The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell

Written by Oren Harari

Narrated by Chris Ryan

The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, New York Times, and USA Today Business Bestseller! WORDS, WISDOM, AND INSIGHTS FROM ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST COMMANDING FIGURES Inspiration from the man who went from humble beginnings in Harlem to the office of Secretary of State Colin Powell is the classic American success story. Born in Harlem to immigrant parents, Powell rose through the ranks of the U.S. military to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a soft-spoken, steel-willed Desert Storm hero. Always seemingly one step ahead of both allies and competitors, he quickly became one of America's most trusted and beloved public icons, acknowledged for his courage, his compassion, and his ability to forge victory under the most trying circumstances. The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell recounts Powell's core beliefs on leadership, negotiation, self-knowledge, and more. Based on an article written by Oren Harari after Harari met Powell and heard him speak, an article so compelling that it became the subject of a front-page feature in the Wall Street Journal, this leadership primer reveals the secrets and insights that made Colin Powell the success he is today. Short, snappy, and packed with Powell's depth and spirit, it will help readers inspire anyone to achieve extraordinary performance. COLIN POWELL ON:COMMUNICATION"The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them." LEADERSHIP"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand." RESPONSIBILITY"Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off."

• Language: English
• Publisher: McGraw Hill-Ascent Audio
• Release date: Oct 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781639293391

Reviews for The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a relatively short book on the leadership skills of Colin Powell. The concepts discussed are logical and well explained. I will try to use the ideas in my management. The traits to be desired in new hires make sense but may be challenging to discover during the hiring process. Focus is certainly logical and flexibility makes sense. Humor and concern for employees are good to hear. I liked the book and hope to have learned something.

[afderrick · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good book that gave some advice that to be honest I didn't found that profound or anything else that I didn't know already. So if I were to be asked if I had learned anything new from this book I would say that probably not, everything in the book is pretty simple and straight forward types of things. None-the-less it was a good book. I felt that many of the chapters within the book were somewhat redundant and could've been shortened down considerabley. I like how the book was set up, it had each chapter that went into one specific iota of leadership qualities and so it would be a good reference book to have and look at later on when needing to be reminded about something. At the end of each chapter it summarized everything and then gave a few (5-ish) "Powell Principles" that also helped sum everything up. Something that after reading the book I could go back in and reread these items and still be reminded about what the book was about and what it's message was without rereading the entire book. This was a good book that I may go out and buy, someone at work suggested this book to me and allowed me to read his, I might go buy a copy just for future reference, even though the message in it is simple it's always good to read and see in other great leader's lives too

[danstratton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was recommended to my by a good friend. I really enjoyed it. It doesn't contain any secrets to make one a great leader, though. What it does contain is a lot of anecdotes about Secretary Powell and how he became a great leader and what he believes are important points to being a leader. The stories are very pointed and show exactly how the traits are lived by a great leader. While bringing home how difficult it is to be a great leader, it also offers hope that some of the rest of us can attain this status under the right conditions and work. One of the important points that really stuck out to me is to have a clearly defined mission that is simple and understandable by everyone. It must be compelling and just. Another is to know when to "piss people off." Being a new manager myself, I have struggled learning this one. It is not possible to be liked all the time and you have to know when to push. One of the more revolutionary ideas that hit Washington under Powell is that the people in the field are smarter than those at headquarters - trust those in the trenches. I think many leaders need to learn this lesson. Regardless of your role in life, I feel there is much to be learned from reading this book. Secretary Powell has some great lessons for all of us. Reading this book has made me want to strive for both being and following a great leader. This is one book I recommend buying and reviewing many times.