The Distinguished Napoleon - The Business of Aesop™ No. 2 - The Frog and the Ox
Gregg Zegarelli Esq.
Managing Shareholder at Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC
Napoleon Bonaparte was a great man. But, I have understated it. Flawed, and yet more than a great man—Napoleon was a magnificent man. Yes, I admit that drawing such a conclusion depends upon definitions.
Some people don't like Napoleon because of his vainglorious personality, but, nevertheless, he remains a great man, like many other vainglorious great men. Vainglory, wrapped in genius military capability, wrapped in the implementation of the new social justices of the Napoleonic Code, freedom of religion and profession.
For those who hate vainglory, there is much to dislike about Napoleon, but, for those to love revolution of progressive social ideas by leadership and determination, there is much to love about Napoleon.
To observe the character of Napoleon—vainglory and ulterior motives notwithstanding—we can study his speech to his troops before his attack on Milan, April 26, 1796, as compiled by The Columbian Orator, which we read carefully:
I promise this conquest to you; but there is one condition which you must swear to fulfill. It is to respect the people whom you deliver; to repress the horrible pillage which some wretches, instigated by our enemies, had practiced.
Unless you do this, you will no longer be the friends, but the scourges of the human race; you will no longer form the honor of the French people. They will disavow you. Your victories, your successes, the blood of your brethren who died in battle; all, even honor and glory, will be lost.
With respect to myself; to the generals who possess your confidence, we shall blush to command an army without discipline, and who admit no other law than that of force.
People of Italy, the French army comes to break your chains; the French people are the friends of all people; come with confidence to them; your property, religion, and customs, shall be respected. We make war as generous enemies; and wish only to make war against the tyrants who oppress you.
Eliciting the great pride of his hardened soldiers, the powerful Napoleon digs deep, "Your commanders will blush," with effeminate embarrassment, he suggests, to be associated with an untempered and undisciplined army that rapes and pillages the vanquished. Rather, Napoleon posits that the purpose is to liberate friends from tyrants, with social freedom.
Perhaps ironic, or self-interested, but Napoleon understood human nature, and that conquering and governing are two different things—raping a man's wife will never endear him to be governed by the rapist. Men who insult and embarrass men will have a difficult time governing, because begrudgement and hate will manifest, sooner or later, one way or another.
Now, like many other of our peers, we sit on a variety of boards and committees during which strategies and plans are discussed. Some of those strategies could be genius, and elicit our initial admiration. And, yet, we are careful to step back, recalling our Napoleon.
Napoleon had a plan to return from his exile in Elba. We recall our history, that the French Revolution removed the Crown (being King Louis XVI), to be replaced by the French Republic, which itself induced the Reign of Terror, which contributed to the rise of Napoleon, who made himself emperor for life, after which he was himself then supplanted by the Crown (now King Louis XVIII), with Napoleon being exiled to Elba.
Napoleon did indeed return to France from Elba. When he returned, his once-loyal Marshal Ney, now acting for the Crown, King Louis XVIII, vowed to bring invading Napoleon back "in an iron cage." Ney had a plan, and so did Napoleon. There was a distinguishing characteristic however, that became apparent during implementation.
When Napoleon and Ney met face-to-face on the battlefield, Napoleon had the charisma to turn the Crown's French army and Ney to switch sides back to Napoleon! Standing directly in front of Ney's army, what other man could challenge the French soldiers to shoot, "Here I am," said the magnificent Napoleon, "Kill your Emperor, if you wish"?
What other man could not only survive it, but to seduce it and to conquer it? The Once-in-the-History-of-the-World, The Magnificent Napoleon. [Watch a great depiction here.]
Only Napoleon could pull that off. That very fact is what distinguished Napoleon. Napoleon could do it, but dare I say, neither you nor I could do it. Just because someone else can pull it off, it does not follow that we can pull it off. And understanding that fact makes all the difference in the world.
This quality itself is part of genius, because it grounds the formula for success, and it is antithesis of self-delusion that precedes failure. Honest and accurate assessment of strengths, weaknesses, capabilities and limitations.
Aesop reminded us of the wisdom to know thyself, with the timeless classic, The Frog and the Ox.
2. THE FROG AND THE OX
A Frog saw a magnificent Ox and became envious.
He called to his friends, “Look at the Ox. He is magnificent, but I could do as well.”
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So the Frog took a deep breath and puffed himself to twice his size.
“Am I now as magnificent?” he asked. But, they replied that he would have to do better.
So, the Frog puffed himself up again. But, he was still not as great as the Ox.
“Am I yet as magnificent?” he asked. “Not at all,” they replied.
So the Frog kept puffing himself up...until he burst.
MORAL OF THE STORY: We need to be true to ourselves, so we do not fail where we might otherwise succeed.
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* Gregg Zegarelli, Esq., earned both his Bachelor of Arts Degree and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dual major areas of study were History from the College of Liberal Arts and Accounting from the Business School (qualified to sit for the CPA examination), with dual minors in Philosophy and Political Science. He has enjoyed Adjunct Professorships in the Duquesne University Graduate Leadership Master Degree Program (The Leader as Entrepreneur; Developing Leadership Character Through Adversity) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (The Anatomy of a Deal). He is admitted to various courts throughout the United States of America.
Gregg Zegarelli, Esq., is Managing Shareholder of Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC. Gregg is nationally rated as "superb" and has more than 35 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, including startups, INC. 500, and publicly traded companies. He is author of One: The Unified Gospel of Jesus, and The Business of Aesop™ article series, and co-author with his father, Arnold Zegarelli, of The Essential Aesop: For Business, Managers, Writers and Professional Speakers. Gregg is a frequent lecturer, speaker and faculty for a variety of educational and other institutions.
© 2018 Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn.
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