Unless Churchill's granddaughter is speaking to a state CIO conference. Lofty linkage, indeed.
I imagine many CIO's sat up a little straighter. Or perhaps they compared themselves to one of the world's greatest leaders of all time thought, "Uh, maybe not." (Not to take anything away from CIO's.)
But CIO's, or other executives who would like to rise to the Churchillian occasion, can chew on these thoughts from Celia Sandys, Churchill's granddaughter:
-Courage, persuasion and determination contribute to inspiring leadership.
-These are times we need the best leadership we can get.
-Visionaries who experience failure must bounce back, not give up.
More word of Churchillian (sort of) wisdom, after the jump.
-Unlike so many politicians, Churchill did not try to spin a loss into a win. He admitted when things went wrong.
-Great leaders bring out inner strength in people that they do not know they possess.
-Present day leaders in all spheres can take heart from the fact Churchill was not a natural speaker. In fact, he lisped his whole life. And it became a trademark.
-Communication skills apply in soaring speeches as well as common every day events.
-Courage, integrity, vision and the ability to communicate were the main pillars of Churchill's leadership. "Management by walking about," was the term Sandys used. He saw things for himself in order to inform people and make things happen.
-"If we open a quarrel between the past and the present we will lose the future," Churchill said.
-Strong leaders should never appear desperate.
-Work out, play, get a hobby outside of work because change of scene and thought is important.
-All leaders need someone with whom to discuss their fears and successes, who will support them and tell them when they've got things wrong. For Churchill, it was his wife, Clementine.
-Churchill had an inability to bear a grudge, Sandys said.
-The ability to form alliances to suit the circumstances is an important asset, whether it's making Russia an ally, or someone from opposing political party.
Got it, execs?
