Colin Powell: I have the deepest regret about 9/11. Sept. 11, 2001, wa...

Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.

Colin Powell

leadership inspiring motivational

1. It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.

Colin Powell

morning fall thinking

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

Colin Powell

motivational inspirational life

Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is all about people-motivating people to get the job done. You have to be people-centered.

Colin Powell

organization jobs people

When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll like it or not. Disagreement, at this state, stimulates me. But once a decision is made, the debate ends. From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.

Colin Powell

loyalty mean thinking

Good leaders set vision, missions, and goals. Great leaders inspire every follower at every level to internalize their purpose, and to understand that their purpose goes far beyond the mere details of their job. When everyone is united in purpose, a positive purpose that serves not only the organization but also, hopefully, the world beyond it, you have a winning team.

Colin Powell

team winning jobs

Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems

Colin Powell

succeed people ideas

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

Colin Powell

determination dream motivational

Pissing people off doesn't mean you're doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.

Colin Powell

wisdom mean people

The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.

Colin Powell

successful people thinking

None of us can change our yesterdays but all of us can change our tomorrows.

Colin Powell

change military courage

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.

Colin Powell

attitude motivational inspirational

Whenever you start-give it your best. The opportunities are there to be anything you want to be. But wanting to be someone isn't enough; dreaming about it isn't enough; thinking about it isn't enough. You've got to study for it, work for it, fight for it with all your heart and soul, because nobody is going to hand it to you.

Colin Powell

fighting dream heart

Every organization needs to be introspective, transparent, and honest with itself. This only works if everyone is unified on the goals and purposes of the organization and there is trust within the team. High-performing, successful organizations build cultures of introspection and trust and never lose sight of their purpose.

Colin Powell

team successful sight

The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.

Colin Powell

leader class giving

Don't just show kindness in passing or to be courteous. Show it in depth, show it with passion, and expect nothing in return. Kindness is not just about being nice; it's about recognizing another human being who deserves care and respect.

Colin Powell

passion nice kindness

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Colin Powell

inspiring positive inspirational

We have to start thinking of America as a family. We have to stop screeching screeching at each other, stop hurting each other, and instead start caring for, sacrificing for and sharing with each other ... We cannot move forward if cynics and critics swoop down and pick apart anything that goes wrong, to a point where we lose sight of what is right, decent and uniquely good about America.

Colin Powell

sacrifice hurt moving

Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.

Colin Powell

trial-and-error errors leadership

Respect for leaders by followers can't be mandated; it must be earned. It has to be given to leaders by their followers.

Colin Powell

given followers leader

I have the deepest regret about 9/11. Sept. 11, 2001, was one of the most difficult days I've ever had. I was in Lima, Peru, and had to fly back eight hours not knowing what happened in my own country, knowing thousands of my fellow citizens had died.