The Musketeers
Lessons in leadership
When I was a child, I watched The Three Musketeers movie. The old one, with Lana Turner in that out of date dress, and Van Heflin as Athos. I didn’t know, way back then, that some of the costumes were not “authentic” in style. Wearing an authentic reproduction of a gown from the early 17th century meant a bit of boob exposure. In the 1940s breast were to be suggested, even exaggerated, but not in the least, exposed.
But I digress. Today, we are talking leaders and men with warrior sensibilities, not breasts. So let’s get back to those badass guys whose main job was to protect the king, and each other.
If you have never read Dumas’ books on those four fantastic men, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D’Artagnan, you have my sympathy. Because this is a story about adventure with honor. The Musketeers are the ultimate team players. One for all, and all for one, is their motto. Their “sergeant” is Athos. Oh how I love the guy. He is the wounded, brooding one who will make the hard decisions. Every team needs that leader, the one who rids the project, or the world, of a bad player.
The four men represent an array of personality traits. Athos makes decisions and plans. Porthos loves the good life, of family, food and friends. Aramis loves sex and religion. D’Artagnan is the impulsive, hot headed one. He fights first and asks questions later. D’Artagnan will learn. But no one can ask for a better point man. That they like each other is a blessing. You push one, you’ve pushed all of them.
Don’t you want to belong to such a team?
Let’s look at these guys. Who and what were they, historically speaking? The organization was created by Louis XIII in 1622. At that time, Louis was a young man who had been on the throne for 12 years, since the age of 9. Louis, considered a “weak king” was more like a wary young man. At 9 years of age, his father, Henri IV, was assassinated. His mother, Marie d’Medici, was involved in her own games of power and control. And now her son, a mere boy, would be king, and she, his regent.
Marie is salivating. Oh the power!
Richelieu, the cardinal, was no stranger to politics. He sided with Marie, and the two of them took control of the young king. Granted, a 9 year-old boy in 1610 is much more mature than a boy of 9 today, nonetheless, his is still a young mind that is surrounded by those who would control him. With no father to protect him, Louis does what any smart kid would do. Pretend to behave and bide his time. What he needed more than anything, was a cadre of people who were devoted completely to him.
The novels give us a peek into a complex world. Novels, however, are not there to bring us the facts of who did what to whom. Novels give us the inside story. The human story of the twists and turns suffered by the soul.
The French court was not a pleasant place to be. Never. Ever.
All these individuals, jokey for position! Factions everywhere, and this is the beginning of the 17th century, the so called, “age of reason,” wherein everyone is quite unreasonable. It is the era of religious wars, dogmatic Puritans, businessmen making new opportunities in a “new” world, whilst the Catholic Church hauls a brilliant scientist in front of the inquisition for daring to boldly suggest, the Earth is not the centre of the universe, the sun is. This is Louis’ context. The only reasonable reaction is to put together some security that answers only to him.
Like any large organization, be it private, retail sales, or governmental, from concept to actualization, it will change. It’s like trying out a new cake recipe. What frosting is best with it? A chocolate frosting is best with a chocolate cake. As boring as that may sound to your taste buds, productivity comes from routine, not chaos. France, Europe, is in chaos.
Chaos is the mother of invention. But the old plodder is what keeps us going.
The new hire, D’Artagnan, proves useful right away. Even though his introduction to the Musketeers is, well, shall we say, shaky, it illustrates his skills. Athos, Porthos and Aramis knew what they were getting when they pal up with him. What a work place! Defend the king, get into risky sword fights, get kissy with someone’s wife, and steal a diamond necklace back for the queen. That is their routine in a world that is super corrupt.
Our own modern world is proving to be corrupt in the government spaces. We can always tell this is so, when the middle class has issues about staying middle class. Nonetheless, just as it is so in the 17th century, so it is so in the 21st, i.e., the way out of the mess, will have to come from the middle class.
Our own middle class ranges from blue collar to a high end that touches the lower end of the upper 20%. Since we have no noble class, we use the upper 20% as our oligarchic class. Whilst the Musketeers do not spring from great wealth, they do spring from that higher end of the middle class. Athos and D’Artagnan are from “noble” houses. Aramis and Porthos are solidly middle class. All four join the Musketeers because of issues back home, though D’Artagnan desires the military career by choice. He is the born leader in the mix. Athos takes the hot headed young man under his wing, and mentors him. It is an organic thing, because Athos recognizes his young self in D’Artagnan.
The world could use a few D’Artagnans to stand with the middle class against their enemies; those aforementioned governments and the oligarchs that pull the strings. The current political class is a part of the problem. No bold leader will step forth from them. No, the world looks for new talent, a hot-headed, but self-controlled point man who has a broody elder who will make tough decisions, as their mentor. Which is to say, the middle class needs to save itself.
If you think I am talking to you, well, if the boot fits, put it on. I know the middle class is indeed, awake. They need, now, to take action, to gird their waists with a sword. Go out, and fight a few others, and see who you can admire for their gall. Embrace such individuals and form a team to take the fight further. One for all, and all for one.