Colin Powell: I went to graduate school as a lieutenant colonel after...

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

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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

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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

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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

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Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems

Colin Powell

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

Colin Powell

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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

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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

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

Colin Powell

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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

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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

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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

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Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Colin Powell

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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

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

Colin Powell

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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 went to graduate school as a lieutenant colonel after I had been in the army for 12 or 13 years. I learned so much from all the great management theorists. It gave me a greater understanding of my army experience and showed me the gaps in my knowledge.