It Worked for Me
leaders. “You can never err by treating everyone in the building with respect, thoughtfulness, and a kind word,” I told them. “Every one of our employees is an essential employee. Every one of them wants to be viewed that way. And if you treat them that way, they will view you that way. They will not let you down or let you fail. They will accompli
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Loyalty is disagreeing strongly, and loyalty is executing faithfully. The decision is not about you or your ego; it is about gathering all the information, analyzing it, and trying to get the right answer. I still love you, so get mad and get over it.”
Colin Powell • It Worked for Me
infection. Leaving the office at night with a winning attitude affects more than you alone; it also conveys that attitude to your followers. It strengthens their resolve to believe we can solve any problem. At the Infantry School, they drilled into us constantly that an infantry officer can do anything. “No challenge is too great for us, no difficu
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After I finished my diatribe, he came over to me, put his hand on my shoulder, and quietly said, “Colin, the best part about being mad and disappointed is that you get over it. Now have a nice day.” He was right. I felt better after getting my anger out, and I did get over it.
Colin Powell • It Worked for Me
visit or chat, I didn’t mind, as long as I could continue working. I enjoyed
Colin Powell • It Worked for Me
You gain their respect by knowing and respecting them and through your own competence and personal example. Yet leaders must maintain a certain distance; they can’t get too close. Followers want leaders who are selfless, not selfish. They want leaders who have moral and physical courage, who always do the right thing, and will risk their careers in
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I struggle a bit with this one. I am completely open and transparent with my team and I feel they respect me more for it.
I have worked with leaders similar to my approach and have great respect for them.
I understand what he is saying but I have experienced a different reality. We also do not have a command and control structure.
DON’T TAKE COUNSEL OF YOUR FEARS OR NAYSAYERS.
Colin Powell • It Worked for Me
Interestingly, more often than not, this comes from my internal dialogue. I need to stop taking counsel with the voice in my head.
I love the concept someone else articulated like this, a) you would never speak to someone else like the voice in your head speaks to you and b) if anyone else talked to you like the voice in your head does, you would kick their ass!
Superior leadership is often a matter of superb instinct. When faced with a tough decision, use the time available to gather information that will inform your instinct. Learn all you can about the situation, your opponent, your assets and liabilities, your strengths and weaknesses, the threats and risks. Select several possible courses of action, t
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President Reagan used to frequently observe, “They say hard work never killed anyone, but why take a chance?”
Colin Powell • It Worked for Me
I encouraged all my subordinate commanders and staff to feel free to argue with me. My guidance was simple: “Disagree with me, do it with feeling, try to convince me you are right and I am about to go down the wrong path. You owe that to me; that’s why you are here. But don’t be intimidated when I argue back.