by Kim Thoday Much has been written and debated about the leadership qualities of Winston Churchill. Some historians have concluded that had Churchill not become Prime Minister during WW2, then his leadership prior to 1939 would likely have been unmemorable. Yet most it seems, agree that Churchill was responsible for galvanising Britain into an irresistible force to meet the full force of Hitler's Luftwaffe. This became known as the Battle of Britain and Hitler's overwhelming military strength was defeated by a stubborn resolve. This battle was a decisive win not only for Britain, but it was also a turning point in the entire war, and had it been lost, then civilisation and democracy for much of the world may have crushed beneath the tyranny of Nazism. There were two essential ingredients, I believe, behind the genius of Churchill's wartime leadership. They are qualities that we can learn from today. They are characteristics that need to be rediscovered in our era of populism and pragmatism. These qualities are: Imagination and Courage. Great leaders are those who have great imagination and great courage. Imagination is a more encompassing idea than vision. Churchill was certainly a visionary and vision is important for leadership, for we know that without vision, people perish. But visionaries are sometimes too erudite, too abstract. To be imaginative, however, as a leader, is to cultivate a finely balanced ability to imagine a future possibility and too see with clarity all the possible connections (vision), to be able to communicate that vision as an artist and to be grounded within the sacred "bone" of history. Churchill cultivated each of these processes of the truly imaginative person. He had a solid grasp of history and the historical forces behind the contemporary world crisis that he faced. This gave him the ability to be a realistic visionary, and he also possessed the gifts of an artist, to articulate and demonstrate a picture of what can be, a picture that all can participate in creating. When Hitler began his air war with Britain, the Isle was comparatively, ill prepared and under-resourced and she stood alone at that time against the most modern and well trained militarised nation. Churchill, more than most, was aware of the dire situation for Britain and for the whole world. He knew too of the almost overwhelming odds against Britain in taking on this foe alone. Yet he was a leader of great courage. Great leaders are courageous persons. Again we can learn from Churchill. Real courage is to be fully aware of the danger and risks and yet to confront a situation and act out of a will born of truth and justice. Churchill took a huge gamble in taking on the Luftwaffe in the skies above English towns and over the English Channel, yet he believed absolutely in the righteousness of the cause. It was the power of this hope and the knowledge that the struggle was of cosmic proportions, between civilisation and a totalitarian evil that Churchill embodied and which resonated with the hearts of the British people. Courage is contagious and so Churchill's courage caught hold and spread throughout the British Isles and beyond. Churchill of course is also remembered for his inspiring and moving oratory. In reference to the RAF and following victory in the Battle of Britain he said: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' In these few succinct words Churchill again displayed his artistry, his knowledge of history and a correct perception of the profound consequences of that battle for the war and beyond. The courage of one became the courage of a few which radiated to a world in need of courageous and imaginative leadership. Kim Thoday, Hewett Community Church of Christ, South Australia
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