Leadership Strategies of Colin Powell

As former US General Colin Powell prepares to lead his country into war against terrorism, it is timely to look at some of the gems of wisdom in his book, My American Journey. They apply equally to business.

1 Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.
Leaders are responsible for the welfare of the group, meaning some people will get angry at your actions and decisions.

2 The day people stop bringing you their problems is the day you stop leading them.
They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care.

3 Don't be conned by experts and elites.
Experts often possess more data than judgment. Small companies don't have time for analytically detached experts.

4 Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.
Remember sometimes even the pros can become complacent and lazy.

5 Never neglect details.
When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted, the leader must be doubly vigilant.

6 You don't know what you can get away with until you try.
Good leaders don't wait for official blessing before trying things out. They are prudent not reckless.

7 Organisation charts and titles count for next to nothing.
If people really followed them, companies would collapse.

8 Command is lonely.
You can encourage participative management and bottom-up involvement, but leadership is the willingness to make the tough choices. Too many non-leaders flinch from this responsibility.

22nd April 2003