Napoleon’s and Nelson’s Leadership

Napoleon’s and Nelson’s leadership

David E. Ashcallay Samaniego

The commemoration of the 200 years of Waterloo’s battle is held this year. People from all over the world clearly remember the importance of this date as it was a milestone in humankind history, being the end of an era that brought both great advances in different areas of society development and also millions of deaths and social problems throughout Europe. Whether or not the ideas spread and actions taken by Napoleon were to be replicated, he undoubtedly became a reference of leadership for the generations to come.  

Notwithstanding the importance of the aforementioned leader, there is other one history, and people, tend not to remember as such. Lord Nelson, who was an admiral of the British Navy, died heroically while defending Trafalgar from being invaded by Napoleon. In this glorious battle, Nelson coined the phrase: “England expects that every man will do his duty” and with his life, defended what he stood for.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it is correct to say that both characters were leaders in their own ways. Although they have different styles of leadership, which will be mentioned later, they also have specifically defined goals to be accomplished by the development of their strategies. This can be considered as one of the attributes we can take from both of them. As future leaders, we should be able establish clear goals and be committed to complete them successfully, imitating the perseverance both Napoleon and Nelson showed when trying to do the same.

Another aspect they both shared was the ability to inspire the people around them. Their subordinates, and people in general, identified themselves with both of them not only because they were in a higher rank in their military organizations, but also because their almost innate quality to command and set a path to follow. If we are to become leaders in the near future, we must acquire that ability so as to lead our teams in the right direction, looking forward to achieving success.

Despite sharing many other capabilities, one thing they clearly differ from is their leadership styles. Whereas Napoleon wanted to become the supreme leader, almost forcing everyone to agree with him towards the end of his era, Nelson thought of leaders as team players who share their beliefs with the group of people they work with and let them decide whether or not they actually want to follow the leader.

In today’s business context, anyone who wishes to become a leader must have a similar style as the latter. By letting others take an active part in the decision-making processes and considering their contributions towards the selection of strategies, managers can have a broader view of any situation they might be evaluating and, in this way, obtain better and more complete outcomes.

Nowadays, it is certainly impossible for leaders to be individualistic and self-centered. No organization will be able to reach their objectives if a Napoleon’s leadership style is utilized. Therefore, managers should be as Nelson, not only to be open to new and contrasting ideas but also to motivate their teams to think differently, stimulating an innovative behavior.