Retired General Colin Powell

Retired General Colin Powell

Colin Powell stated, Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.

It seemed as if he had found his place while in ROTC. The discipline along with the structure, it was as if he had found people who were like him. He had fallen in love with the Army and after forty years of service, he retired. He was ask, what would have you done if you had not come in the Army? I’d probably be a bus driver, I don't know.

The General had some very strong parental guidance while growing up. His parents lived their lives with dignity and respect for all of those around them, these values were adopted and used throughout the Generals career. The parents were working class Jamaican immigrants who lived in the South Bronx, New York City. The parents worked hard and demanded that their children attend college.

The General did not excel or apply himself in school. As a teen, he was sent home from summer camp for leaving the camp are and having a beer. He was sent home for the stunt, but was later found out from one of the Priest, that he had owned up to the mistake. He had taken responsibility; this is a leadership trait that he took through his long years of Military life, along with his tenure in the diplomatic world.

Finding His Direction

Powell chose a military path when he was in college. He was accepted at New York University where tuition was $750 a year, but City College of New York required only a $10 fee. CCNY it would be. Powell’s mother wanted him to study engineering, but difficulty with mechanical drawing convinced him to change his major to geology.

He graduated from CCNY with a C average. However, Powell gained something much more important: purpose and direction. At CCNY, he di...

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... 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 stand in the way of a good decision.

7. You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours.

8. Check small things.

9. Share credit.

10. Remain calm. Be kind.

11. Have a vision. Be demanding.

2. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.

13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

References

'It Worked For Me': Life Lessons From Colin Powell : NPR. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2012/05/22/153296714/it-worked-for-me-life-lessons-from-colin-powell

Hughes, R. L., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin

Powell, C. L., & Koltz, T. (2012). It worked for me: In life and leadership. New York: Harper.