On October 29, 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited his alma mater, Harrow School, in London, and delivered what some consider to be one of the greatest speeches of all time. Churchill had only been Prime Minister a little more than a year, having been appointed to the position by King George VI following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain.At that time Great Britain was mired in World War II and her alliance was losing the war. In that past 2 years Germany had conquered much of continental Europe. Poland, France, Czechoslovakia and others had fallen to Hitler’s blitzkrieg and the nation was now pretty much on her own. German bombing campaigns were taking a toll on both the landscape and the morale of the people and Churchill was facing a great deal of criticism for it. Discussions were being held at high levels of the government about how to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Faced with what must have seemed like overwhelming circumstances, Churchill began his speech briefly acknowledging the "catastrophic events in the world." But after just a couple of sentences he quickly changed the tone to declare what he believed was reason for hope amid the conflict. Then, about midway through, he inserted a charge that became the hallmark of both this speech and, to some extent, his legacy:
"...never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
Two months later the US had joined the alliance following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Six months after that Japan's advances were halted beginning with a decisive win at the battle of Midway. A couple months later Germany was pushed back in North Africa, then defeated in Stalingrad. By the spring of 1943 the allies had slowly gained the upper hand in the war. In less than 18 months following Winston Churchill's defiant declaration at Harrow in the face of fierce odds, the entire course of the war had changed. It took a while to finish the task but Germany surrendered in May and Japan in August of 1945 and the second world war came to a victorious end.
There were, without doubt, many factors that changed the outcome of that war. But I can't help but wonder how much Churchill's speech at Harrow School mattered in turning the tide? Did that explicit challenge to "never give in" have any affect on the morale of the soldiers? Did it inspire the British people at all? Did it impact American leadership in some way? I wonder what Churchill's enemies thought of his fanatical commitment to seemingly fight to the end? Then it begs other questions like - Just how much impact can a clear and challenging call to action from a passionate leader who is committed to the cause have on a nation? What difference can it make in an organization? To a team?
Food for thought!
