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Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 6)
Most people are very familiar with Winston Churchill but may not be familiar with his “agile” approach to project management, and his management skills as a PM. Part 5 looked at how Churchill was thrust into the cauldron of war on May 10, 1940, and assessed problems ahead of him. This article looks at how the project went from bad to worse. Churchill had to manage the desperate situation and take a monumental decision whether to stand and fight--or evacuate.
On May 17, the Axis armored columns were halted because of the fear of a counter-strike to the flanks, and to allow infantry and supply lines to catch up. Churchill, worried about different scenarios, asked plans to be prepared for the potential evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) through Dunkirk, codenamed Operation Dynamo. He considered this a precautionary move for a remote possibility. He also had the foresight to ask that his Chiefs of Staff prepare a paper on the prospects of the U.K. carrying the war alone.
In today’s world, PMs need to be prepared for critical situations with worse-case scenarios in their plans so they are able to execute contingencies quickly when needed (Part 2).
On May 18, the Allied armies still failed to take advantage of the halt and continued to pull back toward the coast fearful of encirclement. As a result, Churchill was having serious doubts about the Allies’ …
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