Leader Showcase: Cyrano D' Bergerac
Or Looks Aren't Everything!
Spoiler Alert: This showcase is based upon the fictional character, Hercule Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, the namesake of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 eponymous titled stage play. Although inspired by a real person of the same name, not much is known about the actual Cyrano, so I trust this article presents a suitable homage. Being as it’s been around for more than 100 years, I feel confident in writing about its lead player without guilt of spoiling the end of its fabulous saga.
The play has been performed countless times and is a fan-favorite. It’s also been adapted for the big screen, the 1987 film, Roxanne, with Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah being a salient favorite. If you haven’t seen it I encourage you to do so, especially are unfamiliar with the story.
Endowed with a large proboscis, Cyrano turns his disenfranchised appearance into one of advantage by getting ahead of people’s commentary about him. This makes him adroit and nimble, but nonetheless self-conscious. However, Cyrano is no mere literary bard. He’s a fuckin’ G!
From the opening scene, Cyrano demonstrates his warrior prowess as a duelist. He is not to be underestimated by his appearance or assumed to be unintelligent. Further, he is witty, sarcastic, and offers verbal ripostes to those who would insult him. If it is physical combat they desire, Cyrano has no issue obliging them, the outcome being a warning to others who would pursue the folly of insulting him.
The story centers around a love story with multiple potential suitors for the lovely Roxanne, to include Cyrano, though he is not overt in expressing his true intentions to her, instead using a proxy in the form of handsome, if dim-witted, Christian de Neuvillette.
Christian, unable to string together meaningful sentences to woo the lovely Roxanne, enlists Cyrano’s help to articulate his adoration. Cyrano proves an equally adept poet and lyricist, Christian acting as Cyrano’s proxy to carry the message Cyrano himself is too timid to deliver. Roxanne cannot help link Christian to Cyrano’s words and falls for the façade.
Those vying for Roxanne’s affection cannot compete with Cyrano’s prose, though her own vanity is on full display in falling for and marrying Christian, only to have him whisked away to fight the invading Spanish. Cyrano attempts to soothe Roxanne’s angst and nearly confesses his true involvement, but stops short due to his own insecurity.
Roxanne entrusts Cyrano to protect Christian for his safe return to Roxanne, only to be undermined by the conniving Count de Guiche, who puts Cyrano at odds with his duty to protect Christian while performing as a leader in combat.
Cyrano leads in adversity in the siege of Arras. He’s a battlefield hero adored by his troops and he treats them with dignity and respect, sharing hardships and ensuring their well-being. Then he deals with rallying his men in the face of difficult odds while mitigating the frustrating de Guiche, who is their self-serving, aggrandizing commander. Cyrano lives the motto: mission first, troops always.
Christian dies valiantly and Cyrano survives, plagued by guilt at his actions and inability to express his true feelings to the mourning Roxanne. Fifteen years pass and we see her in self-exile in a convent, though herself not a nun.
The craven de Guiche survives, too, showing that the good guys don’t always win, but he doesn’t win the hand of Roxanne, either, when he seeks her affection.
The play ends with Cyrano’s death. He imagines fighting his last duels with his demons, that which plague him. His final word is, “Panaché”.
I’ve seen the play many times and most recently watched it—no, experienced the performance—with a critical eye. What struck me are the huge leadership lessons in this play. The story is rich and presents universal tenants such as:
Cyrano is insecure. Not because of his looks, per se, but because of how he feels he’s perceived. He fights with and hides behind words, and then in actual combat with many whom he defeats with their own arrogance. Vanity is the first casualty.
All leaders don a mask. In this case, Cyrano’s wasn’t so much physical, he in fact owned his facial oddity, but more intimate, personal, even. He clearly displayed a confidence to protect himself with his words, but this also reveals is vulnerability.
Brave, skilled, yet self-conscious, he is at his best when able to utilize his literary skills and never meets an opponent he doesn’t best, except his own heart in expressing his feelings to Roxanne. This is another chasm for leaders. They can’t be seen as being too sensitive.
Being true to yourself. You can’t put on a face and expect it to last. This doesn’t work for Christian since he can’t compose his own romantic sonnets, nor for Cyrano who lessens his own word by impersonating Christian for Roxanne. A leader must be true and cannot lie to his truth, his troops, or himself.
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Authenticity is paramount as a leader. One cannot hide from who they are, and, in the case of Roxanne, hiding away from your life for 15 years won’t solve it, either. One must come to terms with their past and, perhaps, embrace forgiveness.
Finally, he is a fighter-leader, and something all leaders must do is conquer their fear. Fear can be paralyzing, but the opposite of that is love. For Cyrano, for all of his bravery on the battlefield, love is his hardest opponent he’s faced and it terrified him until his final day. See my note above about the mask of command.
Lord knows we all struggle with perceived physical shortcomings or appearance issues. Coupled with how our actions are received, our self-awareness can slide into a detrimental self-consciousness. We can learn a lot from Cyrano, not the least of which is to accept the authenticity of who we are, take comfort in making empathetic decisions, and appreciate life as a journey to be enjoyed rather than endured.
That’s panaché.
