The two assignments will focus on one leader, Winston Churchill, and the situation that was either their pinnacle of success or their downfall as you will analyze what influenced that leader to make t

Case Study Research: Winston Churchill

What is the situation (event) and decision (s) you will be analyzing?

In this case study, I intend to analyze the effective and successful leadership of Britain by Winston Churchill to victory in World War Two and the leader's famous inspiring speeches. Winston Churchill is among the most celebrated individuals in history, particularly in the United Kingdom. In addition, Churchill is considered a writer, a statesman, a politician, and a soldier based on his activities. In 1940, Winston Churchill became the United Kingdom's prime minister after serving in World War One and turned to politics afterward. According to Taylor (2020), German had invaded various countries when Churchill became prime minister, including Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The invasion of these countries presented a significant test and challenge for Britain, which called for effective leadership.

Churchill is best remembered for key specific battles that portrayed him as a successful and effective leader. To begin with, the Blitz was one of the key battles that Winston Churchill is remembered for during his leadership of Britain. Secondly, the Battle of Britain is also another significant event that makes Churchill one of the most celebrated leaders of the United Kingdom. His decisions and efficiency in planning and executing tasks saved Britain from destruction due to numerous attacks by Nazi Germany. Additionally, Winston Churchill is also best remembered due to Dunkirk. Dunkirk was one of the largest evacuations of British soldiers on the brink of annihilation Nazi Germany soldiers.

Winston Churchill's famous speeches are also a core factor that present the prime minister's personality, passion, and strategic insight. According to Kemper and Kemper (1996), Winston Churchill is best remembered for his speech "Iron Curtain," which happened at the Westminster College in Missouri. The leader based his chivalric ethics on various aspects, including love for people's character, mission love and dedication, and love for liberty and law traditions.

What do you hope to understand because of your case study research?

In analyzing Winston Churchill's successful and effective leadership of Britain to victory during World War II and his famous speeches, I hope to understand several aspects. First, I hope to understand what it takes to be an effective leader during a crisis, including displaying personality, passion, and strategic insight. Additionally, I also hope to learn why Winston Churchill is considered the greatest prime minister based on the portrayal of goodwill, magnanimity, defiance, and resolution.

Case Study Preliminary Research: Winston Churchill

Strength Trait

Personal Courage

Leaders are usually associated with various traits that make them better and effective people in guiding and directing people. Winston Churchill is among the widely recognized global leaders in and out of Europe. One significant trait that marked Churchill's strength involves his personal courage as a leader. Winston Churchill's strength trait as a leader is significantly considered his personal courage, which he displayed in many areas (Shelden, 2013). Personal courage focuses on doing things without holding back. Leaders with personal courage are always ready to address issues and provide solutions to any challenges. Furthermore, the personal courage of Winston Churchill presents a core aspect of a leader that understands what they want to do at any given time.

Examples of Winston Churchill's Personal Courage Portrayal

One significant example of Winston Churchill's display of personal courage involves his continued strict stance against the German dictator, Adolf Hitler. Churchill was among the leaders that opposed the continued appeasement of Germany during the late 1930s. Personal courage plays a central role when a leader faces complex situations that require hard decisions. As an illustration, Winston Churchill faced a difficult issue when dealing with Adolf Hitler and Germany after the breakout of World War II. For this reason, addressing these challenging circumstances required Churchill, as a leader, to display high personal courage levels. Furthermore, Churchill also displayed personal courage by understanding the importance of encouraging the British people during unprecedented times, particularly during World War II. Finally, Churchill's inspirational speeches and resilience when dealing with the aggressiveness of Nazi Germany indicated his personal courage and willingness to face the enemy.

Weakness Trait

Poor Planner

Leadership is all about planning and establishing courses of action that contribute to the attainment of desirable outcomes. Despite Winston Churchill displaying great personal courage as Britain's Prime Minister and Leader during the war, he had a poor planning weakness. Winston Churchill can be linked with various poor planning circumstances. For example, Churchill authorized the invasion of Norway during World War II, which ended in defeat (D'este % Werner, 2009). The poor planning of the invasion by the leader contributed to heavy losses to the British forces. Thus, this poor planning trait by Winston Churchill was one of his weaknesses.

CRITICAL THINKING IN WINSTON CHURCHILL.

In Churchill's analysis, we understand how critical thinking enabled him to be among Britain's most extraordinary prime ministers and how he managed the Second World War. According to Ramsden (2002), intellectual standards are usually applied in evaluating a leader's effectiveness based on the daily decisions and their effects on the people. Therefore there has been precise and accurate leader assessment through using the universal standards. Thus, through assessing the evidence presented accurately, one can avoid personal opinion and bias during evaluation.

Rael Patrick's book will be used to analyze the primary sources of different authors to avoid bias; additionally, on the topic of Churchill, this was essential since other people have different opinions regarding his leadership and beliefs, especially during the 2nd world war. Rael suggests that people should focus on firstly the authors of each source and avoid group thinking. Hence through critical thinking, one can identify a purpose that applies to the current daily issues. For example, we can evaluate Churchill's strengths by focusing on the battles, especially with the Nazi Germans, which saved Britain from destruction. Additionally, sources like Kemper and Kemper in 1996 illustrate the 'Iron Curtain speech' showing Churchill's dedication, passion, and love for Britain.

Additionally, when developing my favorable position to Churchill, I also thought critically; for example, my questions were not based on validating the author's claims but disapproved of them. Through the Universal Intellectual Standards, we can establish the reliability of the information that consists of the trust and truthfulness of the author. Therefore for the work to be reliable, it should be verifiable and truth-telling. Thus by critically analyzing my Pelling (1989) article, I established that Churchill was famous for his courage, especially when directing and guiding his servicemen. He is also always ready to address problems without holding back. Example Churchill's courage is seen after showing a strict stance against Adolf Hitler.

Finally, critical thinking through Universal Intellectual Standards helps in maintaining neutrality. This involves engaging in understanding the weaknesses and strengths of Churchill. We all know that no one is perfect. Therefore, it's essential to focus on the leader's negative side to maintain neutrality and avoid bias. For example, for Churchill, we understand that he was a poorly planned example during the Norway invasion leading to Britain losing. Therefore by evaluating different author's points critically through Universal Intellectual Standards, we can understand their strengths and weaknesses in real-life before determining our final opinion. Humes (1994). 

References

Rael, P. (2003). Reading, writing, and researching for history: A guide for college students. Bowdoin College.

Ramsden, J. (2002). Man of the Century: Winston Churchill and his Legend since 1945. Columbia University Press.

Pelling, H. (1989). Winston Churchill. Springer.

Humes, J. C. (1994). Wit & Wisdom of Winston Churchill (p. 151). New York: HarperCollins.