............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….
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.