The gritty truth about leadership

Despite the promises of myriad expert guides on the subject, leadership is, in the end, learned on the job. How one gets into such a position is usually a product of circumstances, constraints and compromise on the part of those who decide who the leader will be. Once there, the new leader discovers the real limits to his or her power and influence, and begins the up and down process of figuring out what will work.

This message came through in vivid detail reading Max Hastings' new book about Sir Winston Churchill's leadership during World War II, Winston's War: Churchill 1940-1945. At the age of 66, after  lifetime in public service, incuding facing live fire in the Boer War, Churchill became prime minister -- a lifelong dream -- at his nation's darkest hour.

Seventy years later, it's easy to look at a Churchill as an almost mythical leader who directed an ultimately successful war effort, enjoying the love and repsect of all concerned. That's one version of the story.

The other one Hastings tells in colorful and often painful detail, based on the letters and diaries of the great man's contemporaries. The basic plot, of course, is familiar to anyone acquainted with the history of the war. In between the  big milestones  -- Dunkirk, the Blitz, North Africa, Italy, D-Day, etc. -- the reality of Churchill's living experience emerges.  And, with it, a many thoughts about what it means to lead, especially in a time of crisis.

Here are three:

He learned to be humble. He had to submerge his aristocratic ubringing, enormous intelligence and years of experience in world affairs, to the reality of Britain's weak economic and military position in dealing with the other Allies.  He had to persuade much more often than he was able to command. Meanwhile, he had to live with the sniping of countrymen who, for the most part, were not facing reality.

He quickly put setbacks behind him.  Churchill  was a man of constant ideas and schemes, many of them ill-advised, and some of them disastrous. Many of them were effective. But he never stopped trying.

He embodied confidence.  His bulldog determination and ancient family lineage in Britain gave his people a living symbol of defiance -- something to believe in -- in the face of terrible odds. When seeking peace terms with Germany was seen by many as the most practical thing, Churchill's soaring oratory put an end to such talk. The power of Churchill's words is underscored when Hastings points out how surprising it is that the Germans never made a serious attempt to assasinate him and thereby shorten the war. In many ways, one man made all the difference.