In June 1940, during the darkest period of WWII for the British, Winston Churchill gave his famously defiant “We shall fight them on the beaches” speech to Parliament.
“…[W]e shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…”
It’s considered one of the most famous speeches of all time – seared into the collective minds of British people and history buffs everywhere. The 20th Century’s version of Shakespeare’s “We happy few, we band of brothers” from “Henry V.”
This summer (84 years later), all the leaders of the free world assembled at another beach- this time Normandy- to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the largest and most consequential Allied military operation of WWII.
Everybody was there – US President, Joe Biden; French President, Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz; Britain’s King Charles and Britain’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
There was just one problem. Sunak bailed early.
Because there was an upcoming General Election, he grabbed an early helicopter back to London, so he could arrive in time for a big TV interview. He had an election to win. He was busy being a politician. He forgot to be a leader.
Leadership is a semaphore. Every action, every decision, every moment of presence (or lack thereof) sends a message. Sunak’s early departure spoke louder than any speech ever could: saying “this isn’t that important.”
A London-based creative director, Ben Golik, heard the message loud and clear, translating it with AI into a devastating post:
(Poster by Ben Golik, Uncommon)
Simple. Powerful. Damning. The ad (which was made to look like a billboard even though it wasn’t) spread like wildfire across social media before it even turned into a real ad a few weeks later but by then Sunak was already finished. That’s because the ad didn’t create the message. It simply amplified what Sunak had already broadcast.
It doesn’t matter what Sunak’s intentions were, right or wrong, what matters is that he sent a signal.
As leaders, our job isn’t just to show up. To go through the motions. To kiss the babies. It’s to be present when it matters. Churchill knew this. Sunak forgot it. The greatest leaders understand they’re always messaging and signaling. When we leave early, we’re leaving more than a beach, we’re leaving a legacy behind.
