Colin Powell Quotes - Page 3

The freedom to do your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.

Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms.

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.

Get mad, then get over it.

Don't bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.

The best way to create a winning team is to train them, give them everything they need to get the job done and second, make sure they know what the job is and what the job will be. So you connect strategy to resources.

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. I am talking about a gung-ho attitude that says 'we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best. 'Spare me the grim litany of the 'realist;' give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day.

Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.

Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.

As a leader you set the tone for your entire team. Communicate your vision.

The essence of leadership is building bonds of trust in your organization.

You can't get it all done yourself. The best leaders are not afraid of picking people who are better than they are and who may one day replace them.

I think whether you're having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude.

Treat people kindly. When you are kind to somebody and I don't mean necessarily "buddy-buddy", just show kindness and consideration. Show that people are worthy and you respect them and you are glad they're with you.

One important element of leadership is taking care of the troops.

Trust is the essence of Leadership.

You don't know what you can get away with until you try.

We can seldom get our children to do what we tell them, but they almost never fail to imitate us.

There is no such thing as an unimportant person in an organization.

Trust is the glue that holds an org together & the lubricant that moves it forward.

Have a sense of humor to break the tension in times of great toil.

Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved.

Always be looking for the opportunities, and always be optimistic about what you can do with that opportunity.

All values are important, everyone who has ever touched my life in some way was a mentor for good or bad. Life is a blend, and a person is a blend of all the influences that have touched their lives.