We Shall Not Fail: The Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill

by Celia Sandys, Jonathan Littman

An intimate expert on Sir Winston-his own granddaughter-offers insights on Churchill's greatness and explains his leadership strategies that managers can easily emulate.

Winston Churchill has long been one of the world's preeminent leadership role models and certainly one of the most important motivational voices of the twentieth century. That was illustrated on the night of September 11, 2001, when New York mayor Rudy Giuliani read a biography of Churchill for inspiration on how to guide the city through the aftermath of tragedy.

In We Shall Not Fail, Celia Sandys, with coauthor Jonathan Littman, offers a new take on the greatness of Churchill, highlighting the traits he employed throughout his life, especially the remarkable strength he displayed leading the British people through the horrors of World War II. Among the lessons she highlights:

€ Nothing works like a simple passion for excellence
€ Encourage a culture where what counts is thinking, trying, and testing
€ Champion innovators and protect them from bureaucrats
€ Do not allow different standards for top executives and workers
€ Put bad news in perspective. Things usually get better, especially if a positive attitude prevails

Part biography, part leadership manual, We Shall Not Fail is a brief, enjoyable guide to one of history's greatest leaders.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Leadership

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part biography. However, if you are looking for a biography of Churchill this is probably not the book you should pick up as it only looks at excerpts of his life. This was written with his granddaughter and contains some of her memories of him.

I suspect I've read more books on Churchill than any other single person. Certainly one of the most impactful people of the 20th century.

[Martin Mulcahey · Rating 4 out of 5]

First a caveat to my review. I only bought this book for information on Winston Churchill, and have no interest on the business aspect of this book at all. I got exactly what I wanted, insight on Churchill the man, and even learned a bit about some great business minds. The book is full of little vignettes of Churchill, and how he operated and used his personal skills. Divided into chapters which define Churchill at his best, and even some of his worst. The gems of the book are the little stories given to reinforce thought processes of the authors on Churchill. Such as the one where Churchill, after a late night meeting, ran into a trunk G.I in a hallway. The G.I addressed Churchill as "Fatso", and asked him where the bathroom was. Churchill gave the man concise instruction on finding the restroom, then added "It is marked Gentlemen...., but do not let that discourage you." Priceless, stuff on a great man. If I were more intersted on the business side of the book a five would have been given.

[Jeri Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book by Winston Churchill's granddaughter was better than I thought. Sure, she has made a cottage industry over her relationship and the legacy of her grandfather. She has written six books on him since his death four decades ago. Still, this book gives an intimate history lesson about a man that The Atlantic described as THE most influential politician of the 20th century. And in this book, which Celia Sandys teamed up with writer Jonathan Littman, shows how her grandfather's decisions fit into some of the best leadership principles anyone can use.

So, yeah, I had to read this for work and help prepare a Q&A with Sandys when she came to the university in November where I scribe. Still, I came away with a deeper respect for her grandfather and realized that what the principles he followed in making decisions is oh so relevant today.

The legendary broadcaster Tom Brokaw has called Churchill was the “voice of common hope to free people.” And this book by his granddaughter shows you he is -- and always will be.

[Mousie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a different take on Winston Churchill: examining his leadership qualities for application in business settings. I'm not so much interested in business, but have always been fascinated with Churchill so it was nice to see this take on him. However, I do feel that some of the qualities highlighted here lend themselves to more than just business settings and are applicable to all sorts of leaders.

I had the pleasure of seeing Celia Sandys at a lecture earlier this year where she discussed parts of the book - and her person insights on her grandfather coupled with reading the book made it particularly enjoyable.

[James Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous book about one of the most important men of the 20th century - the world needs someone like him today. Anyone who wants to learn more about how to be a good leader needs to read this book!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading about Winston’s resolve to win the war and other political issues was inspiring. This book is intended to help leaders in business learn from his successes and failures. Worth a read.

[Kristen]

I started this book but then decided not to finish it. I really want to read a good biography of Winston Churchill. To me, the authors seemed more focused on making this book into a leadership manual then telling the story of Churchill. Life's too short now for me to read what doesn't interest me :)

[Narelle Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Churchill has always intrigued me - he was a man of his times, seemingly the right man to lead a country through war and out the other side but also a man who was at times lost. This book is an insightful view into his life, successes and failures.

[Inknscroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small & powerful book, "We Shall Not Fail," by Celia Sandys. This link has both an excerpt & table of contents. (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/we-sh...)

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think the book was a great tool for building your role as a leader. Was both instructive and anecdotal.

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history of the amazing man who saved England and the rest of the world.

[Jeffrey Burden]

A must read! Anything Sandys's writes read!