The death of former Secretary of State, National Security Advisor and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Colin Powell reminded me of a hard copy file stashed away from my days in Washington. 

It’s a presentation by General Powell called “A Leadership Primer.” I can’t remember how it came into my possession except that I acquired it when I was on the communication staffs of Senators Dole and Rudman. 

Some of the companies and people mentioned are not around anymore or in today’s business headlines. The internet was still relatively new, but his rules remain relevant today for anyone in a leadership position. 

A copy of the presentation is on our web site. Probably a photocopy of a photocopy, it’s the antithesis of today’s standards for presentations with high visual content and little text, but the substance powers through with every word. 

Here’s a brief summary of General Powell’s leadership rules, quoting directly from the presentation:

·      BEING RESPONSIBLE SOMETIMES MEANS PISSING PEOPLE OFF.

·      THE DAY SOLDIERS STOP BRINKING YOU THEIR PROBLEMS IS THE DAY YOU HAVE STOPPED LEADING THEM. THEY HAVE EITHER LOST CONFIDENCE THAT YOU CAN HELP THEM OR CONCLUDED THAT YOU DO NOT CARE. EITHER CASE IS A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP.

·      DON’T BE BUFFALOED BY EXPERTS AND ELITES. EXPERTS OFTEN POSSESS MORE DATA THAN JUDGMENT. ELITES CAN BECOME SO INBRED THAT THEY PRODUCE HEMMOPHILIACS WHO BLEED TO DEATH AS SOON AS THEY ARE NICKED BY THE REAL WORLD. 

·      NEVER NEGLECT DETAILS. WHEN EVERYONE’S MIND IS DULLED OR DISTRACTED THE LEADER MUST BE DOUBLY VIGILENT.

·      KEEP LOOKING BELOW SURFACE APPEARANCES. DON’T SHRINK FROM DOING SO (JUST) BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND. 

·      ORGANIZATION DOESN’T REALLY ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING. PLANS DON’T ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING EITHER. THEORIES OF MANAGEMENT DON’T MUCH MATTER. ENDEAVORS SUCCEED OR FAIL BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED. ONLY BY ATTRACTING THE BEST PEOPLE WILL YOU ACCOMPLISH GREAT DEEDS. 

·      ORGANIZATION CHARTS AND FANCY TITLES COUNT FOR NEXT TO NOTHING. 

·      NEVER LET YOUR EGO GET SO CLOSE TO YOUR POSITION THAT WHEN YOUR POSITION GOES, YOUR EGO GOES WITH IT. 

·      FIT NO STEREOTYPES. DON’T CHASE THE LATEST MANAGEMENT FADS. THE SITUATION DICTATES WHICH APPROACH BEST ACCOMPLISHES THE TEAM’S MISSION. 

·      POWELL’S RULES FOR PICKING PEOPLE: 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.

·      GREAT LEADERS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS GREAT SIMPLIFIERS, WHO CAN CUT THROUGH ARGUMENT, DEBATE AND DOUBT, TO OFFER A SOLUTION EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND. 

·      PART 1: USE THE FORMULA P=40L TO 70, IN WHICH P STSNDS FOR THE PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS AND THE NUMBERS INDICATE THE PERCENTAGE OF INFORMATION ACQUIRED. PART 2: ONCE THE INFORMATION IS IN THE 40 TO 70 RANGE, GO WITH YOUR GUT. 

·      THE COMMANDER IN THE FIELD IS ALWAYS RIGHT AND THE REAR ECHELON IS WRONG, UNLESS PROVED OTHERWISE.

·      HAVE FUN IN YOUR COMMAND. DON’T ALWAYS RUN AT A BREAKNECK PACE. TAKE TIME WHEN YOU’VE EARNED IT. SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILIES. COROLLARY: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO TAKE THEIR WORK SERIOUSLY, BUT NOT THEMSELVES, THOSE WHO WORK HARD AND PLAY HARD.

·      COMMAND IS LONELY

·      LEADERSHIP IS THE ART OF ACCOMPISHING MORE THAN THE SCIENCE OF MANAGEMENT SAYS IS POSSIBLE.