It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership
Tony Koltz, Colin Powell
Language: English
Pages: 162
ISBN: B00HWH3XDA
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
It Worked for Me is filled with vivid experiences and lessons learned that have shaped the legendary public service career of the four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. At its heart are Powell's "Thirteen Rules"—notes he gathered over the years and that now form the basis of his leadership presentations given throughout the world. Powell's short but sweet rules—among them, "Get mad, then get over it" and "Share credit"—are illustrated by revealing personal stories that introduce and expand upon his principles for effective leadership: conviction, hard work, and, above all, respect for others. In work and in life, Powell writes, "it's about how we touch and are touched by the people we meet. It's all about the people."
A natural storyteller, Powell offers warm and engaging parables with wise advice on succeeding in the workplace and beyond. "Trust your people," he counsels as he delegates presidential briefing responsibilities to two junior State Department desk officers. "Do your best—someone is watching," he advises those just starting out, recalling his own teenage summer job mopping floors in a soda-bottling factory.
Powell combines the insights he has gained serving in the top ranks of the military and in four presidential administrations with the lessons he's learned from his immigrant-family upbringing in the Bronx, his training in the ROTC, and his growth as an Army officer. The result is a powerful portrait of a leader who is reflective, self-effacing, and grateful for the contributions of everyone he works with.
Colin Powell's It Worked for Me is bound to inspire, move, and surprise readers. Thoughtful and revealing, it is a brilliant and original blueprint for leadership.
Internet. Here are my rules and the reasons I have hung on to them. 1. IT AIN’T AS BAD AS YOU THINK. IT WILL LOOK BETTER IN THE MORNING. Well, maybe it will, maybe it won’t. This rule reflects an attitude and not a prediction. I have always tried to keep my confidence and optimism up, no matter how difficult the situation. A good night’s rest and the passage of just eight hours will usually reduce the 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 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.” We
it. And it became clear. The President was teaching me: “Colin, I love you and I will sit here as long as you want me to, listening to your problem. Let me know when you bring me a problem I have to solve.” I smiled at this new insight. In my remaining months with him, I told him about all the problems we were working on, but never asked him to solve problems that he had hired me and the rest of his team to solve. Reagan believed in delegating responsibility and authority and he trusted those
get it.” She went through the door and I stood there not knowing if I’d been had. But I had learned a lot about flextime, a small thing for me, but a big thing for her and lots of my employees. 9. SHARE CREDIT. When something goes well, make sure you share the credit down and around the whole organization. Let all employees believe they were the ones who did it. They were. Send out awards, phone calls, notes, letters, pats on the back, smiles, promotions—anything to spread the credit. People
retrieve the name, and so I stood there for a moment to give her a chance to search her memory. Alma got into the car. After another long minute, I said to her, “Ma’am, I’m Colin Powell.” She looked at me, bewildered, and said, “No, that’s not it.” She then got in her car and drove off. I’m often recognized as somebody who should be recognized, but I’m often mistaken for somebody else. Just the other day in the Atlanta Airport, a German tourist pointed me out to his wife. “That’s General