Napoleon CEO by Alan Axelrod: book review

Napoleon CEO: 6 Principles to Guide and Inspire Modern Leaders (2011) is one of a series including Winston Churchill CEO and Gandhi CEO. Categorized under ‘Business’ books, it focuses on six principles of Napoleon’s war-time successes: (1) audacity and character, (2) vision and strategy, (3) knowledge and preparation, (4) tactics and execution, (5) motivation and communication, and (6) Napoleonic Synergy, after an introduction called The Life of a Necessary Man.

Known to have a photographic memory, an attention to detail, and a genius for mathematics, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was the second child of eight children and “the product of a strong mother, who was in equal parts, formidable and loving.”

He rose to prominence during the French Revolution as a military leader. “Napoleon was alternately condemned as a tyrant and oppressor and hailed as a reformer and liberator. Both assessments have claims on validity,” says the author. Axelrod turns Napoleon’s perceived negative personality traits and actions into positive ones. He also explodes some myths. For example, the myth that Napoleon was short and had an inferiority complex that spearheaded his decisions on the battlefront is debunked. Napoleon was 5’6” when the average French man was 5’4.” Axelrod documents many arguments that show Napoleon’s strength of character and his “tactical mastery, charismatic command presence, and great personal courage.”   

Readers become familiar with his victories and his defeats, and the lessons he learned from both, through his personal letters and published works, and the views of other political and military leaders of his time. In his letters and works, Napoleon writes of his strategies, methods, principles, and tactics on why he won and why he lost – not accusing others, but by honestly assessing his own strengths and weaknesses.

Although Napoleon’s tactics weren’t innovative, Axelrod says what was unprecedented was his “skill, speed, ferocity, and tenacity with which he executed his attacks.” Moreover, he was a reformer. Under his leadership, the government subsidized education, promoted the sciences, introduced a program of public works (such as sewerage and a road network) and established a Code Civil – known as the Napoleonic Code.

Axelrod documents 156 clearly defined ‘lessons’ that readers can learn from Napoleon. Each lesson is short with a standardized format: (1) lesson number, (2) title encapsulating the lesson, (3) a quote, usually from Napoleon, (4) the lesson on the battlefield from Napoleon’s perspective, and (5) the lesson for modern day corporate leaders.

The lessons are practical and applicable, not just for Chief Executive Officers of corporations, but also for anyone managing a business, working as a manager or supervisor, or managing one’s own life.