The recent event of the British military personnel being captured by the Iranians and their embarrassing behavior in captivity caused many to reflect on their lack of courage. Perhaps they are not to be blamed, because there is so little courage seen at all today. It makes us reflect on a great leader in the past who embodied courage - Winston Spenser Churchill.

There have been few individuals in history like Winston Churchill. Anyone serious about studying leadership could do no worse than spending considerable time examining this man's life. He was not a born leader - far from it. He had health problems, he did not speak well, he was not a good student, and he did not inspire trust in others. But rather than lamenting his shortcomings, Churchill challenged them. He decided at an early age that he must persevere and from that came a consumming desire to succeed. Churchill eyed a career in government service and even becoming Prime Minister someday. Even during his early military career, he had an eye on how his exploits would later advance his political career.

Winston Churchill understood that real power came from the ability to communicate. Even as a teenager, he read voluminously, and not just popular literature but also the classics. From this he began to develop his writing skills, even earning money as a journalist. Once he was asked if he believed history would be kind to him and he remarked, "Of course, because I intend to write it." Indeed he did, and his writings earned him a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.
What solidified Churchill's greatness, however, was his courage. He believed that courage was the most imporant virtue a leader could possess. When the British and French suffered a staggering defeat by Nazi Germany in May of 1940, barely evacuating the armies off the beaches of Dunkirk, he rose to the occassion and gave one of the greatest speeches in history, known as the "Fight on the Beaches" speech, because he declared that Britain's policy was to never surrender, and they would fight on no matter what. His refusal to capitulate seemed to energize the nation and the rest of the Free World.

Winston Churchill is one of those few people of whom it could be said that had he not lived, world history would have been very, very different. That is a leader!