Upon St. Crispin's Day!

A little known date in the calendar is October 25th. It’s St Crispin’s Day, the patron saint of….. shoemakers. Doubtless you are already wondering where this blog is going? Well, after a weekend of great English wins in the Rugby World Cup, all will become apparent. Read on!

There was something rather more significant than shodding the feet of the masses that took place on St Crispin’s Day, back in 1415. It was the defeat of the French Army, at Agincourt, led by Henry V. I’ve not committed much to memory over my lifetime, but every word of the remarkable speech of King Harry, dramatised by Shakespeare, is lodged indelibly there. For those of you unfamiliar with the work, look up Sir Kenneth Branagh’s incredible performance on Youtube. Although I can give him a close run after a few beers, he does more justice to it than I do.

Agincourt was a battle beyond all the odds. The French outnumbered the English by five to one. Moreso, the French were fresh, whilst the English were “all besmirched, through rainy marching and the painful fields”. The rousing speech of King Harry begins with the Duke of Westmoreland wishing for one ten-thousandth of those men doing no work back home to join them, only to be cut short by the King, returning from surveillance of the enemy.

The following five minutes, or at least the original version of it, rallied a tired and weary army with the odds stacked against them sufficiently to take the day. Indeed, Laurence Olivier recited it to British troops once more, during the second world war, to boost morale. And of course King Harry was out there, on the battlefield with his men. The speech, and indeed the whole story of Agincourt is a masterclass in leadership that matches so many of the nine habits of trust;

·      Honesty – the king was forthright that men might die, but they were enough to do their country loss should they do so.

·      Openness – “He who hath no stomach to this fight – let him depart!” – a fair and open opportunity to any not up to it to depart with dignity

·      Humility – “For he who sheds his blood with me this day shall be my brother”. The king seeing himself as equals of his men.

·      Evangelise – show me a more rousing, and positive speech before or since!

·      Brave – out there in the field with his men, hand to hand.

·      Be kind – giving those that wished to depart, “his passport shall be made, and crowns for convoy be put into his purse.”

·      Deliver – without doubt, he did. Selflessly, and through his people.

·      Coach – He trained a skilled army, and trusted his Dukes to lead their men and play their part, handing the leading of the vaward to ‘Brave York!”

·      Be consistent – his soldiers knew what they were getting in to, what the consequences might be, but also the rewards should they have the day.

It’s a piece of history from several hundred years ago, but demonstrates so well that the nine habits aren’t just a modern fad. They are founded from the behaviours of great leaders from the dawn of time, and those stories should resonate within us to make us better at how we lead.

Be more Harry!