Thoughts on Time, Napoleon and Responsiveness

Napoleon? Few never heard about the French Emperor, who subdued most of Europe in the early 19th century. But more than just a fearsome conqueror, he also proved to be an incredible statesman, revolutionising many aspects of French society, from banking (with the foundation of the Banque de France), the creation of a tax code, the establishment of civil laws and the massive development of roads and sewers.

So obviously, one has to wonder, how can a person reach these kinds of highs (and, as History has it, also massive lows)?

Are there some secret leadership recipes we could all benefit from?

We will skip the propaganda and secret police parts (which always tend to be “must have” of narcissists calling themselves “emperor”) and focus on more pragmatic tips. And what really caught my attention was one of his extravagant time management techniques.

But before I get to it, let me ask you this question — how much time do you spend every day answering your emails? You might also want to reflect on how often you check your inbox.

A survey from the McKinsey consulting firm reveals that we spend, on average, 28% of our time reading and answering emails. That’s an impressive 2 hours and 15 minutes per day. And yet I know many people who told me they spend far more time.