The King of Orators
“Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” David Lloyd George
No it’s not Winston Churchill.
Surprised?
A little note on history: Up until 1939 (the beginning of World War 2), David Lloyd George was considered to be Churchill’s superior. Churchill’s career had been a string of failures up until that point whereas Lloyd George was ‘the man who won the war’ (the Great War of 1914-1918) and introduced many social benefits to aid Britain’s old, sick and unemployed.
World War 2 and posthumous revelations about Lloyd George’s personal life changed history for both men for ever.
My choice of Lloyd George as a hero is slightly biased as I am, like he, from the hills of North Wales. Many might balk at the fact that I should choose him as a hero given his failings. In the same way Easy E is another of my heroes, however, I certainly do not condone or copy some of his behaviors. My view is not to worship your heroes. Find their best qualities, model them and ignore the rest.
After a decade of studying Lloyd George, I have compiled a list of the 10 qualities I admire most in the ex-war leader. I have also included some actionable tips that readers can apply in their own lives:
1. Be wary of dogma, tradition and authority. It was said of Lloyd George that he had no respect for authority or the usual ways of doing things. He was always focused on the most practical way even if that meant being unorthodox. He rose from humble beginnings to the top of British politics and he was contemptuous of Royalty and those from wealthy backgrounds. He frequently employed and enjoyed the company of self made men. Rather than giving immediate respect to somebody because of their family history, he gave much more respect to entrepreneurial mindsets and getting things done in the most efficient way possible. Tip: Value results above everything else. Value them above reputations, authority, the best-looking way or the traditional way. Question every assumption, expert, guru and continually seek the way that produces the best results in the shortest time.
2. Do not deliberate. One of my favorite descriptions about Lloyd George is that he would often make the wrong decision but he always made it quickly. The New York Times described him thus in 1907: “Mr. LLOYD GEORGE is a man of action, of quick decision, who knows his own mind”. Remember, leaders often make mistakes but they are rarely indecisive. One of my favorite quotes is: ‘Bad decisions are often preferable to indecision’. Tip: give yourself a time limit on all decisions (say 10 mins) and do not deliberate. Eliminate the time between thinking and doing.
3. Action over Analysis. Two of my favorite quotes about Lloyd George’s approach to information intake are: “He picks up a subject as he runs, through the living voice, never through books. He does not learn : he absorbs” and “He does not pore over books to discover the facts about docks: he goes to Antwerp, to Hamburg, and sees.” Frequently described as a ‘man of action’, which the dictionary defines as ‘A person who prefers to act rather than contemplate and gets things accomplished quickly an efficiently’, I see Lloyd George as somebody who studied and contemplated very little but was always ‘doing’. A contemporary of both Churchill and Lloyd George once said: “Winston is impetuous in spite of knowledge and Lloyd George is impetuous without it.” Tip: It is impossible to have complete information before making a decision or taking action. Do not study a subject before beginning. Dive straight in and fill the information gaps as you go rather than gathering all the information before starting.
4. Positivity and cheerfulness. Lloyd George was always described as lively, dynamic, full of vitality and spirit. During a House of Commons tribute after Lloyd George’s death, Sir Geoffrey Shakespeare described his character:”The other great impression made on my mind as a young man was that of a great human personality, throbbing with life, overflowing with spirits and with an infectious gaiety of mind”. These are all qualities that we should seek to cultivate as they will attract people and resources to us. Tip: try the 21 day no complaint experiment to eliminate complaining, try smiling every time you make eye contact with somebody today. Or read this.
5. Industrious habits. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph. LG’s personal life left a lot to be desired but his work habits were beyond reproach. He went to bed early and was an early riser. He was described by his daughter as ‘the most punctual person in the world’ and was a teetotaler (in contrast to the near alcoholic Churchill).
Tip: becoming an early riser and being punctual will take you a long way in your career. Your critics may be able to attack you on many things but let them never question your habits and professionalism.
6. Be the tall poppy. Political cartoonist David Low said: “Lloyd George was the best-hated statesman of his time, as well as the best loved”. His opposition to the Boer War, the fact that he was Welsh in an English dominated society and the fact that most leaders are unpopular when things go bad all contributed to intense opposition. His great quality is that he did not blink in the face of this violent (literally) opposition and racism throughout his career. Winston Churchill in his own tribute after Lloyd George’s death said: “He faced undismayed the storms of criticism and hostility”. Tip: ‘to avoid criticism-do nothing, say nothing, be nothing’ as Elbert Hubbard said. Remember the more influence and success you have the more haters you will have also. If nobody dislikes you at the moment you are probably not doing much. Seek to be like Lloyd George, inspire either love or hate but never apathy.
7. Courage. Following from number 6, many historians and contemporaries said that LG’s greatest quality may have been his courage. He wasn’t particularly courageous in the physical sense (he would hide under the table during storms) but his moral courage was colossal.
Tip: being brave does not have to mean skydiving or bungee jumping. It can be a willingness to have uncomfortable conversations or take and unpopular option. Do one thing everyday that you fear. As John Wayne said: ‘Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway’.
8. Your disadvantages can become your advantages. As I have mentioned previously, the great majority of Lloyd George’s contemporaries came from royalty and were educated at the best schools (Eton) and universities (Cambridge and Oxford). Lloyd George did not attend university. This proved to be to his advantage. The minds of his ‘well educated’ peers were formed by these educational establishments and their creativity may have been stunted. Lloyd George had no such constraints. His mind was quick, darting, challenging and nimble. Not restricted or grooved into patterns of thinking by academic schooling. Tip: Find the positive in any weaknesses you feel you have. For example: I don’t have any time. Then you will be forced to make every minute count because and you can’t waste hours and kill time.
9. Lack of pomposity or vanity. It was often said that Lloyd George talked to the commoners and would treat everybody as equals. He always took verbal jabs and jokes at his expense in good humor. Viscountess Astor paid tribute to his character upon his death: “Of all men I have ever known he was freer than any from personal vanity.” If the leader of then the most powerful nation on earth (at that time) could do it then we all can. Tip: Life feels a lot lighter when you can let go of all your insecurities and laugh at yourself. When you put yourself out there and others poke fun at you, laugh along too.
10. Live in the now. His contemporary Max Aitken said that Lloyd George “lived for the now and had no knowledge of history and that tomorrow could look after itself.” In an excellent essay on Lloyd George’s character I found this description: “He is not modern: he is momentary. There is no past: only the living present; no teachers: only the living facts.” Tip: Do you want to study history or make history? Your actions today will create your future tomorrow. Forget the past and the future, as Easy-E said on his deathbed in a message to fans: “Just remember: It’s YOUR real time and YOUR real life”
Cultivate qualities such as boldness, courage, punctuality, cheerfulness, action, decisiveness and living in the now. You might not lead your country to victory in a world war but you can improve your own leadership skills. Saying that, if a small boy from a tiny village in the hills who did not speak English as a first language could rise to the top of the Great British Empire then anybody can.
On a parting note, many consider Lloyd George one of the greatest orators of all time, If you would like to improve your public speaking you would do well to study his speeches and also check out video/audio footage if you can find it. Study his use of metaphors and the use of voice and gestures. A true master of his craft.
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