It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership

by Colin Powell

It reminds the young Patton of two military maxims: “No plan survives first contact with an enemy” and “Even the most brilliant of strategists must occasionally

take into account the presence of an enemy.”

Study hard before showing up. Know everything you need to know

before taking over.

It reflected my belief in using all the force necessary to achieve the kind of decisive and successful result that we had achieved in the invasion of

Panama and in Operation Desert Storm.

A force that achieves a decisive result does not necessarily have to be overwhelming. Or,

to put it another way, overwhelming force may be too much force. It’s the successful outcome that’s important, not how thoroughly you can bury your adversary or enemy.

An intelligence assessment presents the evidence and the conclusions drawn from the evidence. A lawyer’s brief argues guilt or innocence.

Don’t become one of those pests who can’t stop talking about their by now ancient slights, betrayals, hurts, or disasters.