“Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.”
—Colin Powell.
“Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.”
—Colin Powell.
“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”
—Colin Powell.
“Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.”
—Colin Powell.
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”
—Colin Powell.
Experts often possess more data than judgment.
—Colin Powell.
“Experts often possess more data than judgment. ”
—Colin Powell
“Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t shrink from doing so just because you might not like what you find.”
Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems
with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who
never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has
a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the
bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don’t follow anyone
who’s not going anywhere.
With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful
where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the
person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with
wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you
will learn how to soar to great heights.
“A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the
kind of friends he chooses.”
—Colin Powell.
“Well, the correct answer is he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?”
― Colin Powell
“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.”
“The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve.
Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An
important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative
thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will
change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you
to stay where they are. Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to
crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that
don’t increase you will eventually decrease you.
—Colin Powell
“Get mad, then get over it.”
How To Survive as My Aide—Or What Not To Do
—Don’t ever hesitate to ask me what to do if uncertain.
—Don’t ever sign my name.
—Never use your money on my behalf.
—Avoid “The General Wants” syndrome—unless I really do.
—Provide feedback but be tactful to those who ask—talks between you and me are private and confidential. Alma (my wife) has nothing to do with the office.
—Never keep anybody waiting on the phone. Call back.
—I like meetings generally uninterrupted. I ask a lot of questions. I like questions and challenges.
—I like to remain enormously accessible. I like to do things with people.
—I will develop ways of getting to know what’s happening.
—Don’t accept speaking engagements without my knowledge.
—Keep track of whom I have seen.
—I tend to get moody, preoccupied. I will snap but that clears the air.
—Be punctual, don’t waste my time.
—I prefer written information rather than oral.Writing tends to discipline.
—I like to do paperwork—and I do a lot.
—NEVER, NEVER permit illegal or stupid actions.
—No surprises.Bad news doesn’t get any better with time.
—If there is a problem brewing, I want to know of it early—heads up as soon as possible—I don’t like to be blindsided.
—Speak precisely—I often fudge for a purpose. Don’t over-interpret what I say.
—Don’t rush into decisions—make them timely and correct.
—I like excellent correspondence—no split infinitives.
-Excerpted from Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by Karen DeYoung
English: US Army (USA) General (GEN) Colin Powell, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, waves from his motorcade during the Persian Gulf War, Welcome Home Parade, held in New York City, New York (NY). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”
Colin Powell:
Capital is a coward. It flees from corruption and bad policies, conflict and unpredictability. It shuns ignorance, disease and illiteracy. Capital goes where it is welcomed and where investors can be confident of a return on the resources they have put at risk. It goes to countries where women can work, children can read, and entrepreneurs can dream.
As quoted by Ambassador Cameron R. Hume in a speech on U.S. Government Initiatives in South Africa at the American Chamber of Commerce, Johannesburg, South Africa (18 September 2002)
“When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I’ll like it or not. Disagreement, at this stage, stimulates me. But once a decision has been made, the debate ends. From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.”
Colin Powell‘s Rules To Live By:
1) It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2) Get mad, then get over it.
3) Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls your ego goes with it.
4) It can be done!
5) Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6) Don’t let adverse facts stay in the way of a good decision.
7) Check small things.
8) Share credit.
9) You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
10) Remain calm. Be kind.
11) Have a vision. Be demanding.
12) Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13) Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
Excerpted from Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by Karen DeYoung
“No matter how significant or life-changing your greatest hit or miss might be, neither even begins to define who you are. Each of us is a product of all our experiences and all our interactions with other people. To cite calculus, we are the area under the curve.”
― Colin Powell, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership
“Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them.”
—Colin Powell
Many interviewers when they come to talk to me, think they’re being progressive by not mentioning in their stories any longer that I’m black. I tell them, ‘Don’t stop now. If I shot somebody you’d mention it.’
—Colin Powell.
Don’t let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn’t go with it.
Colin Powell.
Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.
Colin Powell
“Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it. ”
Colin Powell.