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If Napoleon Ran Your Business

Jerry Manas

March 26, 2016, 12:00 PM EST

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Presenter – Jerry Manas

Author of the new book, The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook, and the bestsellers Napoleon on Project Management and Managing the Gray Areas.

Senior Research Analyst at Planview

Twitter: @jerrymanas

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“There is nothing new in this world except the history you do not know.”~Harry S. Truman

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Project Management is about

overcoming challenges to

achieve objectives.

Why Napoleon and Project Management?

Planning Managing Risks

Understanding the terrainLeading People

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• Unparalleled Accomplishments

• Legendary Organizational Ability

• Well-Documented Principles & Methods

Why Napoleon?

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• 5’7” (average height at the time)

• “It’ll cost you an arm and a leg.”

• Goal: Federation of Countries (EU); End Hereditary Monarchy

• Clash of Ideals

Let’s Talk About Napoleon

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AccomplishmentsAdministrator

BuilderLeader

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Over 50 Battles

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Innovations in Artillery and Logistics

CanningLight Artillery

Organizational Structure

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3,500,000to

8,000

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• Personal Rights• Property Rights

One (Simple) Code to Rule Them All

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“A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.” ~ Napoleon

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Napoleon the Builder

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Napoleon the Diplomat

ItalyEgypt

The Church

England

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Napoleon the Emperor

Military Threats

Finance Reforms

Legal Reforms

School Reforms

Architectural Programs

Cultural Reforms

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And I did all this during the equivalent

of two U.S. Presidential terms!

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Napoleon Bonaparte…• Innovator• Diplomat• Motivator• Organizer• Strategist• Analyst• Influencer• Leader

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“In this age, in past ages, in any age… Napoleon.”~The Duke of Wellington

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Napoleon was Dynamite!

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Okay, So He Did A Lot. But How???

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Master of Organization(With No Technology!)

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Napoleon’s Operations

Biweekly Status Reports

War . Interior . Finance

Finance“Dashboard”

Price of Wheat per Dept(Min/Max/Avg)

Weekly Operational Meetings

Needs/Decisions

Monthly Fund Allocation Meetings

SMEs/Finance in Attendance, Business Cases, Scenarios

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Napoleon Focused on Value(Costs/Benefits)

Deliverable 1Deliverable 2

Deliverable 3

Asset 1Asset 2

Asset 3

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Some Assets Have Negative Value

“To beautify Paris, there is more to be demolished than to be built.”

~Napoleon

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Are we working on the right projects, and are they still valuable?

Are we making the best use of our resources?

Are we investing wisely in our assets and services?

Are we wasting time on non-value activities?

Are we aware of the impact of delays on achieving our goals?

Are we enabling innovation?

Are we executing our plans quickly? What’s our project throughput?

In Today’s World, Napoleon would ask:

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• Morning:› Check and sort mail› Review/categorize issues› Hold “Doctor is in” sessions

(private and monthly public)

• Afternoon:› Review Status Reports› Take actions and/or delegate› Weekly/monthly meetings

Napoleon’s Time Management

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The Great Campaigns

Ulm/Austerlitz - 1805

375 Miles, 15 Miles/Day, 7 columns across a 100-Mile front

• Well trained• Well dressed• Lighter Artillery• Canned foods• Well connected• Well informed• Empowered regiments

X

X

Napoleon’s greatest asset was the ability to adapt to change.

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Documented Principles

“Get your principles straight. The rest is a matter of detail.”

~Napoleon

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“To succeed, one must be sometimes very bold, and sometimes very prudent.”~Napoleon

Think Bold, Implement Safely

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“The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best, and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever.”~Napoleon

Don’t Get Fancy

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“By beginning everything, we risk finishing nothing.”~Napoleon

Avoid the Temptation to Take on Everything

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“It is better to have a canal ten leagues long every ten years than to wait a century for a hundred-league canal to be completed.”~Napoleon

Aim for Phased Deliverables

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“Think over carefully the great enterprise you are about to carry out; and let me know, before I sign your final orders, your own views as to the best way of carrying it out.”~Napoleon

Engage Your Experts and Staff

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“Messieurs, it is not to convince you of my opinion, but to have yours that I have called you. Tell me your views; I will then see if what you propose to me is better than what I think.”~Napoleon

Engage Stakeholders and Executives

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“It is better to have one bad general than two good ones.”~Napoleon

Be Clear About Who’s Setting the Goals

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“A leader is a dealer in hope.”~Napoleon

Create the Future and Stay Positive

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So what went wrong???

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“The greatest mistake of my career was the interference in Spanish affairs... All my defeats came from this source.”~Napoleon

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The Spanish Ulcer – 1808-1814

Goya’s Dos de Mayo

Charles IV & son (Ferdinand VII)

Napoleon’s brother Joseph

Murat “calm the revolt?”

Civil unrest &dispute: Who should rule?Democracy?

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Lesson 1 Great performers do not always make great leaders.

Lesson 2Understand the terrain. Go and see for yourself.

Lesson 3Don’t assume you can make people embrace something they don’t want to do.

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The Russian Campaign• Largest coalition in history• 20-year weather trends• Contingency plans/Decision Gates• Study of past campaigns• 4 day food rations• Supply lines with canned food• Peace campaign with the Czar

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Lesson 1 Make sure your team is committed, well trained, and prepared.

Lesson 2Nurture effective leaders to keep everyone on board.

Lesson 3Know when to reevaluate the mission and make changes.

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Waterloo

Ref: http://carol.nuvox.net/dolphin//waterloo/Copyright 2000, David Lawrence

Early Morning

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No e-mail! No cell phone!

Later that day…

3:00pm

6:00pm

“A damned near run thing.” - WellingtonRef: http://carol.nuvox.net/dolphin//waterloo/

Copyright 2000, David Lawrence

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Lesson 1 Nurture and retain your best people (and be sure they’re in the right roles).

Lesson 2Never underestimate the impact of delays.

Lesson 3Use all available forms of communication.

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St. Helena(The Lessons-Learned Session)

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“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”~Mark Twain

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Books by Jerry Manas• Topics: Leadership, Organizational Project & Resource

Management, Lessons from History

Twitter: @jerrymanas

jmanas@planview.com www.planview.com

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Questions?