This document provides 24 rules of leadership as curated by Oren Harari from Colin Powell's leadership principles. The rules focus on eliciting diverse ideas, establishing trust, walking the talk, hiring the right people, listening, owning details, questioning assumptions, checking ego, embracing change, seeking consensus while being decisive, avoiding stereotypes, simplifying messages, leading each situation, pushing boundaries, prioritizing execution, valuing people over plans, challenging norms, decentralizing decision making, maintaining optimism, striving for work-life balance, and preparing for the loneliness of leadership.

1. 24
LEAD LIKE
POWELL
RULES OF LEADERSHIP
AS ORIGINALLYCURATED BY OREN HARARI
COLINPOWELL'S24

2. 01
“I want to hear all the rough edges of all
arguments. I don‟t want to concur
things to death and coordinate things to
death. I want to hear from you.”
Create a culture where all feel heard & are
empowered to develop & propose solutions.
Encourage noise with creative clashes and
diversity. Look for great ideas wherever they
come from, at every level. Use tech to
encourage & speed up interaction & drive
inclusion. And can the sycophants and then
hire for great ideas
ELICIT DIVERSE &
EMPOWERED IDEAS

3. 02
“Being responsible sometimes means pissing people
off”
Leaders who care more about being liked than being
effective are unlikely to confront those who need confronting
.
Be polite and civil because frightened people don‟t step up,
but be prepared to piss people off when it is right to do so.
Reward your best performers and get rid of non-performers.
And encourage a thread of creative disruption
DON’T SEEK POPULARITY

4. 03
“Why would you follow somebody around
a corner? Or up the hill? Or into a dark
room? The reason is trust”
Influence & credibility rely on trust. Trust relies
on competence, character, courage, loyalty, &
confidence.
Communicate often in the trenches & be seen.
Be a servant leader that helps people
accomplish vision-aligned goals by giving them
tools and turning them loose
ESTABLISH TRUST

5. “You can issue all the memos & give all
the speeches you want, but if people
don’t see you putting forth your best effort
every day, they won’t either”
• Have integrity and display integrity
• Practice empathy & selflessness
• Use influence, not authority
WALK THE TALK
04

6. 05
“Give me the right people and I don’t much care
what organization you give me. Good things will
happen. Give me the wrong people and it
doesn’t matter what you do with the
organization. Bad things will happen.”
Powell advises us to hire, place, & promote for
intelligence & judgement, a capacity to anticipate,
loyalty, integrity, a high-energy drive, a balanced ego,
and a drive to get things done
Hire for talent & values, not qualifications. promote
those whose values align with the organization, and
surround yourself with people as good or better than
you and who create synergy
GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE

7. 06
You were given 2 ears and 1 mouth. Use
them in that ratio
• Learn everywhere you can
• Bring outsiders into the discussion when
you can
• Use every means to encourage
communication
• Find people you trust (and who won‟t
„manage‟ you or filter) and give them a
way to provide you with feedback
• Use symbols like round tables, a literally
open office door or no dress code to
encourage communication
LISTEN

8. 07
“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”
• Don‟t get too far from execution as you
ascend the hierarchy – own the big
picture, but remember that the big
picture is delivered through thousands
of daily details
• Avoid analysis paralysis – attending to
the fine points is not a license to micro-
manage, hide from a decision, or delay
• Invest in process and tech to facilitate
timely & relevant data
OWN THE DETAIL

9. 08
“Constantly look below the surface
appearances and spin. Don’t shrink from
doing so just because you might not like
what you find”
• Listen to your gut. Relentlessly dig and
probe with a clear, unblinking eye until
you„re satisfied
• Continually pick at, and harass, the
organizations routines. Shine a light into
the dark, unquestioned places of
convention
• Ask what are we doing, right or wrong,
and how can it be improved
QUESTION

10. 09
“Never let your ego get so close to your
position that when your position goes,
your ego goes with it”
• Be careful of your habits
• Be careful of conventional wisdom built
from what has worked in the past – be
ready to change before the world
surprises you with forced change
• What got you here, will likely not get you
there. Be always ready to reinvent
yourself and your career.
CHECK YOUR EGO

11. 10
External change is endemic, proliferating,
and accelerating. Therefore leaders must
rewire perceptions, connecting the dots in
more productive and positive ways, using
change as the driver for growth
• Ask „what if‟ and „why not‟ all the time
• Learn new skills and encourage those
around you to as well
• Revisit your mission/vision regularly
LET CHANGE LEAD
GROWTH

12. 11
“Everyone wants me to reorganize, but I’m not
reorganizing until I’ve got these folks on my side
and believing in my leadership”
• Consensus does not mean, “let‟s chew on this
until we can all get happy with it” but it does mean
aggressive inclusion in the decision-making
process
• Ensure a personal commitment from every
member of the team – everyone is expected and
invited to participate
• Push, but be respectful of the limits of the
organization. Change is continuous and iterative
• Seek consensus, but be prepared to move ahead
decisively
SEEK CONSENSUS BUT
DON’T LET IT RULE

13. 12
“Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest
management fads. The situation dictates which
approach best accomplishes the team’s
mission”
Always be ready to change, beware of
packaged solutions and frameworks, and
continually invest in and build your
management tool box
AVOID ONE APPROACH

14. 13
“We had to make sure that we took the new
mission and drove it down to the last private.
Whoever came in and emptied the trash can at
night had to understand the vision”
Whether it‟s the realm of values, policies,
performance standards, or appropriate conduct,
keep it simple. Define the rules of the game
clearly and expect everyone to play by them.
Then, align daily activity with overarching
objectives
SIMPLIFY

15. 14
Effective leadership depends upon a thorough
immersion in the here and now and the ability to shift
strategy and tactics as the situation warrants. One
size never fits all.
Don‟t fight the last war. Most leaders fall into the trap
of returning to the familiar when things get rough
LEAD THE SITUATION

16. 15
“You don’t know what you can get away with
until you try”
Great managers seek forgiveness, not
permission. By taking calculated, intelligent
risks, you are likely to accomplish more than by
playing it safe. But, in order to encourage this
behaviour, leaders must not punish failure an
honest, well-meaning, first-time mistake.
PUSH THE ENVELOPE

17. 16
“Once we have looked at all the rough edges and we
have made a decision as to what we are going to do,
then we are all going to move out in that decision
and stick with it, with coherence and consistency
over time, unless it has been proven that we should
move in a different direction”
Execution is key. Do not articulate a vision unless
you are prepared to implement it with overwhelming
strength,. Stay cool under fire, think big, act fast, and
go for the big win. Pick your battles so you can eat
what you bite off, but be willing to take advantage of
opportunity as it arises.
CLOSE W/THE ENEMY

18. 17
“Our ability to successfully perform our mission
depends first and foremost on the quality of our
people. We’re all part of one quality family,
working together as a family. No component
more important than any other.”
• Ignore hierarchy
• Depend on people, not plans
• Spend at least 50% of your time on people
PEOPLE ARE PARTNERS

19. 18
“Every organization should tolerate rebels who
tell the emperor he has no clothes”
• Tolerate rebels – encourage them to
challenge you and your team
• Emphasize respect while disagreeing
• Challenge the pros to get a better solution
CHALLENGE

20. 19
“Plans don’t accomplish work. Goal charts on
walls don’t accomplish work….it is people that
get things done”
• Respect authority, but don‟t be cowed by it
• Use org charts as a guideline, but be ready
to abandon them if the reality is different
• Titles are just titles- they don‟t translate to
wisdom
DON’T RELY ON ORG
CHARTS & TITLES

21. 20
“The people in the field are closest to the
problem, closest to the situation, therefore, that
is where the real wisdom is”
• If your division is not decentralized, consider
a deep, pervasive, structural, and cultural
reorganization
• Use technology to help collect front-line
information
• Decentralization is no excuse for being out
of touch. Stay involved and supportive
TRUST THE ONE IN THE
TRENCH

22. 21
“Never let adverse facts stand in the way of a
good decision. Never step on enthusiasm”
• Spread optimism around the organization
• Don‟t take counsel of your fears or
naysayers
• Achieve!
MAKE OPTIMISM A
PRIORITY

23. 22
“I told the ambassadors to take seriously their
role as the President’s personal
representatives. At the same time, I encouraged
them to have great fun in their new assignment.
Fortunately, the two are not mutually exclusive”
• Work hard and play hard
• Create a fun environment for others
• Minimize unnecessary stress
HAVE FUN IN YOUR
COMMAND

24. 23
“Never become so consumed by your career
that nothing is left that belongs only to you and
your family. Don’t allow your profession to
become the whole of your existence”
• Take leave when you‟ve earned it
• Don‟t clock hours for hours‟ sake
• Don‟t always run at a breakneck pace
STRIVE FOR BALANCE

25. 24
“Sitting alone in the dark in the back seat of my
car, I felt full of foreboding. I was going to be
involved in conducting a war, one that I had
urged, one that was sure to spill blood. Had I
been right? Had my advice been sound?”
• Accept responsibility
• Lead by example
• Know when to exit
PREPARE TO BE LONELY

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28. CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTIONS & REFERENCES
Title Slide: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcconnellcenter/
Ideas Matter Slide: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mnfiraq/
Popularity Contest, Trust, Walk, Talk, Pick People, Details, Listen Slide, Ego Change, Situation, Close,
Simplify, Fun, Lonely, People as Partners, Trenches, Charts, Optimism, Balance, Consensus, and Pro
Slides: http://www.flickr.com/photos/defenceimages/
Disorganizer Slide: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobyjm/
Stereotypes Slide: https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/
Push The Envelope Slide: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwizzy/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oren_Harari