What Would Winston Do?

It was once very popular to wear jewelry with the letters WWJD that asked an important question – “What would Jesus do?”  That is a valid and valuable question to ask oneself when addressing life’s challenges.  But what about addressing the challenges of leadership?  I would posit that Winston Churchill and his leadership style would be a good reference for the rhetorical question:

“What would Winston do?”

What would Winston do when he tried to migrate his old blog to a new domain?  – – Oh wait.  I guess Winston Churchill had a little bit tougher problems than my silly website issues to deal with in fighting the Axis powers.

One thing I know for sure.  Winston Churchill would never give up.  He would not surrender.  He would not back down in the face of adversity.  Rather, he would stiffen his British upper lip and he would stand firm.  

The leadership principle here is steadfastness.  Some would call it stubbornness.  But in a more positive light you would have to call it steadfastness.

So, what about you?  What do you do when the going gets tough?  What do you do in the face of overwhelming adversity?  Let’s make the questions a little more personal and targeted to this audience.

• Businessman – Are you steadfast in your commitment to integrity in your business deals?
• Young father – Are you steadfast in your resolve to place a priority on being an influence in your children’s lives while they are young and achieving a balance in your life where your family is concerned?
• Husband – Are you steadfast in your love for your wife and hold her up as something more precious than rubies?
• Teacher – Are you steadfast in your role as an educator and influencer of the next generation of citizens?
• Grandparent – Are you steadfast in your role in supporting young families by being a receptive ear and broad shoulder on which someone can lean?
  

Let’s not over-analyze Churchill’s life and legacy.  His own family situation was a bit of a train wreck.  But, the point I wish to make is that we can draw inspiration from historical figures and we can extract positive characteristics from ultimately flawed characters.  And here is perhaps the fundamental difference between the two characters.  Jesus’s character was not flawed.  And He can be the perfect inspiration and example for you and I.