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Page 1: colin powell word doc...COLIN POWELL’S LEADERSHIP LESSONS PAGE2 Reflection on Leadership. Prepared by Walter Demartis . The George Washington University . Department of Human and

............Leadership is the art of accomplishing , more than the science of management says is possible.......

COLIN POWELL

Extraordinary Leadership Lessons in the Today’s World

...........A leader has to inspire people. A leader has to invest in people. A leader has to challenge people …. Colin Powell’s Leadership

Lessons

Personal success

Son of Jamaican immigrants, Colin Powell

displayed outstanding leadership skills that should

be an example for current and future generations.

In the Army, starting as officer, he became a four

star general and rose to the highest rank a military

person can achieve as Chairman of the Joint

Chiefs of Staff. He then headed the U.S.

diplomacy as Secretary of State.

Leadership Lessons

When he was a four star general he did everything

possible to break down his rank barriers to deal

with his colleagues at all level. In that he exuded

LMX leadership style developing strong

relationships with the followers breaking the

hierarchical relationship. One of his quotes is:

“Organization charts and fancy titles count for

next to nothing”. Continued on Page 2

 ........Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through, argument,

debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand."..........  

A G l o b a l , T r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l a n d

S o c i a l L e a d e r ETHICS AND

MORAL VALUES COMMITTED TO

HIS TEAM

….Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible….

Page 2: colin powell word doc...COLIN POWELL’S LEADERSHIP LESSONS PAGE2 Reflection on Leadership. Prepared by Walter Demartis . The George Washington University . Department of Human and

COLIN POWELL’S LEADERSHIP LESSONS PAGE2

Reflection on Leadership. Prepared by Walter Demartis . The George Washington University . Department of Human and Organizational Learning . MA in HR Development . Class : Leadership in Organizations . Dr. Tova Olson Sanders.

During his time as Secretary of State he took decisions

that were later criticized but he did that for the foreign

policy of the country he was serving. This is also a sign of

authentic leadership in that he was genuine and fought

for ideals and values of his country. One of his quotes is

“Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off” .

Moral Values

He also clashed with many politicians and the political

system over sensitive policy issues. It demonstrates that

rightly or wrongly he adhered to certain principles. This

is authentic leadership. He believed in ethical values and

transparency and he challenged people for this. He

displayed consistency all the times and his

straightforward, charismatic approach and embodiment

of personal core values are lessons in the today’s world.

Vision and Team Building

As army officer he was successful in his carrier as he was

result oriented, caring about performances and

promoting vision for himself and his followers. In that he

was transformational and at the same time result oriented

focusing on the job to get done. He was demanding but

never authoritative and never lost sight of the well being

of the team. …. “Don’t chase the latest management

fads. The situation dictates, which approach best

accomplishes the team’s mission. Never neglect details.

When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader

must be doubly vigilant” ..and ….”Keep looking below

surface appearances”. This quote shows that as leader

he always paid attention to what was going on in the

organization to make changes when events suggested so,

which demonstrates adaptive leadership style. He

frequently used his position power to get things done,

which denotes a contingency type of leadership. In one

interview he was quoted saying: …..A leader has to

inspire people. A leader has to invest in people .A leader

has to challenge people …..It shows his inspirational,

developmental and ethical leadership styles. Today, as a

private citizen, Colin Powell is engaged in an

organization that aims at reducing health care costs

promoting quality health services for all.

A global leader ...there is no country in the world that

does not touch us. We are a country of countries with a

citizen in our ranks from every land. We are attached by

a thousand cords to the world at large, to its teeming

cities, to its remotest regions, to its oldest civilizations, to

its newest cries for freedom. This means that we have an

interest in every place on this Earth, that we need to lead,

to guide, to help in every country that has a desire to be

free, open and prosperous."

This last quote emphasizes Colin Powell’s global

leadership, his views of the world and that of his country,

and the promotion of social issues such as diversity. An

extraordinary leadership lesson in the today’s world.

Harari, O. (2002). The leadership Secret of Colin Powell. New

York: McGraw-Hill.

 

 

Reflection on Leadership. Prepared by Walter Demartis . The George Washington University . Department of Human and Organizational Learning MA in HR Development . Class : Leadership in Organizations . Dr. Tova Olson Sanders.