It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership

by Colin Powell

In my own experience, a deep breath is always a good first reaction to a first report. Try to let a hot potato cool a bit before you pick it up.

“Even the most brilliant of strategists must occasionally take into account the presence of an enemy.”

“I can make a brigadier general in five minutes, but it is not easy to replace one hundred horses.”

My job as a leader was to take care of the horses, get the most out of them, and make sure they were all pulling in the direction I wanted to go. And, by the way, make sure there were folks behind me ready to be promoted to brigadier general and take over after I left.

When necessary pruning is not done, good followers often slack off. But when it is done successfully, black clouds lift from over the team.

Leaders need to be ready to replace anyone who is no longer up to the task. Don’t reorganize around a weak follower. Retrain, move, or fire them. You are doing that person a favor in the long term. And you are doing your team a favor immediately.

I tried to maintain the same attitude throughout my career. Working hard and leaving to the Army the decision about where to get off became a touchstone for me. They never made promises about how high I would go. “Just do your job well and you’ll move up. We’ll let you know when you have arrived at your station.” I asked my conductor a number of times if the next station was mine. “Not yet,” he kept telling me. And I kept riding.

Go in with a commitment to selfless service, never selfish service.

And cheerfully and with gratitude take your gold watch and plaque, get off the train before somebody throws you off, go sit in the shade with a drink, and take a look at the other tracks and the other trains out there. Spend a moment

watching the old train disappear, then start a new journ...

I have always held the view that decisive force should be used in addressing a military conflict.

But when the President decides that only force will accomplish his political objective, then force must be applied in a decisive manner.

“Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most.”

Always try to get over failure quickly. Learn from it. Study how you contributed to it. If you are responsible for it, own up to it. Though others may have greater responsibility for it than you do, don’t look for that as an escape hatch. Once you have analyzed what went wrong and what you did wrong, internalize the lessons and then move on. As always, drive through life looking through the front windshield and not the rearview mirror. Don’t become one of those pests who can’t stop talking about their by now ancient slights, betrayals, hurts, or disasters. Don’t wallow with your sympathetic friends. Learn and move on.

Good words to live by.

We walked past the receptionists and right into the Oval Office, and there was President Bush waiting for us. The boys were amazed. There was small talk to break the ice. And then in a moment I will never forget, President Bush talked briefly but openly about his own onetime alcohol addiction and about how he had overcome it and gone on to create a new life, which eventually led to the Oval Office. After we left, I took the two speechless young men back to my office. Their lives were changed. Back in Britain they spread the word about this marvelous experience and the wonderful, kind, and generous people they had met.

I love this country. Everyplace I go to here gives me renewed energy. Every day and every client brings a new experience and a restorative dose of faith in America. Yes, we have troubles; we have always had troubles. But we have always overcome them. Traveling around the United States I see people hard at work, innovating, creating jobs, and believing they can succeed, just as they believe America will continue to succeed. They are good people, and as long as they are out there working away, I have no fear for our future.