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Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 4)
Most people are very familiar with Winston Churchill but may not be familiar with his "agile" approach to project management.
Part 1 introduced the series and how Churchill was to acquire a project from hell. Part 2 looked at how Churchill had battled the British government into taking actions, but intransigence to events failed to stop the slide toward war. Part 3 looked at how technology had allowed for mobile warfare, but the Allies were slow to adapt to it. They were still grounded in the World War I mindset of static defenses rather than the agility of the defender. This article looks at how Churchill acquired the project and took immediate actions.
By May 1940, the United Kingdom faced a very grim situation and was hopelessly unprepared for a modern war (Part 2). Chamberlain had stalled for peace hoping he could manage his way out without having to fight. On May 8, the British Parliament questioned his handling of the Norwegian campaign with the loss of about 4,000 British troops and the occupation of the country. His majority plummeted in a vote of confidence as British politicians lost faith in him and his failed leadership.
A "coalition" government was needed but the opposition parties, specifically senior Labour figures, opposed forming this under him. They firmly believed that Churchill should take over and made this a condition.
On May 10, the …
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"Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room." - Winston Churchill |