As someone affected by the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the memory of watching Colin Powell during press briefings on Operation Desert Storm is seared into my brain. As a result, I was curious when I came across this book and decided to pick it up.
I enjoyed it
Following his first book (autobiography), Colin Powell started collecting stories, idioms, and best practices from his life. They were composed into this book comprised of six parts.
The parts that resonated with me -
- The Rules
- Know Yourself, Be Yourself
- Take Care of the troops
The Rules
In the book's first part, Colin Powell reviews the Thirteen Rules or aphorisms he collected over the years and distributed internally. Of the thirteen, here are the five that I found to be especially meaningful for me, along with quotes from each topic -
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GET MAD, THEN GET OVER IT.
“Colin, the best part about being mad and disappointed is that you get over it. Now have a nice day.”
“Young Powell has a severe temper, which he makes a mature effort to control.” He nailed me, but also gave me a life preserver.
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AVOID HAVING YOUR EGO SO CLOSE TO YOUR POSITION THAT WHEN YOUR POSITION FALLS, YOUR EGO GOES WITH IT.
“Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.” In short, accept that your position was faulty, not your ego.
Loyalty is disagreeing strongly, and loyalty is executing faithfully. The decision is not about you or your ego; it is about gathering all the information, analyzing it, and trying to get the right answer. I still love you, so get mad and get over it.”
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DON’T LET ADVERSE FACTS STAND IN THE WAY OF A GOOD DECISION.
“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”
Now, follow your informed instinct, decide, and execute forcefully; throw the mass of your forces and energy behind the choice. Then take a deep breath and hope it works, remembering that “hope is a bad supper, but makes a good breakfast.”
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YOU CAN’T MAKE SOMEONE ELSE’S CHOICES. YOU SHOULDN’T LET SOMEONE ELSE MAKE YOURS.
One of my best friends helped me shape my instinct. Over lunch, he listened as I laid out all the offers. He replied simply, “Why would you want to wear someone else’s T-shirt? You are your own brand. Remain free and wear your own T-shirt.”
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HAVE A VISION. BE DEMANDING.
A trash remover in the basement at the Empire State Building -
“Our job is to make sure that tomorrow morning when people from all over the world come to this wonderful building, it shines, it is clean, and it looks great.” His job was to drag bags, but he knew his purpose.
Purpose is the destination of a vision. It energizes that vision, gives it force and drive. It should be positive and powerful, and serve the better angels of an organization.
Know Yourself, Be Yourself
In this part of the book Colin Powell turns inward and describes the importance of being aware of one's strengths and faults and being humble and empathetic.
Diligence
In recent months, so much attention has been placed on quiet quitting and its implicit notion that people don’t want to work hard overwork. So, when I read the following, I realized that “doing your best” and being diligent at work can be mutually exclusive from overwork.
If you take the pay, earn it. Always do your very best. Even when no one else is looking, you always are. Don’t disappoint yourself.
In my military career I often got jobs I wasn’t crazy about, or I was put in situations that stretched me beyond my rank and experience. Whether the going was rough or smooth, I always tried to do my best and to be loyal to my superior and the mission given to me.
Overexertion
Lessons to young infantrymen -
“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.”
Empathy
sermon from a minister going through some tough time
“Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.”
Knowing Your Limits
Many people cannot scale up to the next level. I have known officers who asked not to be considered for promotion. They were satisfied with their place in life, realized they couldn’t handle greater responsibilities, and had the courage to act accordingly. A promotion would have made them miserable.
Take Care of the troops.
This part of the book turns outward and shares lessons on dealing with people you work with. Two lessons stood out to me.
Complex Questions
In the first lesson, Colin Powell shares his approach to dealing with complex questions from superiors or colleagues -
Always approach congressional questions with a “Glad you asked!” attitude. They are the people’s representatives and we are the people’s servants. And if you get in trouble, we’ll work together to get you out of trouble. We’re a team.
Correcting Mistakes
And secondly, Colin Powell shares the importance of correcting a mistake, no matter how small -
This is one of the first lessons drilled into young military leaders. To put it another way: make on-the-spot corrections. This serves a number of purposes. First, and most obviously, correcting a mistake shows attention to detail and reinforces standards within an organization. Tolerance of little mistakes and oversights creates an environment that will tolerate bigger and ultimately catastrophic mistakes.
Leaders who do not have the guts to immediately correct minor errors or shortcomings cannot be counted on to have the guts to deal with the big things.