Neil Goodwin on leadership lessons from David Lloyd George

Neil Goodwin

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I was delighted to see David Lloyd George listed as one of the most influential people in the history of the NHS - we can learn a lot from his leadership experience.

Like a lot of great leaders, he felt he was an outsider. While he adapted to the club-like culture of Westminster, he was privately contemptuous of it. This is not surprising given that he was strongly driven by his early life experiences of observing the oppression of the landed gentry and the Anglican Church on ordinary working people across Wales, a situation supported by many at Westminster.

His energy was prolific, a common trait of highly effective leaders and often a reflection of their impatience to get things done.

Champion of the people

Lloyd George is best remembered for his "people's budget" of 1909 and the National Insurance Bill, the foundation of the welfare state, which would, in his words, "relieve untold misery in myriad homes" by introducing sick and maternity pay along with old age pensions and children's allowances. But he should also be remembered for his support of women's suffrage, Welsh disestablishment, reform of land ownership and creating the Irish Free State.

His biggest test was his leadership during the First World War. The originality of the many organisations and systems he created to fight the war, such as a slimmed-down war cabinet to speed up decision-making, were replicated by Winston Churchill when war came again in 1939.

But however much I admire Lloyd George's drive, focus, resilience and energy, I am not blind to his failures and weaknesses. Most great leaders have flaws and many manage to keep them hidden. Mention Lloyd George's name and most will comment on cash for honours, dodgy share dealings and a complicated personal life.

Pride before a fall

During the post-war years, Lloyd George began to fall into the trap of many long-serving leaders - a belief in his own infallibility. He always believed he would have the support of the British people, but it was those closer to him in Parliament who began to plot against him. Sun Tzu's leadership adage, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer", springs to mind.

Unfortunately, Lloyd George was never a team player and only appreciated team work when he was the captain. Not a wise position to be in when trying to win support.

It is not surprising that, like many leaders who believe they can go on forever, Lloyd George began to overpromise and underdeliver. His post-war "land fit for heroes to live in" did not materialise. He failed to recognise when his time was up - perhaps hard for any leader to do.

Stuck to his guns

He was the most-hated statesman of his time, as well as the best loved, but unlike many people I see in leadership positions today, Lloyd George was not one to shift his position to court short-term popularity.

As he approached the end of his time as prime minister in 1922, hubris had taken hold of him completely. He was difficult, tempestuous and impatient and had stopped listening to those closest to him.

David Lloyd George's monumental achievements remain in evidence today. Fittingly, his last vote in the House of Commons in February 1943 condemned the government for its failure to back the Beveridge report on post-war reconstruction. He had stuck to his principles to the very end - how many leaders can say that?