intimate expert on Sir Winston, his own granddaughter offers today’s business leaders insights on the leadership strategies that made Churchill great. There is a timelessness to Winston Churchill’s legacy for those who lead, regardless of their profession or title. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was described as “Churchill in a Yankees cap” for his leadership during 9/11, wrote to Celia Sandys: "Your grandfather was a great source of inspiration and strength to me following the tragic events." Now, in We Shall Not Fail, Sandys has distilled the essential principles of leadership that guided Churchill throughout his remarkable career and highlights how you can apply them to your own work life. The lessons include: * Nothing works like simple passion for excellence * Encourage a culture where what counts is thinking, trying, and testing. * Champion innovators and protect them from bureaucrats. * Don’t allow different standards for top executives and entry-level workers. Drawing on vivid stories, letters, and speeches, Sandys reveals what we must learn if we are to lead in today’s tough business environment by studying the actions and words of a man who is still regarded as an inspirational colossus. “He was, in that overused but inevitable phrase, ‘larger than life.’ A leader. A man among men.”—Margaret Thatcher “One of the most progressive leaders the world has ever seen.”—Nelson Mandela