Profile of a Leader: Colin Powell

1086 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: General colin powell leadership traits

“It’s not where you start in life, it’s where you end up and all the places you went in between.”
(General Colin Powell)
Excellence: is the ultimate goal of every leader. Leaders are not born with it, rather they must build it, achieve it. These leaders are the building blocks of every organization. General Colin Powell is the embodiment of an American leader. After years of military excellence, he continued his career on a political level, retiring after 35 years of servant leadership. In his retirement, General Powell wrote his autobiography My American Journey. This narrative outlines his life achievements and failures. In this paper, General Colin Powell will be defined in the context of achieving excellence, starting with how he was taught and what experiences he learned from, to how he trained and built unity within the people he was leading, and finally the values he used in any occupation in the organization, the United States of America.
General Powell received some of the best military preparation the country, and world, offers, including technical, strategic, and leadership training. Still he stands out from his peers as being one of the few individuals who can traverse political party lines, as well as, lead diverse individuals and organizations. Maybe it is his gifted ability to speak; perhaps it is his straightforward, charismatic approach; but more than likely, it is both these traits combined with his personal core values, which make him great. Powell’s intelligence, endurance and committed practice of taking personal responsibility for his actions are included in one of the first stories he tells in his book.
General Powell, as a youth, left a church camp to go drink with his friends. When they were caught, h...

... middle of paper ...

...1 (2004):
6+.EBSCO Host. Nov. 2004. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
KHAN, Brig (Retd) M. SHER. "My American Journey Book Review." My American Journey.
Defense Journal, Feb. 2000. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Powell, C. L., and J. E. Persico. “My American Journey.” Ballantine Books, 2003. Print.
U.S. Army. (October 1983). Military Leadership. FM 22-100. Washington, DC: U.S.
Government Printing Office.
Vinnedge, Mary. "Power and Influence." http://www.success.com/article/power-and-influence.
Success Magazine, 05 Jan. 2009. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.
Work Referenced
"Colin Powell Biography." Biography.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
Glankler, William A. "Colin Powell." American History Online. Facts On File, 2003. Web. 6
Nov. 2013.
Powell, Colin. “A Leadership Primer.” A Leadership Primer. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
"Profile: Colin Powell." BBC News. N.p., 19 Oct. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Military Leaders: The Life of Colonel McBride

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    Introduction. Common Attributes of military leaders are just that, common. The accomplished Generals, Colonels and Majors that contributed to the most successful wars of our country have been molded a certain way. They are molded through vigorous training both in scholastic training and in the field along with rigorous mentorship. Colonel Lewis McBride was a rare exception to the rule. As a renowned Chemical museum curator so distinctively puts it, he was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and industrious officers in the history of the US Army Chemical Corps.

    Read More

  • Colin Powell

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    Powell majored in Engendering. He finished college in 1958 (source 1 pages 32, 36). While in college Powell joined the Recruit Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Powell said he joined ROTC because of the discipline and "The sense of comradery among a group of young men who were similarly motivated. Maybe it was the uniform." Another reason he said he joined is because of the association with the military [source 2 (interview page 1) (biography page 1)]. While Powell was in ROTC, he was in the Pershing Rifles. The Pershing Rifles showed that a cadet was more serious about ROTC than a regular cadet. The Pershing Rifles had to stay in ROTC their whole college career. They were distinguished through a yellow wrap worn on their right shoulder (source 1, page 40). In 1987 Powell was the Nation Security Advisor to Ronald Regan. Two years later in 1989 he became the first black officer and the youngest officer to hold the nation's highest military office, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Omar Bradley In The Military

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living” (Bradley 258). Given command of the reactivated 82nd Division, he oversaw its training before fulfilling a similar role for the 28th Division. In both cases, he used Marshall's approach of simplifying military doctrine to

    Read More

  • The Rhetorical Analysis Of Colin Powell's Kids Need Structure

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    He talks about how he was criticized for making a student stand at attention in front of the classroom to shake his hand. Powell's belief that all children need structure and that is why the young adult is standing at attention in front of the class. He does this with most kids that he meets in a classroom environment. The reason he does this is that of his military background. Powell explains why, that when individuals enter the military they would have all the same clothes, cut their hair. Then they are introduced to the drill sergeant that they would hate. The individuals would learn structure and were taught "yes sir; no sir; no excuse sir." (Powell) After this would happen they learned to admire the drill

    Read More

  • Leadership Profile

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    This paper will profile Jeff Hawkins, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for PalmOne, Inc. examining qualities that Mr. Hawkins exhibits that make him influential leader. The paper will also examine details of the business strategy that make this man an exceptional innovator and his contribution to eBusiness technology.

    Read More

  • Military Leader Development

    2874 Words  | 6 Pages

    In a recent verbal bout with my History of the Military Art professor, I contended that the true might of a nation may be inversely proportional to the size of its military during peacetime. My thinking, though perhaps idealistic, was that the maintenance of a large military during relative international tranquility is an overt admission of weakness and increases the likelihood of unnecessarily employing that force—it is contextually irrelevant. Instead, I proposed that a strong and stable economy is the best metric of national prowess, for such an economy can resource many opportunities as they arise. On the contrary, a robust standing military has a much narrower utility. To be sure, this author is not one that intentionally seeks to take an interdisciplinary approach to academia, but the connection seems relevant given the nature of this assignment. Whereas a nation may accomplish a strategic goal through military force, a leader may accomplish a task relying upon coercive power; whereas a nation may transform and develop the world through its economic strength and versatility, a versatile leader may transform others through the employment of one or many leader development principles—both theoretically based and experientially acquired. This piece serves to describe acquired PL499 course concepts and their relevance to my project team and the West Point Leader Development System (WPLDS). Only through a...

    Read More

  • Fraternity Entry Essay

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    The way a leader is defined and remembered is not only through his actions and accolades, his followers and the leaders he developed also go into a leader’s legacy. Much like a legendary football coach, whose coaching tree goes on to do great things, I desire to join an organization that not only assist in my development as a leader, but also facilitate in the development of others as well. How could I contribute to the development of leaders? My largest contribution will come from my experience of being the United States military, where I was not only trained how to become an efficient leader, I was also taught on how to facilitate the growth and development of others leaders as well. I am able to accurately assess and evaluate strengths and weaknesses of an individual and assist in the development of a plan of action to address these areas. One of my personal beliefs is that vast knowledge is useless unless it is passed down to someone. With that being said I take every opportunity possible to share any knowledge that has helped me along the way.

    Read More

  • ASRT Student Leadership Development Model

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    The role of a leader is often inaccurately defined as an individual who is in a position to give orders. However, there are enormous differences in the attributes of an outstanding leader, and one of mediocrity. An outstanding leader, above all else, is a role model for their peers. In doing so, a leader of the highest caliber is trustworthy in both their peer’s trust for the leader as well as the leader’s trust of their peers. A leader must also display exceptional skill in communication which transcends speaking and, more importantly, includes listening and consideration to the ideas presented to them. Furthermore, a leader must be supportive of and willing to help their peers build their own strengths. The attributes listed above represent only a small subset of what makes an outstanding leader. Yet,

    Read More

  • Toxic Leadership Vs Toxic Leadership

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many individuals in our military today have this notion that just because they earned their “stripes” that they automatically deserve respect, and that their subordinates should and will listen to them strictly because of what is on their chest. A true leader not only leads, develops, and mentors, but they embody and apply those leader competencies in their everyday life both on and off duty. Being a leader doesn’t mean you always have to be the mean guy. It means that you can successfully provide purpose, direction and motivation to make your Soldiers want to work for you to accomplish the mission. In this paper, I will discuss and give examples about the difference between Competent Leadership

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Leadership Style Of Barack Obama

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    The information in this paper will discuss the leadership style of President Barack Obama, one historical figure that possesses certain traits that make an individual a successful leader. There are many situations a leader must endure that require a certain level of sincerity, the ability to see any situation or issue from all points of view, and provide solutions to those issues that all parties involved can agree on or understand.

    Read More

  • General George Patton

    1972 Words  | 4 Pages

    Standing in a crowd of hundreds, anxious about what is to come—combat; waiting for a man whose reputation greatly precedes him…the man who will lead you into battle—into a nightmare. As he took the microphone and declared, “you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.” These words are those of General George Patton…and he has your attention. Inspirational and blunt are just a couple of the many terms used to describe General Patton. General Patton was also a visionary in employment of combat forces; in fact, he was an expert on the subject. The manner in which he led his troops was in itself visionary. Despite his military prowess and formidable leadership, General Patton was humble in leadership and intellect. These three attributes will demonstrate that he was above all, a visionary and ethical leader.

    Read More

  • The Army Profession

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    Snider, D. M. (2008). Dissent and strategic leadership of the military professions. Carlisle Barracks, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.

    Read More

  • Warrior King

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    In any unit, leadership determines the command climate, whether ethical or unethical. The Fall of the Warrior King explains how a commander’s attitude has a direct influence on how his unit will perform during war. His actions alone will set the tone for the rest of his unit. LTC Nathan Sasseman was an outstanding army leader who was destined for greatness. His failure to provide an ethical command climate led to serious violations within the army’s culture and as the book is titled, it led to the fall of the Warrior King.

    Read More

  • Personal Leadership Statement

    2266 Words  | 5 Pages

    Leaders will no matter what have an influence on our world. They have missions, dreams and ambition, and with these things they are bound to go far. For leaders, what makes these dreams come true is having strong qualities such as leadership practices, values and strengths. If developed and learned how to use correctly, these are what take leaders to the next level and accomplish great things. In the following paper I will talk about leadership in our ever-changing world, explore my leadership practices, values and strengths as well as elaborate on the goals I have made to challenge myself as a leader.

    Read More

  • My Personal Leadership: My Leadership As A Leader

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some people were born to be great leaders and some were born to be great learners. I ask myself this question, “How was I created?” Was I born a leader or was I molded to lead. As I explain my philosophy on how I want to lead, I will first dive into my past to recognize and pin point my creator. October 27th 2004 I raise my right hand in order to serve and protect the United State against all enemies, foreign and domestic. At this moment in my young personal leadership journey, I get my first glimpse of a leadership style, “shut up and listen.”

    Read More

More about Profile of a Leader: Colin Powell

Open Document