Page 36 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
career in politics. (When Chamberlain died in November 1940, Churchill
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gave a eulogy for him in the House of Commons.)
Churchill put his own perspective on his wartime leadership when he said
to the House of Commons in 1954, “It was a nation and race dwelling all
around the globe that had the lion heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give
the roar.” Never have the forces of freedom been blessed with such a roar!
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Leadership Communications Lessons
Give people ownership of their own destiny. Make your stakeholders
feel that they are at the center of the issue. Dramatize their role in
the events. Give them ownership of their destiny. Churchill’s
wartime messages echoed this theme again and again.
Be consistent and repetitious. Never be afraid to repeat your leader-
ship message over and over again. Churchill had railed against
Hitler and Nazism for years prior to the outbreak of the war.
When Germany did attack Poland, Churchill looked prescient.
Lead from the front. Go to the front lines. Churchill did this to great
effect all through his career, not simply during the war but all
during his service in government.
Be curious. Ask questions. Look for answers. Churchill surrounded
himself with people smarter than himself from whom he could
learn.
Publicize your message. Tell your story to people through the media.
As a journalist and historian, Churchill knew how to craft a story.
During the war, he practically collaborated with Lord Beaver-
brook, a press baron, to convey his point of view to his people
and the world.
Be honest. Tell it straight. Churchill was brutally honest in his
wartime speeches; he let his people know the ordeal they would
have to face if they were to be victorious.
Live your message. Churchill embodied the spirit of the British peo-
ple in their darkest days. He was emboldened by the terrible odds.