EP02 - What I Learned from Julius Caesar

When I was 12, I took Latin. Not because I had a plan. Because my father had studied it, and I followed in his path.

One of the first texts I translated was from De Bello Gallico. Caesar is writing about his own campaigns. In one passage, his troops are struggling. The enemy is strong. The battle could go either way.

In this Episode:

Francois Jacquemin shares a leadership lesson inspired by Julius Caesar and reflects on how presence and courage shape real executive action.

Caesar does not send a message. He does not sit back. He picks up a shield, walks into the fight, and stands on the front line with his men. His presence changes the course of the battle. The troops rally. They win.

That scene never left me.

It shaped how I understood leadership before I had any title, any responsibility, or any team. It was a model that was physical, immediate, and real. A leader does not only speak. A leader moves. A leader shares the risk.

Years later, I found myself applying that mindset in a different kind of arena. In football, I was never the most talented player. But I was captain. And in one tough match, facing a team with an intimidating forward, I made a decision. I challenged him at the first opportunity. Not to hurt him. But to show my team we were not afraid. That moment changed the tone of the game.

In business, I have taken the same approach. I remember walking into a struggling direct sales team. They were stuck, unsure, trying to find a way forward. I didn’t schedule a formal session. I took off my jacket, rolled up my sleeves, and joined them for the entire afternoon. Not as the boss. As one of them.

That afternoon stayed with the team. It stayed with me too.

Leadership by proximity is not about control. It is about care. When things are hard, you do not need to be louder. You need to be present.

I look for that quality in others. If I have to choose between two leaders, and one is willing to walk the path with the team, I will follow that one.

Julius Caesar was not perfect. He was ambitious, political, and strategic. But in that moment, he was human. And he understood something essential. People follow what they see, not just what they hear.

I have built my leadership model on that foundation. Not because it sounds good. Because it works.

And because, in complex environments, presence is not a luxury. It is a decision.

That’s what I learned from Julius Caesar.

Transcript:

Julius Caesar was a source of inspiration for me, and it came a bit by accident. When I was in my first year of secondary education, I took Latin courses. It was something that came from my dad, who had studied Latin as well, so I followed his path.

One of the first lessons involved translating a text from Latin to French, which was my language at the time. The text was from De Bello Gallico, the Gallic Wars, detailing the Roman invasion of what is now France, Belgium, and parts of southern Germany, led by Julius Caesar.

The passage we had to translate was incredibly compelling and powerful. I still remember parts of it in Latin.

In the story, Julius Caesar, who was commanding from the rear, saw that his troops were at risk of losing the battle. The opposition was very strong. So he made a decision: he took a shield and went to the front lines. He physically entered the fight with his soldiers and led by example.

He rallied his men with his presence and turned the tide of the battle, ultimately winning it. That made a lasting impression on me.

What I admire about that moment is that Caesar didn’t just command from afar. He became part of the solution. He acted, and in doing so, inspired others to follow. That is real leadership. You rally people by doing, not just by telling.

The objective in that case was survival and winning the war. But even in less dramatic contexts, like business, a leader faces competitive environments. It might not be life or death, but it can mean survival for a company, a division, or a product.

I’ve always taken inspiration from Caesar’s example: going into danger, putting himself at risk, and fighting alongside his people to reach a goal.

That model of leadership stuck with me. I’ve always expected it from the leaders I followed. Of course, you can’t always get that, but if I had to choose between two leaders and one of them showed that quality, I would follow that one.

That approach became part of who I am as a leader. For me, leadership means being part of the solution.

In business, the first thing you need is to understand what you're leading. That includes the value chain, the people, and the processes. You need to get close to your team and see what they’re doing. And when there’s a problem, you don’t just call a meeting. You show up.

I remember going into a meeting for a direct sales online division. The team was trying to figure out the next steps, how to improve client service. I walked into the room, took off my jacket, rolled up my sleeves, and spent the whole afternoon working with them. That moment resonated. It still does, years later. The team really appreciated it, and so did I.

Even in other areas of life, like soccer, I found ways to apply that mindset. I wasn’t a very skilled player and started late, but I still had experiences that reflected that approach.

Once, in a championship game, we were up against a team with a player who was intimidating everyone. He was aggressive and hard on people, making lots of fouls, and our team was afraid.

I was the captain. So I decided, at the very beginning of the game, that I would go straight for him. Not to hurt him, but to show we weren’t afraid. The first time he got the ball, I tackled him hard (but fair). That act set the tone. It told the team, we don’t need to be afraid. Let’s play our football.

We weren’t the biggest or strongest team, but we had talented players. They needed to feel free to express themselves on the field.

That’s another example of putting yourself in front, showing that you're not afraid, and leading by example.

I’ve applied that principle throughout my life.