Rethinking Leadership - Essay Example

of the Rethinking Leadership The art of leadership has been deemed to develop and thrive within notable individuals in history. Using their various occupations, ways of life as well as their societies, the notable individuals rose to become influential, gaining recognition all over the world. One of these great individuals was Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French military leader and politician. His unique personality, values and leadership style have forever cemented his influence all over history. Although he was despised because of his size, he rose to prove that his ambition was far much greater, and it would be plausible to note that he was one of the most notable leaders who ever lived. Napoleon’s early life was normal, born and raised in 1769 in Corsica France. He was a fourth born to his parents, being the fourth among his siblings. Much is not known about Napoleon’s mother Letizio, but his father was a lawyer. At the time Napoleon was born, political conflicts were witnessed in France and particularly his home town of Corsica. With the nationalists conflicting with the French, Napoleon’s father got a better appointment in the judicial circles and was able to take Napoleon and his brother to college (Markham 51). Napoleon was enrolled in a military academy for more than five years, both in Breanne and Paris. While at the college, his father went ill and died, leaving him to support his family and ensure that his younger siblings got the best of life. This was the genesis of Napoleon’s leadership roles, and after his graduation, he went to his hometown Corsica where he joined the Islands revolt to the French occupation of the island. However, he soon disagreed with the leader of this revolt Pasquale Paoli and left for France in 1793, gaining French citizenship and the name Bonaparte. Napoleon’s star began to shine when he joined the French army. As a loyal soldier, he showed his unwavering support for the Jacobins, a military faction that had been triumphant in the French revolution. However, things turned over when King Louis was murdered and what followed was political turmoil. Many people were killed as the leaders who took over waged terror over innocent civilians and other military factions like the Jacobins in which Napoleon was part. The Jacobins was later defeated in 1795 and power was seized by their rivals the Directory (Lockhart 39). All these events served to give Napoleon a chance to fulfill his ambitions and shaped him for his future responsibilities. Napoleon’s ambition was evident in each of his steps, and he joined the Directory for which he was made a commander within a short while after his successes in defending the government from a revolution. However, his chance for glory came in 1796, when he seized the control of the Army of Italy. These were soldiers characterized with de-motivation, hunger and poor numbers. However, the tact, mentorship and influence of Napoleon revolutionized all the negative traits in this army with which he fought and won many battles (Davis 29). His major battles against the Austrians have cemented his place among the greatest military leaders who ever lived and the most influential. Realizing that military prowess was not enough, Napoleon took on a national perspective by marrying Josephine, a widow of a former renowned general who was executed in war in 1796. Arising from his ambition to spread the French influence in the world, Napoleon was in action again, this time moving to defend the Middle East from being occupied by Britain. However, the subsequent joining of major powers in Europe led to his defeat in 1799. At this time, unrest in France was evident and on Napoleon’s return, he joined a revolutionary group that sought to overthrow the reigning power (Luvaas 71). Napoleon’s return to France was historically significant, owing to the fact that his influence led to the drafting of a constitution that provided the position of a consul. Having a dictatorial perspective, the consul allowed Napoleon to seize much of the control in 1800, where he made various policies relating to governance and equality of all citizens (Lockhart 35). Most importantly, he brokered peace deals in Europe and was declared the French emperor in 1802. The peace deals were short lived and Napoleon was back at war in 1803 against the British forces. It would be imperative to note that the French army under his leadership beat most of the European powers at the time and expanded his territory everywhere. Although he was faced with personal challenges, including an attempted coup to overthrow him, his influence, tact and intelligence was significant in his military and leadership endeavors (Markham 101). He later passed on in 1821. Napoleon’s life took normal turns in history, marked by both defeats, successes, triumphs and overthrows, but his leadership qualities are seen with the victories that he made. One of the most vital lessons for modern leaders from Napoleon, is to win the trust of your subordinates to gain their loyalty (Luvaas 103). Napoleon motivated and mentored individuals into teams that accomplished whatever they set out to do. Coming from a humble background, he understood that being trusted was a vital component that would help him gain influence and victory to reach his ambition. However, he encountered the worst of armies, both incompetent and disgruntled who were obviously resistant to change. As a lesson in modern leadership, ability to spread influence is crucial and to win the hearts of the majority. Leaders ought to seek points of influence, have the ability to identify with the people and have confidence to persuade people on the way forward. This is the quality of the mentoring type of leadership, mostly used in the initial stages of any leadership to influence people, gain their trust and harness their untapped potential for excellence. Secondly, leaders ought to find new ways of doing things. Exhibiting the qualities of the revolutionary type of a leader, Napoleon creatively came up with new ideas every time he went to war, a tact that made him feared by his rivals. Such was the case in the clash of the Pyramids as he faced the Mamluks, a trained professional army that was tactical and ruthless. In this respect, leaders should try to think of new and better ideas that could make tasks simpler and more achievable in the workplace (Manas 48). Emphasis should be placed on creating better ways of doing things as well as phasing out ideas that are not consistent with the goals of the organization. Another great quality noted from Napoleon is being the controller. Profiling the directive leader, ability to control the vast French empire was crucial for Napoleon (Biggs, and Bausum 57). Battling and winning against major powers required the tact of a leader who could control his army as well as the people in his area of influence. He used captivating speeches, motivating the people and taking charge of the operations that were carried out by the army. Modern leaders should channel their influence towards gaining the control of their organizations, taking charge of processes and tasks in a bid to realize the goals of the organizations. They should have the ability to direct the different potentials of the subordinates, channeling them towards a common vision with which the organization thrives. This in particular reduces resistance to change and make the people loyal to the leader. The most remarkable trait of Napoleon, given that he was a military leader, was his ability to use force. Profiling the authoritative leader, most of the situations he faced were dangerous and required the use of far more reaching tactics to get to his ambition. Through authoritarian means, his armies were able to conquer most power and expand their territory everywhere. It was his brutality and aggressiveness that reduced any chances of a revolution in his own country and enabled him to conquer other states (Biggs, and Bausum 79). Leaders should understand how to use force and authority to pass crucial debates and motions that organizations require to reach their success. Most of these crucial decisions are mostly faced with opposition, and the leader is bound to realize the essence of using authoritative means to avert possible crises or problems that may ensue. For Napoleon, the art of success was geared towards execution, charging forward with force and overcoming any obstacles, which should be emulated by modern leaders. A further quality learnt from Napoleon is the decision maker. Leaders are faced with many challenges that require critical decisions to make, given that high positions of power require more decisions that are critical. Napoleon was an intelligent decision maker, realizing his points of strength and implementing strategies that helped him in battle. He used various lucrative strategies, particularly in the battle of Ulm in 1805. The ability to make good decisions fosters confidence in the subordinates, which reduces any chances of revolts or revolutions. Good decision-making ability is important for all types of leaders, who need to gather intelligence and make informed judgment on the route of action to be taken (Davis 30). Leaders should learn to make decisions that promise victory and are profitable to the masses, and their eventual fulfillment reduces the chance that future endeavors will be met with resistance. In addition, the visionary quality of a leader is profiled through Napoleon. Showing the charismatic type of true leadership, the leader should be able to motivate people through channels where they can realize a given vision or goal (Manas 56). People or subordinates require leaders who embody lucrative visions and goals that they all strive to achieve. Leaders should come up with visions with which teams are to achieve and motivate the individuals to embrace and work towards achieving them. Engaging the teams through communication of the vision reduces the resistance of the teams to the goal and focuses efforts that foster teamwork within the organization or group of people. Throughout history, many military and leadership strategies have been formulated on the tactics that were used by Napoleon. It is of paramount importance that leaders realize the values exhibited by Napoleon and strive to match his attractive personality towards success. Good leaders are able to steer teams through hard times using strategies that lead them towards a shared vision without resistance to change. Works Cited Biggs, John, and Henry S. Bausum. Military Leadership and Command. Lexington, Va: VMI Foundation, 2009. Print. Davis, Steven I. Leadership in Conflict: The Lessons of History. New York: St. Martins Press, 2006. Print. Lockhart, J G. The History of Napoleon Buonaparte. Waiheke Island: Floating Press, 2008. Print. Luvaas, Jay. Napoleon on the Art of War. New York, NY: Free Press, 1999. Print. Manas, Jerry. Napoleon on Project Management: Timeless Lessons in Planning, Execution, and Leadership. Nashville, Tenn: Nelson Business, 2006. Print. Markham, Felix H. Napoleon. New York: New American Library, 1964. Print Read More