Napoleon Bonaparte: The Incredible Life of One of the Greatest Generals Who Ever Lived- Lessons and caution
I recently finished reading David A. Bell's concise biography of Napoleon, and I gleaned several valuable insights. Here are a few of them
1. Without the French Revolution and other historical changes Napoleon would not have been created. The French revolution took place on May 5, 1789, when common citizens who had been oppressed by their monarchy fought back, and Chaos birthed the opportunity for Napoleon Bonapane who was born on August 15, 1769. This is why all problems carry opportunities in their second hand. Or put differently
“ Chaos is not a pit it’s is a ladder “ Game of Thrones
2. “ I lived like a bear always alone with my books” He not only read voracious “ He kept copious notes of his reading so as to lend weight to his writing. If you read and don’t take notes, read your notes, and use lessons from your notes you’re missing out on the opportunity to integrate or embed knowledge into your soul. For instance yesterday on my train ride to London to speak on sales at a real estate conference I was re-reading notes on some of the books I read in 2023, and wow I saw more wisdom. The upside of reading is unlimited Charlie Munger made $500,000,000 from an idea in got from reading Barron’s magazine for 50 years
3. He was winning on the battlefield but his marriage to Josephine was a disaster. Don’t just win in business take care of the ‘home front’. His marriage was not inspiring, yes some people will argue that success has trade-offs and that people usually sacrifice their health, marriages, or relationships in search of success. My point is by learning from the greats we minimize our risk or tendency to repeat their mistakes
He made his men feel comfortable around him he calls them “ brothers in arms “ and he allowed them to address him as ‘Tu’ when they feel safe around you they will do anything for you. This created a sense of brotherhood among his troops, which engendered loyalty and a willingness to follow him into battle
“ The night before Napoleon rode up to the heights overlooking the field to observe the enemy positions’ Don’t ignore your enemy positions it gives perspective. He understood the importance of studying his enemy's positions in order to gain perspective.
He said to his men “ I will lead you into the most fertile plains on earth, rich provinces where you will find honor and glory’ His men walked 120 miles from Alexandria to Cairo in the heat. Napoleon actually said “We rule men with words” You can influence yourself and others by how you talk
Finally, Napoleon was a master of media manipulation, buying two newspapers to ensure that his exploits were widely known.
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