Napoleon Bonaparte The Upstart Genius
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte: The Upstart Genius
“The first principle of a general-in-chief is to calculate what he must do, to see if he has the means to surmount the obstacles with which the enemy can oppose him and when he has made his decision, to do everything to overcome them.”
- Napoleon Bonaparte
Be it a scholar, an intellectual, a history buff, or a contemporary management student, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte remains, to this day, something of an enigma, both tantalizing and elusive- but at the same time presenting a most rewarding subject for study be it of tactics, administration or leadership skills.
What makes a general, who had fought more then 60 battles and was blamed for the deaths of more than 1,750,000 soldiers in his time, a subject for a topic like leadership? Lets take a more, as the general would say, unemotional and impartial view of both, Napoleon’s military as well as administrative characteristic, to understand why his maxims are today taught as an essential part of any professional managerial course on leadership and management as a whole.
Personal Magnetism
Be it in war, business or charitable organizations, the personal charm or the magnetism that a leader has on his subordinates becomes an important trait in making him successful. As seen in the case of Napoleon, his personal charm and sway over his listeners, made them hold him in awe and fulfill his every command. A combination of his confidence, intellectual capabilities and methodical and almost natural genius made the bravest of soldiers and the tackiest of statesmen, eat out of his hand. He practiced this charm to the point of making it look like an art and would go to great lengths to sway his contemporaries in his favor.
Mental Dexterity
Above his personal charm Napoleon also possessed extraordinary mental faculties. There was never an object too small for his attention or a subject too vast for his time. Throughout his military and administrative career, Napoleon displayed a legendary mental dexterity of the kind not seen before of after him. He could remember vast economic statistics to the point reaching as back as 5 years, or pinpoint the exact location of an army unit on a map and throw in their movement patterns for the next week for greater measure. Also the fact that made him superior to all other strategists of his...