Winston Churchill’s accomplishments in WWII are, of course, legendary. It would be difficult to argue that one of his key accomplishments was to inspire all Britons with the courage to soldier on alone after all organized resistance to Nazi rule throughout Europe had come to an end – not to mention putting together the US/UK/Soviet coalition that was instrumental in ultimately defeating the Germans.
That said, Churchill also had an amazing number of achievements that are less well known but of significant import. Please consider that he:
· won the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature.
· became TIME Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1940.
· introduced Old Age Pensions (Social Security) 20 years earlier than the US.
· was an accomplished painter, one of which recently sold for £1.8M.
· implemented the first minimum wage system in Britain
· enacted compulsory health insurance for workers
· was the first to set up gov’t offices to help find work for the unemployed
· is one of only eight people granted honorary citizenship of the USA
Born exactly 145 years ago this month, Churchill was the epitome of “leadership.” And his quote in part, I am quite sure, defines our true leadership capabilities.
