71: Napoleon: Leadership Lessons with Stephanie Jones and Jonathan Gosling

Napoleon is back in the cinemas, and apparently, there are more
movies made about him than any other person, he is third on the
list of most books written about a person (behind Jesus and
Hitler).

So what is the allure and what can we learn from this Mesianic
leadership figure?   

To dig deep into these questions Jonathan Gosling and Stephanie
Jones join me as guests, bringing their insights from their book
on Napoleonic Leadership, a study of power which you can download
from here www.napoleonic-leadership.com

This is a rich conversation, exploring ideas of charisma, power,
and patronage, and asking questions about how certain contexts
create the conditions for different leadership approaches. 
We explore the object of desire and how charisma is not just
about having an extrovert personality, but how a leader harnesses
the desires of a nation to their own desires, and most
importantly takes action. 

Jonathan reflects on this active element of leadership and how
tactics and power, mixed with the drive to act were a big part of
Napoleon's leadership approach.  If you've watched the
movie, listen to the analysis and review if you are interested in
leadership, this is a must-listen anyway.

Bios

Prof Jonathan Gosling
Jonathan acts in an advisory capacity for leadership-related
projects in commercial, governmental and activist organisations.
He has been Professor of Leadership at renowned universities
around the world; is a key-note speaker on leadership, power and
change; is principal investigator for complex research projects;
and coordinates Pelumbra’s growing portfolio of programs. His
writing covers a spectrum from scholarly philosophical articles
on ethics and wisdom, to applicable lessons drawn from historical
leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Horatio Nelson.

Jonathan was recently appointed as a Visiting Professor at the
Bristol Leadership and Change Centre (BLCC) at the University of
the West of England and runs his own consulting company, Pelumbra
Ltd.

You can find out more about Jonathan at:
www.jonathangosling.com

Dr Stephanie Jones
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Maastricht
School of Management, having graduated with a PhD from University
College London, and a Bachelor’s degree (in History) from the
London School of Economics. Dr Jones has authored over 25
full-length internationally-published books on business and
management – three of them with Professor Jonathan Gosling. She
teaches MBA students across the world, especially courses on
leadership, culture and change. Her teaching locations include
Kuwait, Egypt, Yemen, China, Vietnam, Peru, Surinam, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan and several African countries. With a background
managing businesses in recruitment, consulting, and training
operations in China, India, the Middle East and Australia, Dr
Jones gained extensive experience in the corporate sector before
returning to academe a decade ago. She is still active in
consulting and training. Dr Jones also supervises student theses,
at Doctoral, Masters and Diploma levels, assessing and evaluating
theses around the world. Napoleonic Leadership: A Study in Power
is her third book with Professor Gosling, the others being
Nelson’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Commander (2005,
published by Nicholas Brealey) and Key Concepts in Leadership
(2012).