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.
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