FOREWORD

Most Humble Readers:

I, Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, First Consul of France, MBA,* do require and suggest that you read this book.

It is wrong in places, bien sûr, but what do you expect in the brouillard de guerre—this we forgive from an auteur who with insight describes how I, Napoleon, visionary and leader, brought transformation to France. Was it not I who persuaded all of France to use the metric system? I who created the Code Napoleonic?† I who dissolved the Holy Roman Empire and unified Germany? I and no other who legalized divorce, ended the Inquisition, and began the fashion for the felt bicorn hat, one of which—please note this, business readers—was sold for $400,000 this year of 2018? And was not it I who gave my name to a kind of pastry both frosted and filled?

Do you think all of this cultural change was easy? Non, impediments faced on every front: the British, the Austrians, the Italians, the Russians . . . that is, I mean the weather horrible in Russia—if you can overcome it, you will be more successful in your transformation, I tell you this.

I commend the auteur, M. Schwartz, who corrects the confused mutterings of that espèce de vache sénile, that tête dodelinante, Comte Leo Tolstoy and his mille-feuilles of War and Peace filled with nonsense and frosted only with ignorance. If only I had had this book of M. Schwartz—and vast quantities of steak frites and well-made boots—I would surely have triumphed in Russia, despite the weather horrible.

This book teaches the successful tactics innovated by me, Napoleon. How par example I brought the technological agilité to my forces by making mobile the artillery, so can you learn to be masterful of technology. When the auteur says that speed is most important—eh bien, M. Mack surely observed this when I took Ulm from him by moving my troops from the English Channel to the Rhine even before he finished his café au lait. And in regards to the motivating of troops, as M. Schwartz observes, I engaged my finance department to invest in my troops coins rather than worthless paper money.

M. Schwartz further praises focus and risk-taking. I recall to mind when I defeated the Austrians at Austerlitz by deliberately weakening my flank, which provoked them to attack it, at which moment I focused all of my forces on the very center of their position. This lesson may be useful to you.

Bon. Let us then boldly take up the banner of digital transformation and cross the Nieman River into the fray of competition and disruption. We will together make war on outdated ideas, aim our mobile artillery at the old guard, innovate to found a digital era, and make foie gras of the British. For as I have said in my memoirs, also required and recommended reading (Paris: Beaudoin Frères, 1821, available on Amazon.com), “Lead the ideas of your time and they will accompany and support you; fall behind them and they drag you along with them; oppose them and they will overwhelm you.”

Napoleon Bonaparte

Sainte-Helene, 2018

* I conferred on Harvard Business School the privilege to award me an honorary degree.

† It is, I assert, the finest specimen of bureaucracy—which, as the auteur says in Chapter 8, is the epitome of efficiency and effectiveness.