Colin Powell was the first African American U.S. Secretary of State and only person to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The document outlines 24 leadership lessons drawn from Powell's career and book "It Worked for Me". The lessons include surrounding oneself with complementary skills, promoting the clash of ideas, establishing trust, picking the right people, listening, being vigilant in details, and preparing to make difficult decisions alone.

1. Discussant:
Bianca Louise A. Bacongan
The Powell
Principles
24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
by Harari Oren

2. Who is Colin Powell?
Colin Powell was the first
African American appointed as
the U.S. Secretary of State,
and the first, and so far the
only, to serve on the Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader

3. His book It Worked for Me: In
Life and Leadership is a
collection of lessons learned
and anecdotes drawn from his
childhood in the Bronx, his
military training and career,
and his work under four
presidential administrations.
The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader

4. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
“A good leader surrounds himself with people who
complement his skills. Only an honest and fair
assessment of your abilities will allow this to
happen.”

5. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PROMOTE A CLASH OF IDEA
Ideas
build up
or
bring down
Empires.

6. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PROMOTE A CLASH OF IDEA
 Encourage a noisy system
 Look for great ideas … wherever
they come from
 Speed communication through
technology

7. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
BE PREPARED TO PISS PEOPLE OFF
Colin Powell is
above all a
gentleman.

8. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
BE PREPARED TO PISS PEOPLE OFF
• Make performance and change
top organizational priorities
• Reward your best performers,
and get rid of non-performers
• Encourage creative disruption

9. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
ESTABLISH TRUST
Trust
is essential for
influence
and credibility.

10. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
ESTABLISH TRUST
How do you build trust?
By demonstrating the key
attributes and personal traits
that are likely to build people’s
confidence in you.

11. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
ESTABLISH TRUST
By demonstrating
the key attributes
and personal traits
that are likely to
build people’s
confidence in you.
Competence
Character
Courage
Loyalty
Confidence

12. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
ESTABLISH TRUST
 Never underestimate the
“Trust Factor”
 Encourage communication
 Be a servant leader

13. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
WALK THE TALK
People with integrity clearly “stand for”
something bigger than themselves—
a purpose, or a core set of values
and ideals—and their actions
honestly
reflect these convictions.

14. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
WALK THE TALK
 Practice empathy and selflessness
 Curiosity is a key leadership
ingredient
 Use influence, not authority

15. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PICK THE RIGHT PEOPLE
How do you accomplish great
things?
Only by attracting the
best people,
according to Colin Powell.

16. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PICK THE RIGHT PEOPLE
 Hire talent and values, not just
resumes
 Seek value alignment
 Hire people who compensate for
your own weaknesses

17. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
LISTEN
learn
whatever
we can,
wherever
we can.

18. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
LISTEN
 Use every means to encourage
communication
 Maintain one pure line of
communication
 Use symbols to encourage
communication

19. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
BE VIGILANT IN DETAILS
It’s details — in the form of timely and relevant
data, information, knowledge — that minimize
the risk of “haphazard,” flaky, or just plain wrong
policy decisions.

20. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
BE VIGILANT IN DETAILS
 Master the details, then
execute
 Stay in touch with the little
things
 Avoid “analysis paralysis”

21. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
BE A DISORGANIZER
Effective leaders
find the truth
and face the truth

22. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
BE A DISORGANIZER
 Look below the surface
 Fight complacency
 Dig, dig, and dig some
more

23. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR
As managers, much of
who we are is wrapped
up in
what we do.

24. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR
 Don’t become a prisoner of your
position
 Change before you are forced to
change
 Reinvent your job before it’s too
late

25. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
LET CHANGE LEAD GROWTH
good leaders constantly prod
their people with “what if?”
and
“why not?” questions.

26. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
LET CHANGE LEAD GROWTH
 Encourage those around you to
learn new skills
 Replace the old missions with new
ones
 Unlearn lessons—look beyond
yesterday, and today

27. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
SEEK CONSENSUS
leader’s role is to
generate
organizational consensus.

28. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
SEEK CONSENSUS
 Earn a personal commitment from every
member of the team
 Don’t push harder or faster than the
organization will allow
 Seek consensus, but be prepared to
move ahead decisively

29. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
FIT NO STEREOTYPES
argues against falling
into
rigid patterns of
behavior

30. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
FIT NO STEREOTYPES
 Be ready to change on a dime
 Beware packaged solutions
 Don’t limit your toolbox of
management techniques

31. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
SIMPLIFY
Whether it’s in the realm of
values, policies,
performance standards, or
appropriate conduct,
KEEP IT SIMPLE.

32. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
SIMPLIFY
 Define the game clearly, and expect
everyone to play by it
 Make sure the mission reaches every
part of the organization
 Let overarching goals drive daily
behavior

33. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
LET SITUATION DICTATE STRATEGY
depends on a thorough
immersion in the here and
now — on a precise
understanding of the situation
at hand

34. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
LET SITUATION DICTATE STRATEGY
 Avoid “one size fits all”
solutions
 Be flexible
 Don’t fight “the last war”

35. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PUSH THE ENVELOPE
doesn’t hesitate to work
around the rules of the
game creatively,
without exactly breaking
them.

36. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PUSH THE ENVELOPE
 Don’t look for “no’s”
 Live the old adage: “No
guts, no glory”
 Don’t punish for failure

37. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
CLOSE WITH THE ENEMY
take on clearly defined battles
that can be won— and won
decisively.

38. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
CLOSE WITH THE ENEMY
 Execution is the key
 Pick your battles
 Remain flexible

39. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
VIEW PEOPLE AS PARTNERS
If you believe that your people are
high-performers and if you convey that
belief to them, they are likely to be
high-performers.

40. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
VIEW PEOPLE AS PARTNERS
 Ignore hierarchy
 Depend on people, not plans…
plans accomplish nothing
 Spend at least 50% of your time on
people

41. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
CHALLENGE THE PROS
“Don’t be afraid to
challenge the pros, even in
their own backyard.”

42. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
CHALLENGE THE PROS
 Tolerate rebels
 Emphasize respect while
disagreeing
 Challenge the pros to get to
better solutions

43. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
DON’T RELY ON CHARTS AND TITLES
Organization charts
and fancy titles
count for
next to nothing

44. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
DON’T RELY ON CHARTS AND TITLES
 Respect authority, but don’t be
cowed by it
 Use charts as a guideline, but be
ready to abandon them
 Remember that titles are just
titles

45. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
TRUST THOSE IN THE TRENCHES
People in the trenches are closer
to everything
local
— conditions, allies, enemies,
customers, employees, suppliers,
and competitors.

46. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
TRUST THOSE IN THE TRENCHES
 Take advantage of the
intelligence of those in the field
 Use the Internet to ensure
access to information
 Stay involved and supportive

47. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
MAKE OPTIMISM
A TOP PRIORITY
Leaders DON’T have to
smile through their
tears
or shrug off their
frustrations.

48. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
MAKE OPTIMISM
A TOP PRIORITY
 Spread optimism around the
organization
 Don’t take counsel of your fears
 Make optimism fuel for bold action

49. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
HAVE FUN IN YOUR COMMAND
enjoy ourselves and
have fun
while we’re working.

50. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
HAVE FUN IN YOUR COMMAND
 Work hard and play hard
 Create a fun environment for
others
 Minimize unnecessary stress

51. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
STRIVE FOR BALANCE
Leaders who do not buffer
themselves and their people from
the pressure to work
constantly cannot remain
effective in the long haul.

52. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
STRIVE FOR BALANCE
 Take leave when you’ve earned it
 Don’t clock hours for hours’ sake
 Don’t always run at a breakneck
pace

53. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PREPARE TO BE LONELY
after a leader has
listened, collaborated,
delegated, and
empowered, it’s time for
him or her—
nobody else —
to make the decisive and
critical decisions.

54. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader
PREPARE TO BE LONELY
 Accept responsibility
 Lead by example
 Know when to exit

55. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader

56. The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a legendary leader