Leading at the Right Speed: Lessons from Colin Powell

When Colin Powell passed away two weeks ago, I was prompted to re-read my notes on It Worked for Me, the book in which he synthesizes the leadership approaches he found most valuable.  

There’s lots of good stuff in there, but one thing stood out: just how much he worked at a balanced pace. Just a few examples that demonstrate this:

On “busy bastards:”

“By the time I had reached my most senior positions, I never went to the office on weekends unless a war had just started or some other crisis demanded my presence.”

“I always keep in mind a lesson taught to all young infantry lieutenants: ‘Don’t run if you can walk; don’t stand up if you can sit down; don’t sit down if you can lie down; and don’t stay awake if you can go to sleep.’”

On reacting to news:

“In my own experience, a deep breath is always a good first reaction to a first report. Try to let a hot potato cool a bit before you pick it up.”

“If you run on an even keel, and have a good team whom you trust and who trust you, then your folks won’t be afraid to share the worst with you as soon as possible.”

On recovering from failure:

“Always try to get over failure quickly. [...] Once you have analyzed what went wrong and what you did wrong, internalize the lessons and then move on. As always, drive through life looking through the front windshield and not the rearview mirror.”

Even as his health was failing him, Powell took it in stride. He remarked to Bob Woodward: “Don’t feel sorry for me, for God’s sakes! I’m [84] years old. [...] I haven’t lost a day of life fighting these two diseases. I’m in good shape.”

All of those statements stood out because I’ve lately interacted with several leaders who were the exact opposite. They were almost so rushed and frantic that it was uncomfortable dealing with them. 

What’s even more remarkable is that Powell combined the balanced approach with being tough on his team. In fact, one of his thirteen rules is: “Have a vision. Be demanding.”

That manifested in an insistence that meetings start promptly—“The meeting starts when I said it would, with or without you.”—and his belief in the importance of subordinates following through—“You will leave the meeting knowing what is on my mind and, therefore, had better be on your mind.”

My intuition is that General Powell got away with that approach because of how he connected with those around him and made them want to be a part of a winning team. 

One last line of his: “Life and leadership can’t be about me. They have to be about us.” 

It’s hard to think of better words by which to live and lead.