This post was written by SmartBrief’s Bryan McBournie. Follow Bryan, editor of the free daily newsletter Wind Energy SmartBrief, on Twitter @SB_Energy.
Colin Powell, a former secretary of state, national security adviser and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is no stranger to leadership. Powell, 73, is now working on projects at home and abroad, including helping to build a new educational system in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He shared his advice on leadership this week at the American Wind Energy Association Fall Symposium in Phoenix.
Powell said that his idea of what it is to be a leader evolved as he moved through various positions in public service. Among his key points:
- Leaders exist to give followers what they need to get their job done. It is the followers who go into battle and accomplish the tasks assigned.
- The most important part of leadership is instilling trust in those you command. If you have their trust, they will follow you anywhere. “Every human endeavor has leaders and followers, and your job as a leader is to inspire,” he said.
- Leadership begins with goals. When the followers know what the goals are, everyone understands the importance of their own role for the common purpose.
- People want to know that you are serving a greater purpose than just your own. “Increasingly, our people want to see leaders who are respected, leaders who are selfless,” Powell said.
- Express appreciation. Make sure that those under your command understand that you appreciate what they are doing, Powell said. While serving as secretary of state, Powell said, he let people know he appreciated their work through personal visits and thank-you cards.
- Solve problems. A leader also needs to recognize when someone is not performing well. It is a leader’s job to identify the source of the problem, and fix it. “Leadership is problem-solving, and you are expected as leaders to know what’s going on throughout your organization,” he said.
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Excellent!!! Colin Powell is someone I have admired for many years. What an incredible human being.
Great summary. Colin Powell is all about leadership. His principles are sound and spot on. Here's one of his classic leadership summaries that goes into more dept on his views. It's a great read: http://nets.ucar.edu/nets/intro/staff/jcustard/jc…
The last one is so important: Solve problems. A leader's greatest job security is the ability to solve problems. If you are known as the problem solver in your organization, you will be become indispensable.
Short, concise, and right on target! Thanks for sharing Colin Powell's keys to leadership!
Thanks for the link to the additional material Randy. I read it (or something very similar) years ago and was recently hunting for it – without luck. You've made my day!
Thanks for sharing this link. It reminded leaders some of the strategies that need to be target. I admire you Colin and your leadership through hard times.
What a great man.I am just sorry he does't want to run for presidency.He could have done ha superb Job!
Current day leader need to be more in touch with what drives productivity; that is being in touch with the feelings and thinking of your team. While the bottom line is important, it is people that cause that to materialize.
You would think that as we become more liberated leaders would be more in tune with the well being of their team. There is no "I" in team. We need more of the likes of Colin Powell.
Leadership is about serving. It's more about the people you are leading than you the leader. A true measurement is how much better you make your team.
It appears that Colin Powell has deliberately not touched yet another core issue – the true leader is one who stands up and say what is right to the common good and stick to values and principles. He is a true leader who practices what he preaches.
Thanks but I don't need a lesson on leadership from someone who gives speeches with unfounded information in them to the U.N. which promotes unnecessary war, bloodshed and 2 trillion dollars of taxpayer money spent.
[...] Secretary of State, Colin Powell, knows a few things about leadership. In this Smart Blog article entitled “Colin Powell’s Lessons on Leadership” by Bryan McBournie, the retired four-star general shares his views on wait it takes to be a great [...]
[...] short article on Colin Powell’s views on leadership from the Smart Blog on [...]