Sir Winston Churchill's Leadership Traits (Essay Example)

There are many different qualities that good leaders have had throughout history, and even today. Good leaders need qualities like being morally right, sound minded, they need to be able to inspire others, they need the willpower and strategic knowledge to lead. Winston Churchill was a great leader in history. Even before WWII he was a great leader. Winston Churchill wanted to protect Britain. Even before becoming Prime Minister, he had an uncanny ability to inspire others, he was driven by the fact he was never able to prove his worthiness to his father before he died.

The childhood of Winston Churchill was an important key factor into his life as a leader. The fact that he was raised by a nanny and went to boarding school would have distanced him from his father. His father’s passing before he could prove himself was a driving force in his goal to lead Britain. Winston Churchill's upbringing was very impactful to his later career. His motivation to prove himself, while being raised by a nanny, was the most important part of his childhood. He seeked his father’s approval so much that when his father died before he could do so, he was driven even further than beforehand, and as Churchill once said “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference” (Zoe). The accomplishments that followed are often overlooked though.

Great leaders are remembered through history for their larger accomplishments, but most don’t usually think of their smaller achievements. “Winston Churchill was an inspirational statesman, writer, orator and Lieutenant-Colonel In the British army. “He served as Conservative Prime Minister twice - from 1940 to 1945 (before being defeated in the 1945 general election by the Labour leader Clement Attlee) and from 1951 to 1955”(History of Sir Winston). All of these things allowed Churchill to gain experience in multiple fields. He gained knowledge from both a military standpoint and a political one. It is important that a leader has experience in multiple fields, especially in order to lead a military. All of these smaller accomplishments lead to great things in his life.

Great leaders should be remembered for what they did in their life, as well as what followed after them. Churchill was responsible for the first minimum wage system in Britain, implemented naval reform, and, “united and inspired Britain with his able leadership during WWII, and led an allied coalition to victory with Roosevelt and Stalin in WWII” (Anirudh). Churchill also had a lasting effect after his life, which is the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. It was started after he died in 1965 as his national memorial. This trust still helps fund, “up to 150 British citizens each year from all backgrounds to travel overseas to gain knowledge, experience and best practice to inspire positive change in their UK professions and communities, and society as a whole”(Winston Churchill Memorial Trust). These major accomplishments are what Churchill is remembered for today. He left a lasting impression on the world and still impacts lives today. The trust that was created in his name goes to show that he inspired people, and wanted others to become great leaders like himself.

Winston Churchill is a morally correct person, sound minded, able to inspire others, and has the willpower and strategic knowledge to lead. Many people believe that Winston Churchill is an important person to be remembered through history because of his major influence in WWII. He led the allied forces against a great enemy and helped his people through tough times. He is a man of inspiration that many have and should strive to be like. The ability to inspire others is one not many poses, and Churchill used his ability to inspire others to its utmost potential in the face of evil. An example of this is one of his many famous quotes, “You have enemies? Good. It means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life” (Zoe). So I ask you this, what people have inspired you, the way Churchill inspired the British people and allied powers?