We Shall Not Fail: The Leadership Wisdom of Winston Churchill

by Celia Sandys, Jonathan Littman, Jon Littman

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591840155
• ISBN13: 9781591840152
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Portfolio
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

"Awe inspiring"

Anyone who gave less than 4 stars for this book needs to have their head examined! This is a great book about a great man. I read a lot, but when I read that this man read entire volumes, I was impressed. The fact that England isn't speaking German today is largely due to the perseverence of Churchill. As far as good writing, Celia Sandys (Churchills grand-daughter) did a wonderful job. Any leader would learn a lot by reading this or other books about or by Churchill. I liked it and highly recommend it.

WSC's Influence Lives On

This thouhtful book by Churchill's Grandaughter again reminds us of his influence in our world yesterday and today. Ms Sandys has once again captured the essemnce of this great but complex man whom she knew so well. Anyone interested in leadership or in assesing others capacity to lead would be well advised to read this imp[ortant book.

Leadership principles you can use

Most of us admire the great leadership of Winston Churchill, many of us would like to be more like him! This book is a very useful guide as to how we might get a few steps closer to that goal. I bought the book to find some ideas on leadership that I felt I could follow, it worked.Celia Sandys has managed to condense her grandfathers thoughts and actions on leadership into a set of easy to follow Churchillian Leadership Principles. The book was easy to read and is well organized for quick reference afterwards.The examples of modern leaders following Churchillian principles helped to make the book relevant to issues facing today's business leaders. I enjoyed it. It inspired me to want to learn more and also inspired me to never, never, never give in!

Leadership Principles we can all use!

We all know Churchill was great, many of us would like to be more like him! This book gives us an insight into how we might go about accomplishing that goal. It was a good read, easy to pick up, easy to read and great for refering back to for reminders of the key 'Churchillian Principles' of Leadership which Celia Sandys has so ably condensed from all of her grandfather's words and actions. There are plenty of other books about his speeches, what this gives you is a guideline to the type of leadership behaviors which made Winston Churchill such a great man. The value for me was that these are real, down to earth, practical principles which we can adopt to try to model the leadership behavior of such a great man. The book also has plenty of more recent business examples which lend substance to the leadership principles as things which modern leaders can use effectively.This book really inspired me to want to learn more!

The Humanity of the "King of the Castle"

I recently read two separate but related books, this one and Alan Axelrod's Nothing to Fear: Lessons in Leadership from FDR. The connections between Roosevelt and Churchill are numerous and significant. Some doubt remains as to how close their personal friendship was but there is no doubt of their mutual respect as together they and their respective nations faced what once seemed certain defeat by the Axis powers in World War II. This book is of special interest to me because it was written by Churchill's granddaughter in collaboration with Littman. Her perspectives are especially significant, given what we learn about Churchill's family life in the excellent biographies written by Martin Gilbert and Roy Evans. Apparently Churchill could often be rather demanding of family members as well as of his staff, especially during England's struggle to survive and then share in the ultimate victory in World War II. In fact, Sandys (with Littman's substantial assistance) focuses most of her attention on her grandfather's inspiring leadership during those darkest of hours.In the Introduction, she acknowledges that she has been frequently asked, "When did you realize that your grandfather was a great man?" For reasons she explains, she found it impossible to answer. The core question to which she does respond is this: What can be learned from Winston Churchill's leadership? She organizes her material within fourteen chapters, concluding each with a list of what she suggests are "Churchillian Principles." For example, at the end of one of my favorite chapters ("Follow Your Canvas"), she offers these:* Expect the unexpected and you'll find yourself far better prepared to deal with life's twists and turns.* Make your own hours to bring vitality to your work.* Leave time for rest and relaxation, especially when under pressure.* Wise leaders have a hobby or pursuit outside of work that brings them joy.* Never forget the rejuvenating power of a good meal with friends or stimulating company.Sandys was in a unique position to observe Churchill's commitment to these and other principles. Throughout her narrative, she makes appropriate use of Churchill's own statements about all manner of situations, ranging from his conflicts and collaborations with other world leaders to the reasons why he enjoyed painting so much. She offers her own opinions along the way, duly noting her grandfather's warts as well as his halos. This is a serious book, a remarkably thoughtful and sensitive book, but also one which is highly entertaining. I have always regretted never having had the pleasure of Churchill's company. (He would be among the guests invited to a "fantasy dinner" were it possible for me to host such an event. The others? Homer, Eleanor of Aquitaine, William Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Katherine Hepburn. Wouldn't that be an evening to remember?) I am deeply grateful to Sandys for sharing so much of her personal relationship wi