Napoleon symbolizes everything that is wrong with the French. Although he was certainly one of the great military geniuses of all time, Napoleon simply refused to train his subordinates so that they could operate independently of him. In effect, Napoleon believed absolutely in central command and control through one man -- him. As a result, in order for French troops to be victorious, Napoleon had to be on the scene. And this unwillingness to properly train subordinates so that they could general on their own eventually led to the defeat of the French because Napoleon simply wore out. Even he could not be at all places at all times.
After the Napoleonic Wars ended, the Germans saw how harmful it had been to the French that Napoleon had been unwilling to properly train his people and to then provide them with the support and authority they in order need to win. The German response was to create one of the most successful instititutions of the 19th century, which was the German General Staff. And the reason the German General Staff was so successful was the that its creators saw first hand how important it was to identify and then properly train officers who could carry out operations on their own.
Napoleon taught the Germans that without a nation state and a strong army they would forever be the victims of their neighbors, a door mat for the french.