It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership

by Colin Powell

IT AIN’T AS BAD AS YOU THINK. IT WILL LOOK BETTER IN THE MORNING.

“No challenge is too great for us, no difficulty we cannot overcome.” Think back to Churchill telling the world that Britain will “never, never, never give up.” Or more colloquially, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.”

“Things will get better. You will make them get better.”

“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”

GET MAD, THEN GET OVER IT.

The ties that bind us are stronger than the occasional stresses that separate us.

“Colin, the best part about being mad and disappointed is that you get over it. Now have a nice day.”

“Don’t ever act that way in my presence or anyone’s presence again.” To make sure I’d learned the lesson he wrote in my efficiency report, “Young Powell has a severe temper, which he makes a mature effort to control.” He nailed me, but also gave me a life preserver. I’ve worked hard over the years to make sure that when I get mad, I get over it quickly and never lose control of myself. With a few lapses I won’t discuss here, I’ve done reasonably well.

AVOID HAVING YOUR EGO SO CLOSE TO YOUR POSITION THAT WHEN YOUR POSITION FALLS, YOUR EGO GOES WITH IT.

“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. A moment will come when I have heard enough and I make a decision. At that very instant, I expect all of you to execute my decision as if it were your idea. Don’t damn the decision with faint praise, don’t mumble under your breath—we now all move out together to get the job done. And don’t argue with me anymore unless you have new information or I realize I goofed and come back to you. 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.”

IT CAN BE DONE.

5. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU CHOOSE: YOU MAY GET IT.

DON’T LET ADVERSE FACTS STAND IN THE WAY OF A GOOD DECISION.

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”

YOU CAN’T MAKE SOMEONE ELSE’S CHOICES. YOU SHOULDN’T LET SOMEONE ELSE MAKE YOURS.

“Why would you want to wear someone else’s T-shirt? You are your own brand. Remain free and wear your own T-shirt.”

CHECK SMALL THINGS. We are all familiar with the old rhyme

SHARE CREDIT.

Share the credit, take the blame, and quietly find out and fix things that went wrong.

“Whenever you place the cause of one of your actions outside yourself, it’s an excuse and not a reason.”

10. REMAIN CALM. BE KIND.

HAVE A VISION. BE DEMANDING.

Purpose is the destination of a vision.

“Our job is to make sure that tomorrow morning when people from all over the world come to this wonderful building, it shines, it is clean, and it looks great.” His job was to drag bags, but he knew his purpose. He didn’t feel he was just a trash hauler. His work was vital, and his purpose blended into the purpose of the building’s most senior management eighty floors above. Their purpose was to make sure that this masterpiece of a building always welcomed and awed visitors, as it had done on opening day, May 1, 1931.

DON’T TAKE COUNSEL OF YOUR FEARS OR NAYSAYERS.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Listen to everyone you need to, and then go with your fearless instinct.

PERPETUAL OPTIMISM IS A FORCE MULTIPLIER.

Jamaicans had a joke: “That lazy brute, him only have two jobs.”

“Do your best—we’ll accept your best,

but nothing less.”

If you take the pay, earn it. Always do your very best. Even when no one else is looking, you always are. Don’t disappoint yourself.

“Don’t run if you can walk; don’t stand up if you can sit down; don’t sit down if you can lie down; and don’t stay awake if you can go to sleep.”

“Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.”

Show it in depth, show it with passion, and expect nothing in return. Kindness is not just about being nice; it’s about recognizing another human being who deserves care and respect.

Kindness is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of confidence.

“To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

“Where on the battlefield?”

of a leader’s experience, self-confidence, confidence in his subordinates, and the needs of his superiors.

“Well, I didn’t feel that I could sleep at ease if you were out of Washington.” Marshall, that great man, knew his place was not to wade into the surf out of a landing craft in the Philippines or command the assault on the Normandy beaches, but to ensure that MacArthur and Eisenhower could.

I don’t measure your success by your rank or position, but by the contribution you are making.

“How do you make general?” he asks with raw, unconcealed ambition. “Well, son,” said the general, “here’s what you do. You work like a dog, you never stop studying, you train your troops hard and take care of them. You are loyal to your commander and your soldiers. You do the best you can in every mission, and you love the Army. You are ready to die for the mission and your troops. That’s all you have to do.” The lieutenant replied with a soft voice, “Wow, and that’s how you make general . . .”

“Naw, that’s how you make first lieutenant. Just keep repeating it and let ’em see what you got,” said the general, finishing off his last martini. Then he left.

I believe that when you first take over a new outfit, start out trusting the people there unless you have real evidence not to. If you trust them, they will trust you, and those bonds will strengthen over time. They will work hard to make sure you do well. They will protect you and cover you. They will take care of you.

So everything you do as a leader has to focus on building trust in a team.

high but not impossible standards. Mine are achievable with maximum effort. I do not like to see an atmosphere of fear in an organization, where shouting, screaming, and abuse of subordinates are common. You’re probably saying, “Well, who does?” You’d be surprised. I have worked in fear- and abuse-filled organizations and have seen a lot more. Their leaders were at bottom insecure bullies who substituted Sturm und Drang for leadership. I have never known any leader who got the best out of his people that way. “What is a leader?” people ask me. My simple answer: “Someone unafraid to take charge. Someone people respond to and are willing to follow.” I believe that leaders must be born with a natural connection and affinity to others, which then must be encouraged and developed by parents and teachers and molded by training, experience, and mentoring. You can learn to be a better leader. And you can also waste your natural talents by ceasing to learn and grow.

Facts are verified information that is then presented as objective reality.

• Tell me what you know. • Tell me what you don’t know. • Then tell me what you think. • Always distinguish which from which.

“he don’t pay me to give him happy talk.”