Stories For CEOs: How Napoleon brought the best out of his starving troops
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In 1797, when Napoleon Bonaparte was the commander of the French army in Italy, a lowly soldier traveled at full speed, on horseback, to deliver an important letter to him.
Napoleon was about to ride off to join a hunting party. But he replied to the letter on the spot and ordered the soldier to deliver it at once.
The soldier replied, “Sir, I’ll love to, but my horse is almost dead from exhaustion”.
“Then take mine”, replied Napoleon.
The soldier protested, “But sir, it’s too grand and magnificent for me.”
”Nothing is too grand and magnificent for a soldier of France”, replied Napoleon.
Word of this exchange quickly spread through the camps and shot troop morale through the stratosphere.
Napoleon was one of the greatest people managers to ever live.
He knew how to bring the best out of his troops. And we can learn a lot from his conduct.
Getting your well-paid employees to do their jobs well is easy, considering the highest danger to them is perhaps some back pain.
Napoleon got often hungry, poorly paid soldiers – who were forbidden from looting – to fight for him with great enthusiasm.
Making his troops feel acknowledged and appreciated was a cornerstone of his success.
He did things like this all the time…
He promoted soldiers based on their bravery in battle.
He once asked a unit, “Who is the bravest man among you?”
They pointed at some guy…
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And he took off his Legion of Honor medal, the highest honor in France, and pinned it on that soldier’s uniform.
”A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon” –– Napoleon Bonaparte
As he also said: “In war, the morale is to the physical as three is to one.”
This, too, applies to the people who work for you.
If you raise their spirits high enough, each person will be three times more productive, efficient and reliable.
I am yet to find a business owner who doesn’t want this.
”War is not only a matter of equipment, artillery, group troops or air force; it is largely a matter of spirit, or morale.” –– Chiang Kai-shek
Ike “Morale Booster” Patrick
