I have been working in startups for the past 15 years. As every day in a startup feels like a battle, I thought I would have a lot to learn from a leader who led his army into 45 battles and the conquest of Europe: Napoleon.

And so I read Andrew Roberts' biography of Napoleon to see what he had to teach me about management and leadership. I was not disappointed. Napoleon was incredibly modern in many ways.

I am sharing here 7 key take-aways.

1. Build “Esprit de corps”

In campaigns and battles, the French army had a major advantage: a good morale, also called “esprit de corps” in the Grande Armée (the name of the French army under Napoleon). Without this “esprit de corps”, Napoleon would likely not have won some of his major victories such as Austerlitz or Marengo. 

This “esprit de corps” was driven by:

1. The ideals of the French Revolution (liberty, equality). Those ideals gave French soldiers a purpose, a mission. They weren’t fighting only because their leaders had given them the order to do so, they were fighting because they believed that it was their mission to spread the values of the French Revolution to the rest of royalist Europe.
2. The myth of Napoleon. Soldiers believed in him. They believed in his leadership and were willing to give their life for him. French soldiers would heroically charge the enemy shouting “Vive l’empereur!” (ie "Long live the emperor!").

“Esprit de corps” is what we usually call "culture" nowadays, and culture is essential for startups. When things are going well, when the business is coming in and the company growing, culture doesn’t seem so important. But things rarely go well for long; at some point something goes South. When the storm hits, the one thing that will keep teams from leaving the company is the culture. Culture gives that feeling that teams are in it together. It’s that feeling that other team members have got your back and that you are not alone.

Strong cultures are often driven by a purpose that gives meaning to employees (just like spreading the ideals of the French Revolution gave meaning to French soldiers). This mission, this purpose, answers the “why”.

For Tesla, it is “to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

For LinkedIn it is ““to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” 

Teams will overdeliver when they find the meaning of their work.

The founder’s myth is also an important part of the culture in startups. It usually starts with how the founder came up with the idea and started the business in his garage. It is a good reminder to teams of how much progress the company has made since then. It is also a story, like all myths, that all employees can connect to. This myth becomes like a bond that holds everyone together.

The founder’s myth is a very powerful concept to empower teams. So powerful that some founders have over-exploited it to almost transform it into a cult. Think Adam Neuman at WeWork or Elon Musk at Tesla/SpaceX. I personally think they went too far because giving so much importance to one person is never a good idea.

2. Be empathetic

Napoleon genuinely cared for his soldiers. In armies of other European countries, officers did not mix with soldiers, a sort of heritage of royalty and everything that comes with it. But the revolution had broken this gap in France, and it was now about “equality”. No-one was born with privileges and could consider himself above others. It was therefore natural for Napoleon to engage directly with his soldiers. 

Before battles, he would visit his troops across the camp and talk to them, boosting morale. 

Napoleon would also not hesitate to visit wounded or sick soldiers. You might recall the painting called “Bonaparte visitant les pestiférés de Jaffa”, depicting him visiting French soldiers sick with plague during his Egypt campaign.

Leaders in startups ask a lot from their teams as the bar is high. Acknowledging that employees are not just a piece of mechanism but actual people with their fears and dreams goes a long way. In my experience, this is not happening in many companies. In many companies, it is still the dynamic of the “old regime”: managers on one side and the rest on the other.

3. Words matter to inspire

Speeches before battles with carefully chosen words would unleash the energy that makes a difference on the battlefield. Some of Napoleon speeches were so impactful that they crossed centuries without losing their impact. You might recall him addressing his troops before the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt: “From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us”. Words have the power of inspiring us to do things we would have thought impossible. Words can unleash the energy that can lead people to move mountains.

In the startup environment, there are regular meetings that give leaders the opportunity to address their teams or the whole company. These moments are precious, but too often wasted. Boring slides with multiple messages are unrolled, and after the meeting the impact is close to zero. Leaders should seize these moments to inspire their teams. 

Picking the right words is not something that should be improvised. It takes preparation, and therefore time. But it is definitely worth the investment.

Next time you address your team, be the leader that stands on top of a pyramid and that shows the direction that the team will collectively go towards.

4. Stay humble

Napoleon was not afraid to make public his ignorance on certain topics and to ask his staff a lot of questions to learn what he didn’t know. When he was given the command of the “Army of Italy” in 1796, he was only 27 years old. One of his first challenges was building his credibility in regards to the generals of his army, who had way more experience than he did. He started by bombarding his staff with questions about the geography of Italy, the state of his troops or the movements of the enemy. This was unusual at the time as some thought that showing ignorance could be perceived as a sign of weakness. But it actually made the opposite effect: the humility demonstrated on those first interactions impressed his generals and helped Napoleon lay the foundations of his credibility.

Two centuries later, I still see many leaders and managers who feel they should have the answer to everything. Acknowledging ignorance is not a sign of weakness. It is the opposite. There is so much that managers could learn by asking questions to their teams.

5. Lead by example, be on the front lines

More than once, Napoleon almost died in battle. At the siege of Toulon in 1793, his horse was killed while he was riding him. During the siege of Ratisbonne in 1809, he was wounded by a bullet. Napoleon was on the front lines and expected his generals to do just as much. Knowing that their leaders did not ask them something they wouldn’t do themselves meant a lot for the morale of the soldiers.

Leaders should show their teams that there is nothing they ask of them that they wouldn’t do. Therefore leaders should not be afraid of rolling up their sleeves to do the dirty work. It will not damage their aura as a leader. On the contrary, they will earn the respect of their teams.

6. Give recognition

Because Napoleon understood the importance of recognition, he created the Legion d’Honneur, a medal awarded to those who had done a special deed for France. Unlike privileges distributed in the “old regime”, anyone could benefit from it, no matter their origins. Receiving the medal came with certain other privileges such as a pension, or access for their children to a top boarding school in Saint Denis.

For soldiers, earning the Legion d’Honneur meant a lot. They were willing to risk their life on the battlefield for it.

Recognition is such a strong driver for people. People are pumped when they receive recognition for their work from a manager. Unfortunately I have seen many managers forgetting to give positive feedback. They are very good at challenging how things are being done, but forget the part about what acknowledging good work. It is a source of stress for their teams as they will work hard to earn that recognition but without ever getting it. At some point, lack of positive feedback leads to emotional exhaustion.

7. Don’t do

I can already hear those coming after me to remind the dark side of Napoleon. Yes, although I am French and have a biais, I am aware of that.

Here are some the things you do NOT want to do like Napoleon:

• Get your employees killed
• Succumb to hubris
• Be a sexist 
• Mislead your investors inn your communication about your company’s progress

#people #management #leadership #startups