Napoleon Bonaparte: the best of leaders; the worst of leaders
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I must confess that I have a bit of thing about Napoleon. A quick check on Amazon will show you (reassuringly, perhaps, for me) that I am not alone. There are a lot of books about Napoleon. If you are a student of leadership, then you come up against Napoleon like a student of modern art comes up against Picasso. There is simply no way around the man. But why? Firstly, Napoleon had a very large canvass to work on. The French revolution was a truly remarkable event. It began as an essentially liberal revolution, but was hijacked (as revolutions so often are) by homicidal fanatics: Robespierre and his fellow Jacobins. When Napoleon seized power in a nearly botched but nevertheless bloodless and generally welcomed coup, he became the leader of a nation that was beset on all sides by the old monarchies of Europe, desperate to snuff out this terrifying, king-killing, unthinkable republic in its midst. The French people were equally desperate to retain their new and bitterly hard-won freedoms from the essentially feudal rule of the Bourbon kings and the Ancien Régime. A significant sector of society was also keen to keep its hands on the financial benefits that they had accrued by buying up, at a very good price, the lands and estates previously owned by the monarch, the aristocracy and the church. Napoleon found himself at the head of nation that was predisposed to welcome his proven military skills, which could be usefully deployed in the defence of France and its newfound freedoms. But then Napoleon proved himself to be much more than merely a successful general. Saviour of the Revolution Napoleon’s rise to pre-eminence in France had been due to his astonishing ability, as a young general in France’s revolutionary ‘citizens’ army, to protect France’s borders against the professional armies of Austria and other hostile powers. Once he had gained political power, he famously crossed the Alps in Hannibal’s footsteps (with far less effort or ingenuity, but with great daring nevertheless) and surprised the Austrians in northern Italy, a long-standing part of the Austrian Empire. Napoleon’s unexpected arrival across the Alps threatened Austrian supply lines along the river Po. Napoleon won a decisive victory at Marengo – thanks, on this occasion, more to the military brilliance and dedication of his senior generals and to a substantial element of luck, rather than to Napoleon’s own contribution on the day. Napoleon was convinced that the Austrians were retreating after a previous defeat, and had therefore dispersed his army in an attempt to cut off the supposed retreat: the unexpected Austrian attack took him completely by surprise. A dogged defence by his generals prevented a French rout, however, and another of Napoleon’s star generals, Desaix, who had been despatched to the south to search for the supposedly retreating Austrians, marched his troops back towards the sounds of the guns. A French counter-attack aided by a strong element of luck won the day. The Austrians withdrew from Italy and signed a peace treaty which led to the only significant period of peace in the whole Napoleonic era. In France, not surprisingly, hero-worship of Napoleon was about to begin in earnest. Administrator of genius. Emperor of Europe. It was during this heady spell of peace that Napoleon proved that he was more than just a general; he embarked on a remarkable programme of civil development and legal reform. It was his legal reforms that – justifiably – have had the most lasting impact. In four years, Napoleon took the three hundred and sixty different sets of local codes that had regulated nearly every aspect of French life (and which had themselves also further been subject to exemptions and privileges granted by the king and other feudal lords) and turned them into the national Code Civil, better known as the Code Napoléon. Napoleon entrusted the drafting of a series of legal codes to the Second Consul, Cambacérès, a brilliant lawyer and experienced administrator. At this stage of his career, Napoleon was still able to delegate the delivery of a significant piece of work to a trusted and better-informed

colleague. He attended over half of the meetings drafting the Code; the lawyers were struck by Napoleon’s grasp of the relevant detail. On these occasions, meetings might last until five in the morning: Napoleon would not let a matter drop until his mind was settled. After the Civil Code came the Code of Civil Procedure, Commercial Law, Criminal Procedure and the Penal Code. The Bank of France was created and given complete control of the national debt and the printing of money. Napoleon took the Directory’s new secular educational system and turned it into another of his enduring legacies: the Lycées or state secondary schools. When peace collapsed, Napoleon again surprised the new alliance massing against him by marching his newly organised Grande Armée into northern Europe to defeat the Austrians before their Russian allies could join forces with them. He went on to lead France to become the pre-eminent nation in Europe and to rule an empire stretching from Italy and Spain to the borders of Russia. However, his unprovoked and unreasonable conquest of Spain – an ally of France which had allowed French troops into Spain to allow them to attack the Portuguese, who persisted in trading with their old business partner, the hated English – turned into a bloody and costly distraction. His invasion of Russia was, famously, a misjudgement that was to lead to his downfall. It was also driven by the same preoccupation: an attempt to undermine the economic strength of Britain – which had funded and assisted all of the various alliances against Napoleon – by forcing the countries of Europe to end all commercial relations with ‘perfidious Albion’. In the meantime, Napoleon had had himself crowned as the Emperor of France, and had retreated into regal isolation, removing himself from the wise council of his previous comrades at arms and of his masterly Foreign Minister, the great diplomat, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand. Great strengths and fatal flaws The strengths of Napoleon’s character and his mental abilities are daunting but recognisable. They represent skills and abilities that any potential leader can strive to develop: a piercing intellect constantly focussing on the key issues of the day; the mental stamina to analyse a problem from every perspective until a solution was decided upon; the determination to put that solution into effect; the force of personality to inspire other people to undertake the process of change; the ability to store and recall huge amounts of information needed for the implementation of the plan; the mental toughness not to be distracted from the main objective by set-backs and material changes; the mental flexibility to adapt the plan, but not the objective, in the face of changing circumstances. The success of Napoleon’s leadership strategies is undeniable: in both military and civic affairs there are clear lessons to be learned from his methods. What makes Napoleon an exceptional and invaluable study for any aspiring leader is that his defects are as instructive as his strengths: the flaws in his character are exactly those that are most likely to be an aspect of any forceful and ambitious personality – in short, of any potential leader. Napoleon offers a text-book study of character defects that one should guard against, not because they are necessarily bad in themselves (we are all human) but because, as Napoleon’s career so classically demonstrates, they lead to bad outcomes and unworkable solutions. Worse still for an aspiring leader, they almost inexorably lead to one’s eventual downfall. Funnily enough, it is arguably as a military leader that Napoleon offers the best role model for any potential leader. This brilliant military strategist, one of the greatest that the world has seen, set the grand strategy and the objectives, devised a detailed plan of action to achieve those objectives and then delegated their fulfilment to a highly-skilled team of commanders. These commanders were given a great deal of independence: they were empowered to react quickly, on their own initiative, to a rapidly changing military situation. Napoleon’s military genius was to take the basic elements that had been in place throughout the eighteenth century – infantry with flintlock musket and fixed bayonet, cavalry, artillery – and transform what had become a static and highly formal style of battle between rigidly-controlled lines of troops into a fluid, mutually supportive, highly reactive arena where quick decisions could be made to achieve a superiority of force at a critical point that might suddenly present itself in the course of a battle. It is, perversely, a very good model for modern corporate structures. Increasing centralisation and control In stark contrast to the relatively democratic structure of his army and of his way of conducting military campaigns, Napoleon’s civic leadership demonstrated his innate tendency to centralise control. On the battlefield he had the vision (remarkable for its day) to see that independent units

working in concert to achieve the grand plan could outmanoeuvre an opponent following a rigid plan dictated from the centre. In administrative affairs he could not see why he should not dictate everything, as he was always right and everybody else’s judgement was suspect. Napoleon’s early civic achievements were impressive and enduring. Napoleon was a formidable taskmaster, who drove his administrators relentlessly and with apparently inexhaustible stamina. Nevertheless, in these early days, Napoleon was able to delegate effectively. He made things happen, on a dramatic and impressive scale. Later, the centralised bureaucracy that Napoleon slowly created and began obsessively to control started to grind to a halt, producing mountains of paperwork but no action; he became indifferent to talent in his ministers, looking for mere stamina and amenability. As is the case with all highly centralised bureaucracies run essentially by fear, administrators were more afraid of taking the wrong action than they were of taking no action at all: there was always some bureaucratic excuse for the latter; the former was dangerous. Simple decisions that should have been taken at local level were referred to the centre. Everything had to be approved. Over time, and in every civic field, Napoleon set out to control and administrate, eventually stifling innovation and experiment. It is notable that Napoleonic France did not produce any scientists, economists or industrialists of stature. In the arts only painting – suitably reverential – flourished. For all of his deep envy of Britain’s great wealth (which bankrolled all of the seven international alliances against Napoleon’s power) he failed to create a parallel French industrial revolution. He also completely failed to challenge Britain’s control of the seas, essential to any hope of significant international trade. Surprisingly, he even failed to exploit new technologies that could have proved useful to his military machine: the observation balloon (which would have saved the day at Waterloo); the exploding shell; the rifle (used to great effect as a skirmishing weapon by British regiments such as the Green Jackets.) Napoleon built a mighty empire on the strength of his military success. He astounded the world by defeating all of his mighty monarchical neighbours but, in victory, he failed totally to forge new and useful alliances. Defeated nations were stripped of territory and cash; they became embittered and humiliated enemies of France, dreaming only of revenge. As a result, while Napoleon could arguably have sustained an expanded French empire within a Europe of powerful but relatively well-disposed nation states, his insistence on complete control led to his own downfall. There is a profound lesson for modern leaders in this: success will be built more securely on a network of mutually beneficial relationships than it will on an empire tightly controlled from the top – tempting though the latter model is for any tough-minded leader. A final chance – the one hundred days The classic trajectory of Napoleon’s career offers one final, fascinating example. Against all odds, he made a come-back, returning from his exile to the Mediterranean island of Elba after his final defeat by another alliance of the European powers, to be broadly welcomed once again by a nation that had resented the restored monarchy and was willing to give Napoleon – the mighty defender of the enlightened values of the French revolution – one last chance. The nation wanted constitutional government and peace; Napoleon made a poor pretence of offering the former and plunged the nation straight back into war. His achievements in financing and raising an army in the ‘one hundred days’ were astounding, but war was inevitable: for the allies in Europe, Napoleon himself had become the problem. Napoleon might even have won the ensuing battle of Waterloo – a contest that the victorious Duke of Wellington famously described as ‘the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life’. Napoleon had already pulled off one of his trademark military coups – defeating the Prussian army before they could join forces with their British allies, intending to defeat piecemeal a army that would overwhelm him if combined – but his Marshalls, and Napoleon himself, were unusually slow to exploit their advantage and strangely indecisive. They made uncharacteristic mistakes. Luck and the weather was against them. Marshall Ney – indefatigable hero of the appalling retreat from Moscow; ‘the bravest of the brave’ – wasted and destroyed the French cavalry, unsupported by sufficient infantry or artillery, in pointless repeated attacks against the formidable defensive squares of British infantry. At the end, and too late, Napoleon’s elite Guard were thrown into the fray, only to be cut down by disciplined, close-range musket fire. The Guard broke and recoiled – it was all over.

The great Napoleon, hoping to find refuge, ironically, in England, was never allowed to disembark onto English soil from the English frigate on which he had surrendered, and was shipped to the island of St Helena, a desolate spot in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, where he died.

"qualities" to the leadership of Napoleon. "Was Napoleon Bonaparte an effective leader?"? read this article i wrote on him and see for yourself Before Napoleon was born, his home on the Island of Corsica was invaded by the French. The inhabitants of Corsica fought bravely, but the French army proved too powerful. The French easily took over. Napoleon’s father, Carlo, feared for his and his family’s lives and fled with them to the capital of Corsica Ajaccio. There he found a job as a lawyer. Carlo soon became a very respected figure in Ajaccio. He became close friends with the island’s French governor. The governor offered to send Carlo’s two eldest boys, Napoleon and Joseph, to private schools. Carlo agreed, even though he was respected, he was not rich. Napoleon was sent to a military academy and Joseph was sent to a school that would prepare him for working for the church. Life was hard at the military academy. The boys were awakened at six every morning and were kept busy until lights out at ten. Napoleon slept on a hard iron bed, in a dormitory with ten other cadets. Each boy had a jug of water and a bowl to wash in (Lethbridge 12). At the academy, Napoleon was teased because of his height and thick Corsican accent. Napoleon turned furiously, lashing out with his fists. After a few bloody noses, the jeers turned to respect (Lethbridge 13). Napoleon still missed home. To take his mind off of home he buried himself in his studies. He loved mathematics and geography and excelled in fencing. At the age of sixteen he graduated from the military academy in Paris and became a second lieutenant in the French army. During the year that Napoleon was in Paris, his family was shattered when his father died of cancer. Suddenly, his mother was a widow with a huge family to support and Napoleon felt responsible for looking after them (Lethbridge 14). Napoleon saved money whenever he could and sent her money from his pay each week. Life was mostly uneventful for Napoleon until one day he and a hundred other soldiers where ordered to the town of Seurre. The townspeople were rioting; they claimed that someone was stealing their grain. When Napoleon arrived he saw a mob gathered by the river, they where shouting at a boat, which was filled with sacks of grain. “What do you expect?” one man asked bitterly. “The rich want to keep us poor.” (Lethbridge 16). The state that Seurre was in was what the majority of the French population was like. Most were poor and few where rich. This anger and hunger led to what we call the French Revolution. The French people where so sick of being pushed down by the rich that they rebelled and set up a guillotine with which they decapitated any nobleman that they could find. The French Revolution ended when the king and queen where executed. The crowd laughed and danced wildly, as they stuck the heads on poles and paraded them around Paris (Lethbridge 22). The King was quickly replaced with a group of Republicans, who wanted the people to govern themselves. Led by a bloodthirsty revolutionary, Robespierre, they began a reign of terror (Lethbridge 23). Napoleon himself was imprisoned. He was freed only because France needed soldiers to drive out the invaders (Williams 4). Soon after the Republicans had gained total control over France, they faced their biggest threat. Armies from Britain and Spain had surrounded the town of Toulon. Napoleon then led an army of 2,000 to the city’s walls and was able to defeat both of the opposing armies. Napoleon’s rise to power had begun. A year later Napoleon’s world was turned upside down when Robespierre was executed and a group of people called the Directors took over. When this happened, Napoleon was thrown in jail. He might have died in prison had the Directors not realized he was too valuable a commander to leave rotting in prison. He was brought back to Paris as a general where he helped the Directors quash the last minor revolts in the city (Lethbridge 24). The Directors then put Napoleon in charge of the French army in Italy. When Napoleon got there he was appalled to find the men had little training and less equipment. Many soldiers didn’t even have proper boots (Lethbridge 27). Napoleon’s first decision was to order huge supplies of meat bread and boots for everyone. Even though Napoleon and his troops were heavily outnumbered, they were quick. Soon they were winning victory after victory. They seemed invincible until they came to Lodi; a town south of Milan. Waiting on the other side of the river were thousands of Austrian troops. Napoleon decided that it was time to take a risk. He decided to storm the bridge across the river. His strategy worked and Napoleon went on to conquer Milan. More battles followed the battle in Lodi. Napoleon and his army triumphantly headed south. When they entered Rome and faced the Pope, Pius VI – who hated the new French Republic - they emptied his chests of gold (Lethbridge 30). Next they marched on to Vienna, the capital of Austria, where Emperor Francis had no choice but to make peace (Lethbridge 30). This is an example of how Napoleon was a great military leader; this shows that, even against all odds, Napoleon was able to win. Napoleon returned to Paris as a hero. The Directors then urged him to turn his attention to Britain. Napoleon, knowing of Britain far superior naval forces, convinced the Directors to let him try to cut off Britain’s trade route by conquering Egypt. Eager to

explore Egypt too, Napoleon asked scientists, historians, and artists to join his army (Lethbridge 32). When Napoleon arrived in Egypt he quickly took over Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt, from the poorly prepared Mamelukes. Napoleon then started off on the long trek through the desert to Cario. When Napoleon got to Cairo he won another swift victory and established a French colony. Here he set up the Institute of Egypt. During this time the experts accompanying Napoleon were studying the ancient Egyptian monuments and mummies. Most of the artifacts that where found were covered with strange markings we now call hieroglyphs. Later a French soldier discovered the Rosetta Stone, which enabled scholars to translate the hieroglyphs and unlock the secrets of the ancient Egyptian world. Napoleon was fascinated by Egypt, but his stay was interrupted when British ships, under the command of Admiral Nelson, slipped around the Headland of the coastal town Aboukir. Launching a surprise attack, Nelson blasted French ships moored along the Nile, smashing them to smithereens (Lethbridge 35). This major victory for the British encouraged Turkey to declare war on France. Napoleon immediately led his army into Syria. He was met by the British again. Napoleon was then forced back into Egypt when he heard the news that France was in chaos. Napoleon then abandoned his army and raced back to France alone. He was lucky to get there alive. As he crossed the Mediterranean, his ship was constantly dodging the British, who where out for his blood (Lethbridge 36). When Napoleon arrived back in France he found the country almost bankrupt. Workers didn’t have jobs because it was unsafe to go anywhere, many desperate men had become bandits (Lethbridge 36). Napoleon saw that France could not survive much longer in the state that it was in. Disgruntled politicians and army officials started to meet in his house and plot to overthrow the current government. On November 10th, 1799, Napoleon strode into the French Parliament, followed by a few soldiers with loaded guns and bayonets (Lethbridge 37). At first, Napoleon was pushed and shoved by men trying to force them to leave. But he was protected by his soldiers he quickly left unharmed. But his brother who had seen everything had accused the men of trying to kill Napoleon. The rest of Napoleon’s troops stormed in outraged. The politicians quickly fled the scene. Napoleon had successfully overthrown the government with no damage to him or any of his troops. Napoleon then set up a group of people called the Consul. The Consul was a group of people who decided the decisions of France. With Napoleon being the first Consul. All was going well with the Consul until one evening; Napoleon and Josephine went for an evening drive in their carriage. As they turned into a narrow street, a horse and cart swerved in front of them. The carriage driver whipped up the horses and tried to overtake the cart. Suddenly there was a huge explosion. It lit up the night sky with fireworks and flung Napoleon and Josephine across the carriage with a bang (Lethbridge 41). Napoleon and Josephine where unhurt, though nine were killed and many were injured. Napoleon realized that some of the population was still not ready to give up the monarchy. So, he decided to name himself Emperor over France. He was able to do this because as a person he was mostly very popular to the population of France. He also prepared it so that it seemed that he was king by blood. On the day of the coronation Napoleon dressed in silk, topped by a long velvet cloak lined with ermine and embroided with gold bees. The Pope himself was summoned from Rome to attend, though he simply watched as Napoleon took charge, crowning himself (Lethbridge 44). When Napoleon was crowned Emperor he had full command over all of the Army’s of France. This led him to conquering more of Europe. As Napoleon grew in power he began to replace the royal families with relatives of his own. But all was not well for Napoleon. Britain was still his enemy and Russia, who for years had been swaying between backing Britain and France, had decided that Napoleon had grown too powerful. So Russia began to back Britain. Napoleon was furious. So furious that he gathered together 600,000 men and declared war on Russia. This was the start of Napoleon becoming overly ambitious. Napoleon marched forward but every time they got near Russian soldiers, the Russian soldiers retreated. Finally Napoleon and his tr Source(s): i wrote this

“In our time none has the conception of what is great. It is up to me to show them”
Revolutionist, brilliant military strategist, fearless solider, charismatic speaker, tyrant, all of these words could be used to describe the life of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. One thing that is undeniable is that Bonaparte was an astounding leader. This Corsican born soldier who was teased as a child for not being able to speak proper French, showed fearless determination on the battle field and an extraordinary ability to lead people which enabled him to raise to become the of emperor of France by the age of 34.

Standing only 5’2”, Napoleon was both admired and feared throughout Europe during his reign. On his first battle as Commanding general, one of his generals to said to his colleague, “I don’t know why, but the little bastard scares me.” His leadership style was considered unorthodox at the time but today we see that he had all of the major and minor characteristics that make a brilliant leader. “I don’t know why, but the little bastard scares me.”-Unnamed French General Win Their Trust and Loyalty Napoleon was a great motivator of people. From the lowest soldier to the high ranking generals and aristocrats, Bonaparte knew that in order for him to succeed he had to have the people around him enthusiastic about their mission. He understood that a leader must win the trust of the people he is leading. His first time as commanding general was a testament to the leadership capabilities he possessed. His soldiers were in no condition to win any battles because they had been lead by incompetent leaders and were ill kept. To add insult to injury, they hadn’t been paid for their services in months since the country was almost broke at the time. When Napoleon arrived he changed everything. “Soldiers, you are naked and ill fed. No fame shines upon you. I will lead you to the most fertile planes in the world…you will find there honor, glory and riches.” He first won the trust of his generals and then the loyalty of his soldiers by promising them victory and glory. He was a very charismatic speaker and knew exactly how to motivate people. He also understood that it is beneficial to win the trust of those he is not leading. After victories in Austria, Piedmont and Prussia, he would enter the major cities of those countries and win the hearts and devotion of many of the people by declaring that he was a representative of the Revolution. He would announce that he has no quarrels with the people but with the tyrants who have oppressed them. This ability to influence people was a major key to his success. As a leader: Be aware of the thoughts and feelings of those around you. Begin to learn how to persuade people to believe in your cause and adapt to your thinking. If you are confident in your ability to succeed they will begin to believe in that same ability. Napoleon’s army not only fought for France, but they were entirely devoted to their commanding general and emperor thus making them almost impossible to stop. When the people you are leading are not only devoted to the cause, but also loyal to you, there is a heightened enthusiasm and effort that is put into the work. Do Things Differently As a leader of armies and an emperor, Napoleon was always employing new ways to make things work. On the battle fields, most of the opposing armies where perplexed but his military strategies. They didn’t know what to do to combat his maneuvers and formations. He also would fight at odd times of the day, consecutive days, in the snow, rain, sun, night, or whenever he believed he would have an advantage. One great example of his ability to think differently was during the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt. He was to face the Mamluks, an army of fearless and efficient Islamic killers. During this battle, Napoleon had his soldiers line up in a big hollow square formation with the artillery and supplies in the center. The army then proceeded to rotate as the Mamluks attacked. This enabled his army to pick them off with unbelievable efficiency. The French were outnumbered 20,000 to 60,000. During that particular battle the Mamluks lost 6,000 men, the French 30.

As a Leader: Begin to think about different ways to approach a job or task. No matter how badly they were outnumbered, the soldiers in Napoleon’s army knew that Napoleon would find a new and clever way that would lead to victory. As a leader you should be on the lookout for new ways to do the same task.

“They sent a young madman to attack day, night, front, and rear. It’s an intolerable way to make war”-Piedmonte Soldier Thank Those Who Have Helped You Succeed All employees, workers, and soldiers want to feel appreciated. Napoleon understood that showing gratitude was a great way to gain the favor of the people. During his first military victory as a commanding general at Piedmonte, Napoleon would be seen as a generous leader. His army performed exceptionally well during those battles. It only took 2 weeks before the Piedmonte army realized they’ve had enough. After Piedmonte surrendered, He demanded gold and silver. Then he paid his soldiers using the gold and silver he obtained. This was the first real money the soldiers had seen in months. Napoleon knew that if the soldiers felt appreciated they would perform with an intense sense of duty to their country and leader. To reward me of accomplishment, Bonaparte also created the Legion of Honor. He would also encourage soldiers in other ways. While he was making his rounds through the military he would say to a general, “Who is the bravest man in this battalion?” The general would select the bravest man and Napoleon would take a medal off of his own coat and pin them on to the selected man. Can you imagine how that would spread through the camps? As a Leader:Be willing to show gratitude often and in abundance to those you lead. Say “thank you” and present rewards and gifts, to show you appreciate those who are helping you succeed. It is also a surefire way to keep the respect and admiration of your people. The lack of gratitude in many people leads to discontent of their job and disgruntle behavior. As a leader, it is your responsibility to recognize those around you who are doing their job well. Your success depends on how well they perform. From time to time let them know how much you value their effort and how much they mean to your organization.

Get your Hands Dirty Even though it was unheard of, Napoleon was often doing the things during a battle that were the responsibilities of the lieutenants and the generals below him. With his troops facing direct fire, he was in the thick of it. He had cannon balls nearly taking his head off. He would be down there loading cannons which was a corporal’s job. He was wherever he was needed. Usually when the battles were over and the opposing army’s guns fell silent, Napoleon would rise up sweaty, dirty and covered in gun powder. This won the respect of the men around him. They felt that he was one of them, that he really cared about what he was fighting for. He knew everyone else’s job and would take on task that he could have easily delegated to someone else. Even though he was emperor he never lost sight of his responsibility to get the job done.

As a Leader: You should never think that a job is beneath you. The privilege of being able to tell others what to do should not be abused. When all a leader does is shout orders from their high and mighty place, it makes them appear out of touch with the people they are leading. That approach to leadership never results in loyalty because the employees feel as though the person in charge never really does any work. But if you take the Napoleon, hands on approach, you can connect with the people you are leading on an intimate level. Knowing that your boss is willing to jump in and help out when you need it as opposed to judging you if you aren’t able to handle it, is very reassuring. As a leader, learn to participate in the work of those you lead.

Leadership Mistakes Losing Confidence Throughout his life Napoleon believed he was destined for greatness. This confidence in his destiny made it possible to overcome any and all obstacles. But after being defeated in the War of the Sixth Coalition he was exiled to an island called Elba. While on Elba he ran the island like a little country. He opened mines, started a little navy and army, and helped farmers improved their land. None of this compared to his reign as emperor of France. With France going through turmoil and rumors that he might be relocated to a small island in the Atlantic, Napoleon snuck back into France. Louis XVIII sent the 5th regiment to stop Napoleon and his followers when he got to the mainland. Napoleon approached the regiment alone and shouted, “Fifth, you recognize me. If any man would shoot his emperor, he may do so now.” There was a brief silence. Then the soldiers shouted, “Vive L’ Empreuer!” Napoleon was back in power. But he wasn’t the same confident man that once ruled most of Europe.

“I felt that fortune was abandoning me. I no longer had the feeling that I was sure to succeed.”-Napoleon speaking about his defeat at Waterloo

Perhaps the loss to the Russians in the War of the Sixth made him realize that he was not invincible. He was too careful about the strategies he implemented and didn’t have the same confidence he had during earlier wars. This lack of confidence trickled down to the soldiers and eventually lead to his defeat. As a Leader: If your confidence is shaken, theirs is shattered! The leader sets the tone for the entire organization. Having a true belief in your ability will be evident to those around you. No matter what setbacks, failures, or challenges you encounter, never lose confidence in yourself and in the people around you.

Silencing your People Napoleon understood the power of media. There are many painting of Napoleon that he commissioned after every battle. He also wrote articles for a newspaper that he started. However, when he became emperor, he looked to silence the speech of those who opposed him. He was a big believer in equality and that every man should have the opportunity to raise and do great things like he did, but he had no tolerance for liberty. There were about 65 newspapers in France before Napoleon was in power; there were only 4 afterward. As a Leader: It is important that you listen to everyone around you. Getting the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of other people is one of the best ways to learn. It is easy for leaders to lose sight of how effectively they are leading their people. If you silence or limit the amount of feedback you get from others about your leadership skills or how well you are doing your job, you stunt your ability improve in a direction that is beneficial to yourself and your organization. Not trusting others Napoleon would always have spies listening to the conversations of everyone in Paris. In the marketplace, salon, or café, wherever you were there was a spy. He did not trust many people and wanted to know at all times what was being said and what was going on. As a Leader: Trusting and empowering people are great ways to build your organization. Once you trust the people around you to do what is necessary, you empower them to do more than they would have if you were over their shoulder watching their every move. Learn to give the people you lead some space and freedom. Although Napoleon was a brilliant motivator of people and knew how to win loyalty, he made mistakes that leaders and potential leaders can learn from. When he advanced from First Counsul to Emperor, he became too powerful and that made him unable to trust others. At the time, he was the most powerful man in the world. Great leaders need to understand the having power requires using correct judgment when it comes to leading your people.